Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hailed Curtis Jones after his performance in the 2-1 win at West Ham United.
The Reds made it three wins in a row as they picked up all three points in East London.
Liverpool did fall behind as Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring, but Klopp’s men roared back.
Cody Gakpo quickly levelled it up for Liverpool before Joel Matip headed home the winner.
Liverpool’s Champions League hopes aren’t over just yet and Klopp will want to see some consistent results before the summer.
This has been a tricky season for Liverpool but they now have a real chance to end it on a high having found some results of late.
Jurgen Klopp hails Curtis Jones
Klopp will have been delighted with a number of performances last night.
Trent Alexander-Arnold excelled again and another homegrown talent proved his worth to Klopp.
Midfielder Curtis Jones was given another start in Klopp’s engine room and he turned in a positive display.
Jones recorded three key passes, three tackles won and two interceptions in a strong performance.
The 22-year-old seemed to lose his way in the first half of the season and some wondered if he had a future at Anfield.
Jones is now showing his quality once again and Klopp seems delighted with his progress of late.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website after Wednesday’s win, Klopp moved to praise Jones for a ‘really good’ run of form.
Klopp feels that Jones has endured a ‘super-difficult season’ this year and Liverpool have had to be patient with his comeback from injury.
Klopp believes Jones has a ‘ticket into the team’ because of his counter-pressing ability as well as his quality on the ball.
“Curtis has [had] a super-difficult season this year,” said Klopp. “It started with a freakish injury – it happens to young boys but he was on the edge of being not that young anymore to get these kind of things. So, we had to deal with him super-carefully – he was out for a long time and then we could start training again, but only a session here, then recovery again, a session there… you cannot build anything. From the moment he was allowed to train properly again, it looked – step by step – really good. “
“Since he was fully fit and match-ready, he plays now and he is doing really well. He set the tone again today with the first counter-pressing situation, he was super-important. That he is a good footballer, we all knew – that he has to improve, we knew as well, and he knows, but he’s in a really good moment, a really good moment, [and that is] super-helpful. This team is set up now for the defending, for the defensive readiness. This is a ticket into the team. That doesn’t mean the other boys don’t do that, but these guys now do it like animals, if you want – and really, I like that, how we chase the ball again and these kind of things. On top of that, we are able to play quite good football and Curtis is involved in that as well, absolutely,” he added.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
