Action man Jones does the lot for Slot
Curtis Jones’s all-action display against Chelsea was all the more impressive, given that the Liverpool midfielder and his partner have a newborn daughter at home – and he slept in the spare room before Sunday’s game. Called in to cover for Alexis Mac Allister, who picked up a knock on Argentina duty, Jones brought energy to Arne Slot’s midfield in an outstanding box-to-box display. He kept Cole Palmer quiet, might have won two penalties with runs into the box (the second was overturned by VAR) – and was in the right place again to poke home a second-half winner. Jones’s form will be a big boost for Slot with a brutal run of fixtures set to test the depth of his squad. The 23-year-old is surely overdue an England senior debut, having been part of the recent Nations League squad. Jones is the kind of dynamic midfielder Thomas Tuchel may be looking for, and more game time for Liverpool could convince the interim manager, Lee Carsley, to bed in a player he called “one of the most talented I’ve worked with”. Niall McVeigh
