Curtis Jones outshines Cole Palmer to secure Liverpool win over Chelsea | OneFootball

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot praised midfielder Curtis Jones for the way he ‘controlled Cole Palmer’ in his side’s crucial win over in-form Chelsea.

Liverpool climbed back to the top of the Premier League table with a hard-fought 2-1 victory with Jones starring and earning Slot‘s full praise.

In what was considered one of their ‘toughest tests’ of the season, Liverpool found a way past a determined Chelsea side, thanks in large part to the efforts of Jones.

Slot remarked. “Curtis had a difficult job—he had to control Cole Palmer, which is not easy because this player has some quality.”

Slot emphasised that keeping Palmer quiet was a collective effort but singled out Jones for his key role.

“It’s a team effort,” he added,  “but Curtis was mostly responsible for that. He did that really well and added some really important moments to it,.

“He was involved in both penalties and scored the goal, so he was very important for us in both parts of the pitch.”

The 23-year-old midfielder made a significant impact at both ends of the pitch, winning a crucial penalty, scoring the match-winner, and keeping Chelsea’s star, Cole Palmer, largely out of the game.

Jones netted Liverpool’s second goal just six minutes into the second half, arriving shortly after Nicolas Jackson’s equaliser had brought Chelsea back into the contest.

The Liverpool midfielder had already played a vital role in the first half, winning the penalty that allowed Mohamed Salah to open the scoring. He also made a crucial block to deny Palmer, who had been a major threat for Chelsea in the early stages of the season but was kept quiet in this matchup.

There was further drama before half-time when Jones thought he had earned a second penalty after a collision with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Referee John Brooks initially awarded the spot-kick, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review.

Jones’ efforts earned him the Man of the Match award, with Slot highlighting the midfielder’s influence, particularly subdued Palmer. “He was very good. A very strong individual performance,”