Curtis Jones was deployed at right-back as Liverpool beat Everton 1-0 and Reds boss Arne Slot admitted it was a decision he has been mulling over for some time
01:42, 03 Apr 2025
Arne Slot
The Red's manager spoke of the whole team's strong performance(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Arne Slot has heaped praise on Curtis Jones for his standout performance as right-back in Liverpool's narrow 1-0 victory over local rivals Everton at Anfield.
The win saw the Reds regain their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Slot disclosed that the strategic shift to play Jones in an unfamiliar position was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but one he had considered throughout the season.
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The move was necessitated by injuries sidelining Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley, and Joe Gomez. With those three absent, Jarell Quansah stepped up in the Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle United on March 16, but it was Jones who got the call-up on Wednesday evening, helping Liverpool secure the win thanks to Diogo Jota's decisive strike.
arne slot
The win regains Liverpool's 12 point lead at the top of the Premier League(Image: PA)
Slot said: "It is not something that came up last week. It is something we thought about for a bit longer, first half of the season there were already moments when we talked about it with him.
"I thought he was able to do this in games or in moments. But there were three full-backs injured in Trent, Conor and Joe, so then it is a choice of playing a centre-back over there and Jarell did quite well over there I have to say and he would have helped us with set-pieces.
"But I felt and we felt that to have a chance to win the game we had to play better with the ball than in the away game.
"So it was a risk to play a midfielder there maybe, but I thought he could help with the creativity in this position. Because that is what you lack when Trent is not there, of course.
"He did very well defensively also, strong performance from him, like the whole team and it is nice to have another option in that position because three of them are injured."
curtis jones
Slot said he had been considering Jones' move for a while(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Reflecting on the match, Slot said: "Hard fought definitely but that is not a surprise, nine games unbeaten Everton, hardly ever concede a goal, hardly ever concedes a chance.
"They defend with 10 players around their box with players like Tarkowski, Branthwaite, it is almost no use to cross a ball because they head everything away.
"They are a team that is difficult to play against because they are also a threat on the counter-attack with Beto and every free-kick they get against us, and they get a lot of free-kicks against us - that was a joke - you have to defend that and from that it is what makes it so difficult".
"So what I liked today more so than at Goodison Park was at Goodison we only had ball possession but only with our centre-backs and full-backs and today, first half maybe 10 or 15 times Lucho one one on with O'Brien and I don't think I am exaggerating.
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"But we had to be there so many times and you hope one time it will be enough and it was for Diogo scoring."