First-time father Jones is the daddy of Anfield as he inspires Reds past Chelsea
NEW BABY BUMP: Liverpool's Curtis Jones (centre) celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool. Pic: PA WIRE
New dad Curtis Jones celebrated the birth of his first child with a man of the match performance to help Liverpool come through their sternest test so far this season.
Jones' partner gave birth to a baby daughter during the international break and it gave him extra impetus to shine after replacing Alexis Mac Allister in Arne Slot's starting line-up.
The Anfield academy graduate rarely grabs the limelight but this time the local boy over-shadowed his more illustrious team-mates - as well as Chelsea and England's much-vaunted Cole Palmer - to earn a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted late in the game.
Jones earned the penalty that Mo Salah converted for Liverpool's first goal - and could easily have won another spot kick but for the intervention of VAR.
After Nicholas Jackson had levelled for Chelsea early in the second half, Jones took only three minutes to score what turned out to be the winner to crown a fine box-to-box midfield performance that included a vital block on a goal-bound Palmer shot when the game was still goal-less.
An elated Jones said: "It [the birth of his daughter] is the best thing ever - I'm playing with a smile on my face! It's a different type of joy. I hope my girlfriend and little girl will be proud and have got smiles on their faces!"
Whereas his predecessor Jurgen Klopp had taken his squad to a hotel before home games, Slot has allowed them to stay at home - and the policy certainly seems to be working - this was Liverpool's 10th win in his first 11 games in charge and put them back on the top of the table after Manchester City had briefly leapfrogged them after their last-gasp win at Wolves..
Jones added: "I've been in the spare room [since the baby was born]. I could've stayed in the main bedroom and it wouldn't have been a problem because the baby's been a little dream, only waking up when she wants feeding or changing and then going straight back to sleep. But I thought it best to be in the spare room!"
Slot singled out Jones for praise. "It was a very good individual performance," he said. "Curtis had the difficult job to control Palmer and that's not easy because Palmer has so much quality.
"It was a team effort [to keep Palmer quiet] but Curtis was most responsible for it. But on top of that he added some very important moments, at both ends of the pitch, with a great block on Palmer's shot, winning us the penalty - and he could have won another - and scoring a goal. So he was very important.
"We had to fight really hard to get this one over the line because Chelsea are a good team and I think they will be challenging for the top four at the end of the season"
Slot said before the game that judgement on Liverpool's impressive start under his command should be reserved until after a set of tough fixtures over the next few weeks.
Well, hile it was far from perfect, this was a pretty good start to a run of games that will include a trip to RB Leipzig on Tuesday before a visit to Arsenal next Sunday. Then there are two games with Brighton, in the Carabao Cup and Premier League) a Champions League home clash with former player Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa.
But Chelsea underlined their improvement under Enzo Maresca and kept Liverpool on their toes to the end. They were the better team until Salah put the ohme side ahead form the spot in the 29th minute after Jones had been floored by Levi Colwil.
Jones looked to have won a second penalty when he was cleaned out by Roberto Sanchez. Referee John Brooks initially pointing to the spot but the VAR Michael Oliver advised Brooks to review the decision on the pitch0side monitor and he decided that Sanchez had made slight contact with the ball before the collision.
That was a just one of a numberof decisons Liverpool felt didn't go their way. Earlier in the game Tosin Adarabioyo could have been red carded when he brought down Diogo Slot in an incident very similar to William Saliba's dismissal at Bournemouth 24 hours earlier.
But Brooks felt that the presence of Colwill meant it didn't prevent a clear goal-scoring opportunity and gave the Chelsea defender only a caution. Jota, though, hurt his ribs in the incident and had to be replaced later in the half by Darwin Nunez.
Chelsea took only two minutes of the second half to equalise after another intervention by VAR with Jackson, initially flagged offside as he ran on to a through pass to slide his shot past Caoimhin Kelleher, only for replays to showing Ibrahima Konate's left leg had kept him onside.
But Liverpool were soon back in front thanks to another foray into the penalty box by the irrepressible Jones. He timed his run behind Chelsea's defence to perfection, controlling Salah's pass with his first touch before cleverly flicking the ball past Sanchez with his second as Chelsea's appeals for offside fell on deaf ears with both the on-pitch and off-pitch match officials.
Chelsea kept plugging away though to show that Maresca has finally instilled some calmness and control to an expensively assembled but chaotic squad.
Liverpool's defence - with Kelleher a calming influence in goal in the absence of the injured Allison Becker - held firm however to ensure they re-claimed top spot after Manchester City had briefly leapfrogged them following their last-gasp win at Wolves earlier in the afternoon.
After their first defeat since the opening day of the season, Maresca felt his side deserved at least a point. "I really liked the performance," he said. "We deserved some thing more but the performance was good. The team was brave on and off the ball."
Kelleher 7; Alexander-Arnold 7 (Gomez 80, 5 ), Konate 7, van Dijk 7, Robertson 7; Jones 9 (Mac Allister 80, 5), Gravenberch 6, Szoboszlai 6; Salah 7, Jota 5 (Nunez 32, 6) , Gakpo 6 (Diaz 65, 6) Goal: Salah pen 28, Jones 51. Unused subs: Jaros, Endo, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton. Booked: Szoboszlai, Nunez, Konate.
Sanchez 6; James 6 (Veiga 59, 6), Adarabioyo 6 (Badiashile 59, 5), Colwill 6, Gusto 6; Caicedo 7, Lavia 6 (Fernandez 59, 6); Madueke 6 (Nkunku 76, 5), Palmer 6, Sancho 5 (Neto 46, 7); Jackson 7. Unused subs: Bettinelli, Disasi, Joao Felix, Dewsbury-Hall. Goal: Jackson 47.Booked: Tosin, Colwill, VeigaĀ
John Brooks 7.
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