Liverpool’s Under 23’s beat their Brighton counter-parts 5-3 on Friday in a crazy game. The highlight for Reds fans, though, is surely Curtis Jones bagging two goals.
Liverpool took the lead in Brighton thanks to a Harvey Elliot penalty – won by the player himself. Isaac Christie-Davies helped himself to one on 18 minutes before Luis Hones made it 3-0.
Then Jones sprung into action, getting his first after a pass from Christie-Davies. A comeback did look on the cards as Brighton grabbed two goals back, but Jones ended things with a fifth in stoppage time.
Although, there was still time for a late consolation goal.
It means that the U23s climb above Brighton into fifth in Premier League 2 and continues a now-seven-game unbeaten run in the league.
But the talking point is Jones. The captain now has seven goals in his ten league games, as well as four assists. It’s the kind of form that backs up the hope many have for him.
Jones hasn’t played much for the first-team but impressed when he has. The most recent – and notable – example was in the Carabao Cup against Arsenal.
We felt that the teenager changed the game when he came on. Liverpool needed a bit more going forward and Jones came off the bench to offer just that.
Many, including here at RTK, have called for more attacking impetus from midfield. Now, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may have answered those calls but it remains an area that the Reds don’t excel.
And so Jones scoring goals is genuinely exciting – especially when he does look at home in the first-team, too. He usually plays left-wing for the U23s, admittedly, but Klopp utilises him more in the middle. He just needs to continue demonstrating that he can finish and Liverpool will have a player Klopp can mould into a goal-scoring midfielder.
If he keeps up this form and continues to grow as a player, he could be a senior fixture before too long.
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