Curtis Jones did not hold back when admitting Liverpool had not been good enough in the first half of their 3-3 draw with Newcastle United
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Curtis Jones of Liverpool dejected at the end of the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Liverpool FC at St James' Park
Curtis Jones of Liverpool dejected at the end of the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Liverpool FC at St James' Park
(Image: Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Curtis Jones has admitted Liverpool were ‘terrible’ at times against Newcastle United, but that did not stop him from being left ‘gutted’ at the Reds dropping points against the Magpies. The midfielder equalised for Arne Slot’s side shortly after half-time as they twice came from behind at St. James’ Park.
Mohamed Salah would then fire them ahead late on, but Liverpool were unable to hold out for victory as Fabian Schar took advantage of a Caoimhin Kelleher mistake to equalise in the last minute.
With Arsenal and Chelsea both winning on Wednesday night, the Reds’ lead at the top of the table was cut to seven points.
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And speaking after the final whistle, Jones offered a blunt assessment of the Reds’ performance.
"It's simple. I think the first half was poor and the second half was good,” he told the club website. “We got our goals, we had all the ball and dominated.
"I think in the first half we were sloppy. We were slow, lost a load of duels and we picked up soft [yellow] cards. That just shows you're a little bit slow in your tackles.
"The first half was tough. We were terrible and then we upped it in the second half. I scored and it changed the whole of the game and we were back [in it].
“It's one of them days. In the second half we showed us. We've got a great team and a great camp. We never quit.
“I'm gutted we couldn't take the three points, but we'll take a point. We'll take our point and move on. That's fine."
Jones made his 150th appearance for Liverpool in Wednesday’s match, and is almost certain to retain his place in this weekend’s Merseyside derby with Alexis Mac Allister set to miss out through suspension.
The 23-year-old is enjoying an impressive campaign under Slot, returning two goals and three assists from 17 appearances, with his form also earning him an England debut.
Emerging as a star player for his boyhood club, Jones admitted it means the world to him to play for Liverpool.
"It means everything," Jones said of his landmark appearance. "It's as simple as that. I'm a kid who came through the Academy.
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“I'm a Scouser myself, I've supported the club for the whole of my life, so I hope there's more and more games."