Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Chelsea as Curtis Jones and 3 more superb

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool moved back on top of the Premier League table after an enthralling encounter against Chelsea at Anfield, in which Curtis Jones starred for the Reds.

Jones won one penalty and almost had a second. He scored a goal and was brilliant in an all-action performance in place of Alexis Mac Allister. The pick of the bunch amid a string of impressive performers, it was an exceptional showing.

With Manchester City having won earlier in the day and Arsenal having lost to Bournemouth, a win was vital for Liverpool. Arne Slot has said many times that his side hasn't won a big match yet this season; it has now.

• Liverpool next 5 fixtures compared to Man City and Arsenal after huge win over Chelsea
• My favorite player will soon make $100m switch and Liverpool should beat Man City to ultimate move

Winners

Curtis Jones was excellent all game. He could have scored earlier than he did but put his side 2-1 in front with a well-taken goal. His performance had a bit of everything as he tackled, linked things up, and scored. He was perhaps the stand-out but others impressed as well in the biggest Liverpool test of the season so far.

Losers

Diogo Jota was taken off with an injury and he does tend to pick up issues from time to time. It looked like he was injured with the fall and while he tried to carry on, eventually had to relent. Darwin Nunez was in need of a chance to stake a claim and he did.

Player ratings

Caoimhin Kelleher (7). Strong with the ball into the box and good with his feet. He isn't Alisson Becker but he's a pretty good imitation when it comes to second choices. He wasn't bombarded but he dealt well with what he needed to.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7). Jadon Sancho gave him a tough time going backward but the former Borussia Dortmund ace was taken off at half-time, presumably with an injury. Pedro Neto came on. He too is electric at his best but Alexander-Arnold just about coped.

Ibrahima Konate (8). Strong and front-footed, this was an impressive performance from the center-back. He didn't quite get the line right for the equalizer but he was millimeters away from stepping up at the perfect moment.

Virgil van Dijk (8). Keeping Cole Palmer quiet is not a simple task but Van Dijk marshaled his defense in that direction here. The Chelsea dangerman plays on the same side as the center-back most teams aim to avoid and the Liverpool man did enough.

Andy Robertson (7). Noni Madueke gave him a tough time on the Chelsea right wing but Robertson stuck to his task well. He battled and while it wasn't easy, he just about did enough on most occasions.

Dominik Szoboszlai (6). If he was just a tad more decisive in the final third, Szoboszlai could become a real top-class attacking midfielder. That is all that is lacking: sometimes, he just doesn't quite make the right decision. He should back himself more with the strength of shot that he has. He overplayed a few times here and lost the ball when he could have done a lot more with it.

Ryan Gravenberch (7). Putting his body on the line a few times when he needed to, this was the first of the biggest tests for the Dutchman in his more defensive role. He certainly passed it, quietly impressing at the base of the Liverpool midfield.

Curtis Jones (9). If he was willing to let fly with a shot a little more often, it could have been the perfect performance from Jones, who impressed with his ability to link things up in the middle. He barely gave the ball away and pressed relentlessly, and, of course, scored the vital goal.

Mohamed Salah (7). The Egyptian didn't get much space from Malo Gusto even when the French full-back wasn't grabbing hold of his shirt. He twisted and turned and created plenty, even though he wasn't given a clear route to goal. He scored and he assisted. No change there then.

Diogo Jota (6). The Portugal forward had looked very good until he went down under the challenge that could easily have seen Tosin sent off for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. After that, though, he picked up an injury and couldn't shake it off.

Cody Gakpo (7). A steady stand-in for Luis Diaz, the Dutchman was very good. Like his teammates, Gakpo tracked back diligently but it was once again his hold-up play that was most useful. Dragging his team up the pitch and holding off challenges, it is a big part of his game.

Substitutes

Darwin Nunez (8). Came on and immediately looked lively for the Reds. He linked things up really well and got back and defended when he needed to. Nunez was impressive , aside from the silly few minutes when he fell to the floor dramatically and then got the easiest booking you will ever see for a retaliation tackle.

Luis Diaz (6). He wasn't hugely involved in the game but did his work defensively. That was hugely important for Liverpool when Chelsea brought on plenty of depth in attacking areas, including Christopher Nkunku.

Joe Gomez and Alexis Mac Allister also entered the field to help see things out. They were too late to get a rating but added to the Reds' solidity for the final minutes.