Everything had been relatively serene for Chelsea at Anfield until the 25th minute when Levi Colwill flapped in a gale. Mohamed Salah thought he had been fouled on the edge of the area but John Brooks made the wrong decision, leaving Liverpool irritated and began a new case study in chaos theory.
Enzo Maresca’s side had dominated possession with Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke causing the hosts plenty of problems but football can change in a moment. Colwill morphing into a morpho caused him to trip Curtis Jones for a penalty seconds after getting away with another indiscretion, which was still infiltrating his thoughts when he caught the Liverpool midfielder. The tone had been set in the space of a few minutes.
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After Salah wheeled away in celebration, Diogo Jota sat on the floor and his game was cut short after he failed to overcome a problem caused by Tosin Adarabioyo falling on him. Arne Slot could have brought on Luis Díaz and rejigged the forward line but with access to one of the great architects of chaos, there was only one thing in the Liverpool head coach’s mind and he called for Darwin Núñez. The Uruguayan repaid the crowd immediately with a mid-air flick for his first touch as he levitated in the Merseyside wind.
Chelsea had gone from looking composed to confused, with a defence eager to play themselves into trouble. Liverpool, without the level of possession to which they are accustomed, were playing more often on the break, regularly releasing Salah down the right against an increasingly confused Malo Gusto. It was a case of thinking smarter to find new methods of creation.
Maybe Brooks was left questioning himself after not penalising Colwill for his challenge on Salah, making him more eager to give the penalty. The referee then awarded a second spot-kick, this time adjudging Robert Sánchez to be the culprit in a robust tackle with Jones. Anfield was euphoric but they became part of the pantomime when Brooks was forced to jog down to the other end of the pitch and peer at the screen. After agreeing he had been too hasty, he wandered off to draw a box in the air and rescinded the goalkeeper’s booking.
Even the Chelsea equaliser was a glorious moment of confusion and contradiction. Everyone, except Nicolas Jackson, thought Jackon was offside when he latched on to a through ball and slid it beyond Caoimhín Kelleher. Darren Cann had got a very close offside call correct in the first half to rule out a Cody Gakpo tap-in. Few would ever doubt the decision-making of Cann, who won the BBC quiz show Pointless (and there are few higher accolades), but even he could not fathom how far back Ibrahima Konaté’s leg was and raised his flag before it was whispered in his ear that he had not won the jackpot. The away fans’ silence turned to euphoria.
Amid all the humdrum, Liverpool can rely on the calmness of one man: Salah was at his best, thrashing home the penalty and taking his time to pick out Jones with a glorious cross from the right. Others might not have spotted the movement but the Egyptian has the quality and requisite execution to ensure he had a goal and an assist in a Premier League match for a 34th time.
Chelsea were not helped by Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella being suspended, forcing Maresca to create a new unit that was more Thin Blue Line than Line of Duty when it came to detection. Jones was the benefactor of disorganisation in the Chelsea backline. Reece James, playing his first match of the season, forgot how the offside rule worked to leave the midfielder free to wander into space in front of Sánchez three minutes after Chelsea levelled.
Chelsea possess a lot of talent but struggled with the occasion and the high tempo of the match in critical situations. A moment of Cole Palmer magic was lacking and although Madueke looked dangerous with his promising dribbling, and repeatedly caused Andy Robertson cause for concern, the final product fell short.
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The half-hour spell between Colwill v Salah and Liverpool’s winner was highly entertaining, as was the entire match, but eventually Liverpool found the calm. Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Salah were the three that soothed, not using the frenetic nature as an excuse and bringing composure to a match lacking a final ball or finish. This was supposed to be Liverpool’s biggest test of the Slot era and the trio helped them come out the other side at the summit.
It was a blockbuster afternoon at Anfield, everyone playing their part from those who executed perfectly in the critical moments, to mistakes at the back, to the officials’ indifferent decision-making. Maybe it would not have been such a high-octane affair had Colwill made a different decision in his early battle with Salah but it was a catalyst for change by galvanising the hosts. Liverpool have proved they can breeze through matches with calmness and control but here they were part of a wrestling match and landed on their feet after being thrown around in the wind.
