Just like everyone else who featured for Liverpool last night, Curtis Jones showed that he’s not in awe of Real Madrid despite their status as 15-time champions of Europe.
The 23-year-old was once again selected to start by Arne Slot (that’s nine in all competitions this season for the midfielder) and he repaid the head coach’s renewed faith with a brilliant performance against Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
One particular passage of play early in the second half showed the confidence that’s flowing through the veins of the Reds’ number 17 right now.
As Jones prepared to receive a pass out from the back, he appeared to be under pressure from Jude Bellingham, but one neat flick guided the ball away from his England teammate. That took him into the path of Luka Modric, but again the Liverpool midfielder left the Croatia legend flat-footed with a sudden shimmy and change of direction.
As the 23-year-old sprinted away towards the halfway line, the high-profile Real Madrid duo recognised the futility of trying to chase him down and were left eating his dust, with the Reds maestro eventually slipping the ball out to Luis Diaz on the left flank.
For a player who’s had his credentials harshly called out on social media platforms, Jones has evolved into a vital figure in a Liverpool team which is sitting pretty atop the Premier League and Champions League standings.
That burst of pace to speed away from Bellingham and Modric summed up a majestic performance against Real Madrid which earned him a 9/10 from Ian Doyle in the Liverpool Echo‘s player ratings.
As per Sofascore, the Reds’ number 17 won seven of his 11 duels, executed two key passes, chipped in with two tackles and completed 55 out of 59 passes and four out of six dribbles.
Los Blancos must be glad that, because of the new Champions League format, they won’t have to face Jones and his teammates again unless the two teams were to meet in the latter stages of the competition!
You can view Jones leaving Bellingham and Modric chasing shadows below, taken from CBS Sports’ match coverage and shared via @Winamino on X (formerly Twitter):
— @anfieldsociaI (@Winamino) November 27, 2024
The post (Video) Curtis Jones leaves big-name Real Madrid duo eating his dust with glorious move appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
