GOALThe all-action but injury-plagued midfielder was facing an uncertain future at the start of the season but he's arguably undroppable right now
The atmosphere at Anfield was unusually flat on Wednesday night. The crowd had been bouncing after Liverpool's dramatic win over Brighton just three days before but the energy had been sucked out of them by the break against Bayer Leverkusen, with Xabi Alonso's impressively confident and composed side completely killing the joyous mood on Merseyside.
It was clear that Liverpool needed a moment of inspiration. They got one just after the hour mark, when Luis Diaz deftly dinked the ball over Lukas Hradecky. The finish was fantastic, no doubt about that, but the goal was all about the ball from Curtis Jones. "Even I didn't see the pass!" Ryan Gravenberch admitted afterwards.
If the little bit of genius by Jones took everyone by surprise, the fact that he'd made such a crucial contribution to another Liverpool win most certainly did not. Over the past few weeks, we've seen just how important a fully-fit Jones can be to the Reds – and why he's become borderline undroppable despite the intense competition for places in Arne Slot's midfield.
