Arne Slot’s Liverpool side has hit major setbacks straight off the second international break with a huge injury scare that could derail their progress in the 2024/25 campaign. The Reds kicked off from where they left with a 2-1 win against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.
Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones propelled Arne Slot’s side to a hard-fought victory on home soil at the expense of Diego Jota who was substituted in the 30th minute, with what looked like a troubling injury. The Reds regained top spot in the Premier League with the victory against the Blues and now sit a point above second-place Manchester City and four ahead of Arsenal. Liverpool academy graduate Curtis Jones was a standout performer during the game. He made an impact in both attack and defense, winning the penalty that allowed Salah to open the scoring, and later added a goal himself to make it 2-1 in the second half. The 23-year-old blocked out a clear goal-scoring opportunity for Cole Palmar and kept the player quiet for most of the game. The game was the first of seven back-to-back games in 20 days for Liverpool, who are vying for immediate success under new head coach Arne Slot who picked up a yellow card early in the game against the Blues.
The Club now worries about maintaining their player routine and physique with the draining workload ahead. New signing Federico Chiesa is still out with a knock and no date has been put forward for the return of the Italian winger. Harvey Elliott has a broken foot and No.1 Allison is out with a Hamstring strain. While the situation allows the likes of Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to have a more permanent role in the team this season, the coach feels the situation may turn around to hunt them. Speaking after the game with the Blues, Arne Slot praised his team’s fighting spirit during the game.
“I have a lot of confidence in this team but you also saw today after the international break we had some problems. Conor Bradley is not in, Trent (Alexander-Arnold) wasn’t training for the first few games when he came back (from England) so he was a bit of a doubt before the game. Then Macca (Mac Allister) was sick. Today Diogo had to be substituted, I don’t know what it is but I would be surprised if he’s there on Wednesday.”
“These are all things everybody has and you have to cope with them during the season as well. That’s why I always say it’s so difficult to win a league title no matter where in the world because so many things have to be done really, really good. This is a good start to win the second big game we have played, but I also saw how difficult it was, how difficult Chelsea made it for us. If I was sitting here as a Chelsea manager I’d be thinking if we can play like this at Anfield then we are also one of the teams that can compete for a top-four position.”
The club missed out on the UEFA Champions League last season but returned to the European stage with a third-place finish in Jurgen Klopp’s last season. They are currently favored with the new League phase and have a 100% start, winning AC Milan (3-1) and Bologna (2-0) to assume sixth place on the League’s table, lagging behind the enormous goal differences of Borussia Dortmund, Brest, Benfica, and Bayer Leverkusen, who they play early next month. Arne Slot also highlighted how much more difficult the upcoming stacked fixtures would impact the Reds following Chelsea’s game.
“I said on Friday, don’t judge us on this week, you have to judge us after these seven games, and that’s what I say after this win. “Wednesday is Leipzig, then on Sunday it’s Arsenal, then it’s Brighton (in the League Cup) and Brighton and Leverkusen and Aston Villa. “This is our biggest test, to play Champions League and Premier League, the hardest games, three days after each other, that’s what City did, that’s what Arsenal did for two years in a row now.
“You saw two years ago how difficult that was for us and you saw last season how difficult it was for United and Newcastle to be involved in the Champions League and Premier League. That is for me the test we have to go through to see if we can stay where we are now.”
Here is a brief rundown of Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures;
Arsenal vs Liverpool, Premier League, Sunday 27th October, 16:30
Brighton and Hove Albion vs Liverpool, Carabao Cup, Wednesday 30th October, 19:30
Liverpool vs Brighton and Hove Albion, Premier League, Saturday 2nd November, 15:00
Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen, UEFA Champions League, Tuesday 5th November, 20:00
Liverpool vs Aston Villa, Premier League, Saturday 9th November, 20:00
Southampton vs Liverpool, Premier League, Sunday 24th November, 14:00
Liverpool vs Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League, Wednesday 27th November, 20:00
Liverpool vs Manchester City, Premier League, Sunday 1st December, 16:00
These upcoming Liverpool games would test the mantle of Arne Slot’s team. Join fellow Red fans and supporters from around the globe today to purchase sold-out tickets from secondary ticket marketplaces. See all seat maps and compare the best prices for an ideal spot for you and your loved ones across Europe.
MOHAMED SALAH EXTENDS HIS INCREDIBLE STATS AGAINST THE PREMIER LEAGUE’S BIG SIX
Mohamed Salah was a key part of Liverpool’s success in Sunday’s win against a high-performing Chelsea side. His opening goal for Liverpool against his former side added to his impressive record against the Premier League’s top teams. He confidently converted a penalty at Anfield to break the deadlock in the game after Levi Colwill fouled Curtis Jones in the box before crafting Curtis Jones’s winner later in the second half.
The goal marked Salah’s fifth Premier League goal against his former club, Chelsea, and elevated him to joint-ninth place among the league’s all-time top scorers with 162 goals. He is joint with Robbie Fowler in goals but did so in 35 games fewer. He sits a goal behind eighth-placed Jermain Defoe and 13 behind Thierry Henry’s 175. The Egyptian captain may be limited by age to reach Legendary Alan Shearer’s record (260 goals), but he has surely made a name for himself at Anfield with his impressive numbers and form at “Big Games.”
Salah’s goal against Chelsea brought his total contributions (goals and assists) against the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ (Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur) to 60. He is a definition of a “Big Player” and no star currently playing in English football comes through when needed the most than Mohamed Salah has done in the past few years. His goalscoring record in the Premier League against the ‘Big Six’ teams is as follows:
Manchester United: 12 goals, 6 assists
Arsenal: 10 goals, 2 assists
Spurs: 9 goals, 2 assists
Manchester City: 7 goals, 4 assists
Chelsea: 5 goals, 3 assists
Salah was an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s team and made the best of his footballing career under the German manager. He has won it all (the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and EFL Cup) with the Reds and would remain one of Chelsea and Jose Mourinho’s mistakes.
Salah still remains Liverpool’s talisman this season, and the club is reportedly working on new offers to keep him at the club. His current contract at Anfield expires this summer and he is a top transfer target for Big teams across Europe, MLS, and the Saudi Pro League. PSG and Al Ahli have allegedly been on the frontlines to secure his signature. He is Liverpool’s third all-time goalscorer with 218 goals, only Ian Rush (339) and Roger Hunt (263) have more goals for the Merseyside Reds. Don’t forget to buy LFC Tickets to witness the Egyptian magician in action.
