Jurgen Klopp admits Curtis Jones was a doubt before Porto heroics

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was delighted with Curtis Jones after the Reds’ 5-1 Champions League thrashing of Porto, praising the 20-year-old for his top performance.

Jones, who hadn’t played a full 90 minutes of any game since February prior to kick off, was involved in four of Liverpool’s five goals and was the best player on the pitch in Portugal.

Klopp admitted that the homegrown starlet had actually been a slight concern before the match with an apparent stomach issue, but it clearly didn’t hold him back on the night.

“Curtis played a good game,” Klopp said, via Liverpool's offical website.

“He had some problems a little bit with the stomach before the game; they told me I need to keep an eye on him but I told him after the game whatever it is, keep it because it was really a good game.

“He played a really good game, he was everywhere, he was involved in everything. Set up the first goal with a surprising finish, goalie cannot save it. In a lot of other situations, he was really there - maybe not as spectacular as the offensive stuff, but defensively he played a top-class game.

“He defended really well, pressed from the blind side, a lot of things I liked a lot about his performance tonight. So, let's keep going, Curtis, it was not bad tonight.”

Next up for Liverpool, who lead the Premier League after the latest round of games, is a clash against reigning champions Manchester City. The Citizens rose to the challenge against a tough Chelsea side last time out, but were outwitted by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

“We need a complex and complete performance against them to have a chance only and that's it,” Klopp explained. “But I'm really looking forward to it [and] playing at home again after a while.

“But now we have two days more to the City game, which will be helpful, and then we will be fresh again and then give it a go.”

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