View: Curtis Jones now undroppable for Arne Slot after 90% display in Liverpool win v Chelsea
Arne Slot has found the missing piece of his midfield jigsaw after Curtis Jones’ performance against Chelsea on Sunday (19 October).
The Reds edged the Blues in a 2-1 victory at Anfield to move back to the top of the Premier League table, with Jones playing a vital role in both goals for Slot’s side.
In the first half, Jones was clipped and taken down in the box after a tangle with Levi Colwill, with Mohamed Salah stepping up to convert the resulting penalty.
Jones was denied another spot-kick before the break, but after Chelsea equalised in the second half, the 23-year-old beat their offside trap barely 60 seconds later, winning it for the Reds from close range.
Curtis Jones becomes a mainstay in midfield for Liverpool
If there was ever a performance for a player to stake their claim for a permanent place in the starting XI at Anfield, this one was certainly Jones’ as the midfielder put in a man-of-the-match display.
In 81 minutes on the pitch, Jones’ influence was unmatched, with 90 per cent of his passes finding their targets and six of them coming in the final third [FotMob], creating two chances in the process.
Both of Jones’ attempts on goal tested Robert Sanchez, with the second rolling into the far corner to make it 2-1, racking up 1.04 expected goals on target (xGOT) and 0.52 xG and xA combined.
Although only four of Jones’ 56 touches came in the Chelsea box, they proved to be crucial, winning a penalty, being somewhat harshly denied another, and popping up to sweep home the winning goal.
Jones managed further success when it came to both hitting long balls and winning tackles, achieving a 67 per cent success rate (two from three attempts) in both departments [FotMob].
The latter helped amount to a total of five defensive actions in total from the 23-year-old, including a block and interception apiece as well as six recoveries of possession.
Midfield proved to be the battleground where this match was won, and Jones winning 75 per cent of his duels (six won and two long) went some way to helping the Reds come out on top.
Replaced by Alexis Mac Allister – who many would usually pick ahead of him – with nine minutes to go, Jones has shown that Slot can now trust him to do the job of any World Cup-winning international.
In other Liverpool news, one Reds youngster could be fast-tracked into Slot’s first-team plans at Anfield after an international call.
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