Curtis Jones: At the Heart of Liverpool’s Midfield

It all started with a Merseyside derby curler. 

It wasn’t Curtis Jones’ first appearance in a red shirt, nor was it particularly the moment where he truly broke into the first team. But it was the moment, if you ask any Reds’ supporter, that etched the local lad into the hearts and minds of the Liverpool faithful. 

Scoring a goal in a Merseyside derby is one thing, let alone a winner. But to do it when you’re effectively leading what was a second-string side against a stronger-appearing Everton, hoping to shake their Anfield malaise with an FA Cup victory. But Curtis Jones, a Liverpool lad who wasn’t even born the last time Everton won at Anfield, showed right then and there that he would encapsulate the heart of the city, in the same vein as Trent Alexander-Arnold has come to embody the city’s red heart. 

That was last season, and this season has depicted the 19-year-old as the heart of Liverpool, but in an entirely different way. He’s not had a moment to get the blood pumping like his goal in the derby, but he certainly gets the blood of his football team pumping.  This season has shown Jones to be an imperative piece in Liverpool’s midfield. And it’s all the more important, given what they might be missing next season.