Liverpool enjoyed one of their best halves of the season as they moved into a 2-0 lead during the Premier League game against Fulham at Anfield on Saturday.
Goals from Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah put Arne Slot’s Reds ahead by half-time – an unassailable lead that Fulham never came close to pulling back.
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This was far more like it from the Premier League champions – taking control over Chelsea in the race for a top-five finish and the Champions League football that comes along with it.
We saw a fluid, vibrant Liverpool – with Salah and Jeremie Frimpong enjoying a fruitful relationship on the right and 17-year-old Ngumoha delivering that vital one-v-one quality off the left wing.
The second half however was a different story with the Merseysiders retreating into their own half and allowing Fulham onto them. It was a much more difficult watch after the break and one reason why could be the absence of Curtis Jones.
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Jones impressive before injury
The 25-year-old had a brilliant first half – getting on the ball often and completing 37 of his 38 passes – including 23 of 23 in the opposition half. Jones also made five recoveries and won one tackle.
That all occurred before the England midfielder suffered an injury which required him to be replaced at half-time.
His replacement – Ryan Gravenberch – didn’t fare nearly as well. The Dutchman was dropped to the bench ahead of the return leg of Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
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But he was back in the lineup after the break – but failed to have the same kind of impact as the man he replaced. He hit only 12 passes in total across his 45+ minutes and Liverpool lost control of the game with him in the midfield rather than Jones.
For a player who’s just signed a six-year, £277k per week new contract a lot more is required. But in the near term this injury could prove to be a disaster for Jones and a hindrance for the game against PSG too.
Liverpool could do with Jones against PSG
It’s been a stop-start season for the homegrown midfielder but he’s reserved his best form for the Champions League.
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He was shaping up to have a brilliant game here at Anfield – reminding Slot that he could well have the credentials to be a starter against the European champions.
Liverpool will require the kind of midfield control that he excels at on Tuesday – or else the likes of Vitinha and Joao Neves will run all over them. It will be a shame if he’s unavailable for that encounter – as suggested by Arne Slot – as both he and Liverpool needed a big performance.
Jones is out of contract in 2027 and needs more starts before committing to a new deal. But right now it looks like one step forward and two steps back for the Scouser as he tries to prove himself worthy of a future at his hometown club.
