Curtis Jones rebirth continues as Liverpool given £150m transfer reminder
From new born to continued rebirth. What a week this has been for Curtis Jones.
Having departed the latest England squad early for the arrival of his first child Giselle, here the Liverpool midfielder staked his claim for more regular minutes under Arne Slot with a performance that highlighted the strength in depth the Reds will need if they are to maintain their Premier League title challenge this season.
Jones had demonstrated his versatility last time out on his first league start of the campaign at Crystal Palace, beginning in a number 10 role before dropping back to a more defensive role in the second half.
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And, with Alexis Mac Allister not fit enough to start the Anfield showdown against improving Chelsea on Sunday, the 23-year-old retained his place alongside Ryan Gravenberch in a deeper position.
From the early moments it was clear this was Jones at his very best, snapping into tackles and swiftly moving Liverpool forward by carrying possession and taking on players.
His presence was important in both penalty areas during a pivotal few moments shortly before the half-hour. First, with Chelsea having assumed ascendancy, Jones threw himself in front of Cole Palmer’s shot with a tremendous block to prevent a likely goal.
And then at the other end, the Liverpool man’s willingness to run from deep saw him get on the end of a deflected Mohamed Salah shot before being taken out by Levi Colwill for a stonewall spot kick converted by the Egyptian.
Jones later initially won another penalty after colliding with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez only for the award to be correctly chalked off after a VAR consulation.
But the midfielder wasn’t to be denied, and once again his ability to run beyond the forward line allowed him to take a touch before prodding in Salah’s inviting cross six minutes into the second half for the winner.
To think had matters been different, one of Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia could easily have been lining up for the Reds here rather than in opposition having opted to head for Stamford Bridge rather than Anfield last year.
It is easy to see why Liverpool were interested, Lavia good in the first half while Caicedo slid in the pass for Nicolas Jackson to score Chelsea’s equaliser.
This, though, was a day that belonged to Jones, the standing ovation on his late substitution richly deserved. This has been a week to remember for the Scouser.