Curtis Jones' Liverpool struggles underlined by damning stat from Nottingham Forest win

The midfielder was replaced in the latter stages of the 1-0 win at the City Ground and was criticized by Jamie Carragher in his post-match assessment. Jones' inability to retain possession caused Liverpool real issues, as the stats showed.

Curtis Jones lost the ball losing to three opposition shots against Nottingham Forest

Curtis Jones’ mixed season suffered a new low on Sunday after a damning stat surrounding his performance against Nottingham Forest emerged.

The Liverpool midfielder was a late call-up for the trip to the City Ground and was initially named on the bench. But the injury Florian Wirtz sustained in the warm-up meant Jones was drafted into the team at the 11th hour and deployed in a more advanced role.

The Liverpool academy product endured a tough outing in the East Midlands and had little impact on the game. Eventually, Arne Slot opted to switch Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai, with the former moving into a right-back berth.

Liverpool did improve after the break, with Szoboszlai’s presence certainly helping the Reds’ pressing game.

With Forest creating fewer attacking opportunities in the second half, Jones was rarely tested defensively, but did play his part in an attacking sense, with the 25-year-old mustering Liverpool’s only shot on target before the 89th minute.

In truth, he should have better with his close-range finish, which forced a reaction save from Stefan Ortega.

Jones failed to score against Ortega early in the first half

After a tough afternoon, Jones was replaced late on, and he cut a frustrated figure as he made his way off the pitch.

One post-match stat underlined just how disappointing his performance was. As per Whoscored, Jones made three errors that led to a shot against Forest, the most by any player in a single Premier League match this season.

Jones struggled in midfield against the industrious Ibrahim Sangare and Elliott Anderson, with the former dispossessing him inside three minutes, resulting in Alisson’s excellent save to deny Callum Hudson-Odoi.

However, speaking after the game, Van Dijk said Jones’ contribution did not lead to Liverpool’s struggles.

“I think it is a collective thing that changed it. Everyone was much better in the second half, I think. No-one was at their best standard in the first half,” the Liverpool skipper explained.

However, Jamie Carragher’s verdict was less kind. “Curtis Jones is always taking too many touches; he needs to be sharper,” the ex-defender said on Sky Sports’ coverage. “That’s been an issue for his entire Liverpool career. He’s always wanting too much time on the ball.”

Carragher’s point was highlighted by another alarming stat, that Jones lost possession five times during Sunday’s game.

It comes during a run in which the boyhood red has lost his place in the Liverpool side. Prior to the Forest game, Jones had not started any of the last six games in the Premier League or Champions League.