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Arne Slot was delighted with the contribution from new dad Curtis Jones at both ends of the pitch after he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea that sent Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League.
Jones tucked in Liverpool’s second goal six minutes into the second half, moments after Nicolas Jackson’s equaliser, having already made a crucial block to deny Cole Palmer and then won the penalty from which Mohamed Salah opened the scoring.
Jones thought he had won a second penalty before half-time when he collided with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Referee John Brooks pointed to the spot but the decision was overturned after a VAR intervention.
Even though that was not to be, it was an outstanding all-round display from the 23-year-old.
“He had a very good game,” Slot said. “He had a difficult job to control Cole Palmer who is an incredible player in my opinion. It is so difficult to defend him because he has so many qualities, and Curtis did that really well.
“In my opinion he controlled him for most parts of the game. It’s almost impossible to control him for 90 minutes but he was quite close to that but then also to have the impact on the other side with the goal and the two penalties he was involved in, one disallowed by VAR.
“It shows you he had a big impact on both sides of the pitch.”
This match had been built up as a major test of Liverpool’s title ambitions, but although the win was enough to move them back above Manchester City by a single point, Slot said it was only the start of a challenging period with Arsenal up next weekend after a trip to RB Leipzig.
“I think it was mostly the media that told us this was our first big test,” Slot said. “I think if you go to Old Trafford against a very strong team like (Manchester) United, that is definitely a test.
“But I said this week don’t just judge us on this week, judge us after six, seven, eight games.
“After this we have Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton twice (once in the Carabao Cup), Leverkusen and Aston Villa, so this is our biggest test, to play the Champions League and Premier League, every game three days in a row.”
Of his own memorable week, Jones told Liverpool’s official website: “[I’ve been] a dad [for] a week, yeah, it’s the best thing ever. I’m playing with a smile on my face. It’s a different type of joy. My little girl would be proud as well, so I hope that my girlfriend at home and the baby are there with a smile on their face.”
Defeat for Chelsea left Enzo Maresca’s side sixth in the table, now seven points behind Liverpool after eight games.
Although on the losing end, Chelsea enjoyed more possession and created more chances, albeit without really threatening Liverpool’s back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher too many times.
“I think the performance was very good,” Maresca said. “You don’t like to lose games or drop points but if you have to choose the way to do it probably this is the way. I’ve been to this stadium many times and seen Liverpool for a long time.
“It’s not easy and I think overall we controlled the game, and for the most part we dominated. We lost and we are not happy but the performance on the ball and off the ball was very good…
“I’m relaxed. I’m not happy because we lost but I’m relaxed and I’m happy because of the performance of the team.”
