“Give it a rest, it’s pathetic”, “Have no doubt about him” – Liverpool fans insist 21-year-old star has been unfairly criticised after his performance in 2-0 win against Napoli

Liverpool fans were displeased with the recent criticism that Curtis Jones has been subjected to following the team's poor form.

The Englishman started his Liverpool career as a left winger for the development squads. However, he has been nurtured as a left-sided central midfielder during manager Jurgen Klopp's tenure with the senior team.

This has meant that Jones has lacked the defensive acumen required to flourish as a central midfielder in Liverpool's midfield. Jones, nevertheless, excels at dribbling and getting out of tight spaces.

However, with the Reds struggling domestically, Jones has come between the crosshairs of those trying to pinpoint a reason behind the club's poor form. Jones is yet to score or assist.

He has played just 254 minutes across competitions this campaign, spread across six games. Whenever he has come on as a substitute, he has failed to impact games in a tangible manner.

However, he was visibly impressive in Liverpool's 2-0 UEFA Champions League group stage win on Tuesday (1 November) at Anfield. Jones started down the left flank due to the absence of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota due to injury.

He was press resistant, kept possession well and looked like Klopp's best outlet to create a goal-scoring chance. He was given a standing ovation when he came off in the 73rd-minute for Darwin Nunez with the game still at 0-0.

Here are some of the best reactions from the Reds faithful who jumped to Jones' defense after his performance against the Italian outfit.

The Merseysiders scored both their goals after Jones was taken off the field. Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 85th minute, while substitute Nunez doubled the lead in stoppage time.

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Liverpool end Group A journey on a good note

Klopp's men are evidently struggling in the Premier League. They are ninth in the league table after amassing just 16 points from 12 games.

The story is different in Europe. They have won five of their six Group A games and are the only English club this season to garner 15 points or more in the group stage of the Champions League.

The win against Napoli will give them added confidence for their Premier League outing against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (6 November). Spurs finished top of their group after a hard-fought 2-1 win against Marseille.

Liverpool, meanwhile, needed to beat Napoli by more than three goals to top their group, a feat they could not manage.