Arne Slot was pleased with the fight that Liverpool showed, as they passed their toughest test yet under his leadership with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea. (More Football News)
Mohamed Salah 𓆏put the Reds ahead from the penalty spot after Curtis Jonesꦏ was felled by Levi Colwill just before the half-hour mark.
The 23-year-old then scored the winner, restoring Liverpool's lead shortly after Nicolas Jackson had restored parity, and his goal ensured theyℱ went bac🍨k to the top of the table.
Slot's electric start to life on Merseyside continued, and🦹 Liverpool have won 10 of their 11 games across all competitions this season – only losing to Nottingham Forest – their most victories after that many matches in a campaign since 1990-91 under Kenny Daglish (also 10).
While Chelsea edged the game in terms of possession (57.3%) and chances (12 to Liverpool's eight), the h🐟osts dug deep to ensure they prevailed with all three points.
And Slot was delighted with the work rate his team showed in what he thought was a d🐼💯ifficult contest.
"Many other games were hard, but this might have been the hardest, maybe😼 because of the amount of quality players they have and the structure they have. We had to fight really hard to get this one over the line," he told BBC Match of the Day.
"We defended so strongly, ꦆthroughout the whole team. There was incredible work rate. The game became difficult for us because there were a few decisions, in my opinion, tha♎t didn't go for us.
"The most🍬 crucial was when we thought we had the penalty before half-time. To go 2-0 [up] before half-time would make a massive differenc🐼e from 1-0. Then, we conceded, but we stepped up again and scored the second.
"The better the teams you face, the more you need it [fight]. In the Premier League, there are so many good teams. If you want to win, at least you need to fight and then, hopefully, the individuals can﷽ make the differen𝄹ce.
"It helps if you play against a Chelsea, it is a big game, and everyone feels it. We felt it and the fans felt it because they w🌱ere there for us todཧay. We showed up, that was the most important thing."
Jones orchestrate﷽d most of Liverpool's best play, winning the first penalty, and he was fouled for🔯 what the hosts thought was a second before the break, only for it to be overturned by VAR.
The youngster struck his first Premier League goal since New Year's Day against Newcastle United, an🧜d got🐼 both of his shots on target, and Slot was impressed by his performance.
"Very good, the whole team worked very, very hard," Slot told Sky Sports. "He had a difficult job controlling Cole Palmer, which i♋s not easy as he has quality. And he added some important moments, too - involved in two penalty decisions and scoring a goal."
