Champs ‘best of Kop lot’
AND Keeper and Son grapple then make up with hug
CURTIS JONES claims he is playing for the greatest Liverpool side of all-time.
Jones scored his first Premier League goal on Sunday after coming on as a substitute to seal a 2-0 win over Aston Villa for Jurgen Klopp’s champions.
The goal was perfectly timed, coming just 24 hours after the Liverpoolborn 19-year-old had signed a new five-year contract with the Reds.
Jones, who has now made 10 appearances for his boyhood club, idolised the team captained by Steven Gerrard.
That side won an array of trophies but ultimately fell short in the league.
And Jones, who hails from Toxteth like Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, reckons the current side is the greatest in the club’s history after they ended a 30-year wait for the title.
“Growing up, I’ve always watched Liverpool,” said Jones. “There’s been some great players, including my idol Steven Gerrard and the team that he played in, which was great.
“But I definitely think that this is the greatest I’ve watched and I’m grateful
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HUGO LLORIS and Heung-min Son were involved in a remarkable halftime bust-up as Tottenham edged out Everton last night.
The Spurs pair had to be pulled apart after almost coming to blows as they made their way towards the tunnel.
But as they emerged after the break Lloris gave Son a playful pat (inset) and Jose Mourinho’s side went on to scrape victory in a dour game thanks to an own goal from Michael Keane.
Sky Sports pundit and ex-liverpool and Spurs star Jamie Redknapp said: “At least it shows they care.”
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in for the promising Anthony Gordon for his 100th Premier League appearance. As subplots go, there was also the small matter of Andre Gomes coming up against Son, the man whose challenge on him resulted in a horrific injury.
It was the first time the Everton midfielder had faced Son since that dreadful day in November that left him in hospital and out of the game for over three months.
Son was lively early and the South Korean was involved in the opener, but when it came in the 24th minute it was dreadfully unlucky for Everton.
Holgate blocked Harry Kane’s shot after good work from Son, but the ball spun kindly to Lo Celso.
Lucas Digne should have done better but Lo Celso’s shot on the turn didn’t look dangerous until it hit Keane in the chest and beat Jordan Pickford.
Everton suffered a blow when Holgate was forced off after coming off second best in a tackle on Lo Celso, and they didn’t manage a shot on target in the first half.
But it was two Spurs players getting angry at half-time, with Lloris sprinting 40 yards to have a go at Son and having to be held back by team-mates. They patched things up for the second half, with Son twice testing
Pickford and then blazing one wide before Everton slowly came into the match.
But the Toffees haven’t come back to win a game they were losing at half-time since 2015, and that never looked like changing here despite a late rally.
SPURS (4-2-3-1): Lloris 6; Aurier 6, Alderweirld 6, Dier 6, Davies 6; Winks 6, Sissoko 6; Moura 6 (Lamela 82), Lo Celso 7 (Vertonghen 90), SON 8 (Bergwijn 78); Kane 6. Subs: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Cirkin, Ndombele, Skipp, Fernandes.
EVERTON (4-4-2): Pickford 6; Coleman 6 (Sidibe 77), Keane 6, HOLGATE 7 (Mina 36, 6), Digne 5; Davies 5 (Kean 77), Gomes 5, Sigurdsson 4 (Bernard 67, 6), Iwobi 6 (Gordon 46, 6); Calvert-lewin 6, Richarlison 6. Subs: Stekelenburg, Mina, Branthwaite, Baines, Baningime.
REFEREE: Grahm Scott 6.
■ to be part of it.” Jones, who scored the only goal to knock Everton out of the FA Cup in January, now has three goals for Liverpool and thanked Klopp and his staff for putting their faith in him.
“They could call it perfect but, for me, I’m just grateful for the manager and the rest of the staff for having the belief in me and putting me out there when it was only 1-0 and Villa were playing well,” he said.
“It’s been a good week. He [Klopp] was just saying the usual, he knows that I’m good on the ball but it’s about picking the right pass and knowing when to dribble. He said to just try and get a hold of the game by the scruff of the neck and control the game a bit more.”