Liverpool fans were full of praise for youngster Curtis Jones following their Carabao Cup win over Arsenal in midweek after the youngster hit home the winning penalty in the shootout.
Jones came off the bench to make his first appearance at Anfield and provided the assist for Liverpool’s fourth goal of the evening, which was scored by Divock Origi. Origi’s second goal and Liverpool’s fifth meant that the game would go to penalties and then Jones was entrusted with the all-important winning penalty.
Jones has had a very impressive season in the Under-23s, with the midfielder contributing five goals and four assists in nine games for Neil Critchley’s side. It is no surprise therefore that the 18-year-old was considered ready to make his home debut and it couldn’t have gone much better for the boyhood Liverpool fan. Jones had started Liverpool’s 2-0 win over MK Dons in September, but this would be his first appearance in front of the home fans at Anfield.
Following Dani Ceballos’ miss for Arsenal, Jones was presented with the chance to win the game from the penalty spot and did just that, setting up a quarter-final tie with Aston Villa.
Some of the best reactions from Liverpool fans to Jones’ performance and the winning penalty can be seen in the tweets below.
Jones changed the game when he came on ?
— Brathähnchen (@Grillhendl_) October 30, 2019
This lad has serious talent. Hope he keeps his focus over the coming years.
— Darren Heath (@DarrenHeath15) October 31, 2019
Dream come true – well taken
— Janet (@ColebourneJanet) October 31, 2019
This lad was cool and calm taking this penalty. He is becoming an outstanding player. Hope he keeps this focus going forward.
— Tram (@Tram25015503) October 31, 2019
Get in lad!!!!!
— Carl B (@BrilloPadLad) October 31, 2019
The fact he changed the order himself and took last pen says a lot about this boys mindset
— Iain Taylor (@Tailso4) October 31, 2019
Stone cold killer. Love this guy! Juergen has to get him in the MF mix. Especially with Naby Keita out.
— John Fell (@johnjfell) October 31, 2019
Liverpool fans were clearly impressed with Jones’ mentality after he scored the winning penalty and will be hoping to see more of the 18-year-old in the future.
What do we think?
Jones showed maturity beyond his years when he tucked away the match-winning penalty and looks a real talent. His assist for Origi was also impressive and he got into a lot of good positions after coming on as a substitute.
Indeed, his impressive stats for the Under-23s show that he is perhaps not all that far from a more permanent role in the first-team setup.