Liverpool news: Mo Salah’s contract motivation as Jamie Carragher makes Reds transfer U-turn

A seventh win from eight games sent Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League table, with goalscorers Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones the subject of discussion

Liverpool have ended another weekend on top of the Premier League table after getting the better of Chelsea at Anfield.

Title rivals Manchester City moved top with a dramatic late victory in the day’s early game, but Arne Slot’s team responded. Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones scored Liverpool’s goals, either side of a Nicolas Jackson equaliser for the visitors.

Slot’s team were without the injured Alisson for the match, but understudy Caoimhin Kelleher wasn’t called into action all that much. There was another injury worry, though, with Diogo Jota forced off in the first half.

Liverpool face another big test next weekend against Arsenal, with a Champions League trip to Leipzig before then, and some huge games are on the horizon. Here are Mirror Footballs latest lines from around Anfield.

Salah’s contract motivation

Jamie Carragher expects Mohamed Salah to extend his Liverpool stay to chase down the players above him in the Premier League’s all-time goalscoring charts. Salah’s opener against Chelsea brought him level with Jermain Defoe in ninth place in the all-time list with 162 Premier League goals, while he needs just one more to catch Reds icon Robbie Fowler.

“He’ll have an eye on Thierry Henry (175 goals) and Frank Lampard (177) by the end of this season, I would imagine,” Carragher said during Sky Sports’ coverage. “I think stats like this are one of the biggest reasons why Mo Salah will sign a new contract at Liverpool.

“Of course they’ll be talking about money and length of contract, but I think these are the things that really get the juices flowing for Mo Salah. He breaks all the records at Liverpool, but getting as far as he can up those lists, I think that’s a big part of his focus as a player.”

Slot questions VAR call

Arne Slot had a couple of questions about contentious decisions on Sunday despite Liverpool winning the match. The Reds saw a penalty awarded and then overturned following a VAR check, while Chelsea defender Tosin avoided a red card for an early foul on Diogo Jota.

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“It’s not so important any more because we won, but I think it could have been a crucial decision for the VAR to overturn the referee’s decision on the pitch, which I couldn’t understand,” the Liverpool boss said. “I think if the referee looks at it for a minute, it already shows that the VAR shouldn’t have interfered. Even, in my opionion, if you look at it on the screen you still feel it’s a penalty.

“Then there was the possible decision of the red card, which I saw yesterday was a red card in a similar situation [for Arsenal’s William Saliba]. Big decisions because penalties or red cards influence the game a lot, but it’s also nice that these moments are inside the game because it also creates a lot of energy.”

Carragher makes transfer U-turn

Curtis Jones’ performance against Chelsea has prompted Jamie Carragher to raise questions of the Reds’ need for another central midfielder. The comments come after he earlier suggested a return for Martin Zubimendi could be on the cards after the Spanish international rejected a summer move.

“What a performance that was, when you think of the quality on the pitch and the money that has been spent,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “For a local lad to be player of the match.

“I wonder if Arne Slot is going to go back in for Zubimendi in January, but when you see how he played today you think ‘no’. He [Jones] has to now do it on a consistent basis.”

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