Curtis Jones picked up a milestone 200th appearance for Liverpool against Brighton, achieving the feat at an impressively young age.
The 24-year-old started for the Reds in their 2-0 win on Saturday afternoon, shining as arguably his side’s best player alongside Hugo Ekitike.
• READ: Liverpool 2-0 Brighton: Player Ratings
It was Jones’ third 90 minutes in the space of a week, with Arne Slot considering him a key figure in Liverpool’s return to form.
The Brighton game was his 200th Reds appearance and he became the youngest midfielder since Steven Gerrard to achieve that goal, according to statistician Michael Reid.
Jones reached the milestone at the age of 24 years and 317 days, while Gerrard did it at 23 years and 121 days back in September 2003.
In an interview with Liverpoolfc.com after the game, the Scouser spoke of his pride at playing 200 times for his boyhood club, thanking those close to him for their support.
“It’s mad,” Jones said.
“I actually had a chat with Trey [Nyoni] and Rio [Ngumoha] was there as well.
“I just said, ‘I know you will hear it all the time from staff and family around you, about how fast it goes. But my God, it goes so fast.’
“If I think about my first game, Wolves away, and how fast the whole thing has changed. I can only thank the staff around me and the teammates around me who have always got the belief in me to keep me at the club and when I play, to trust that I can play in that many games.
“I can only thank my mum and the family around me, who have obviously played a huge part… the times when it was taxis into training and things like that.
“And the environment I was obviously around as a kid, a Scouse kid, it’s quite easy to take another route. But I only had one goal in my mind: that was to play at this club. And that’s what I’m doing so I’ve got a massive smile on my face.
“It’s 200 down – and hopefully there’s many, many more to come.”
Time for Jones to become key starter at Liverpool
This feels like a pivotal moment in Jones’ Liverpool career, in terms of making the jump from being a young hopeful to a genuine key man.
He turns 25 next month and is the same age Gerrard was when he lifted the Champions League in 2025, so now is the time for him to go up a gear.
The current evidence is only positive, with Jones impressing against both Inter Milan and Brighton this week, bringing control to the midfield.
He has a pass completion rate of 92.8 per cent in the Premier League this season – the best of any Liverpool player – and there is a growing maturity about him that comes with age.
Granted, Jones will likely never reach Gerrard’s legendary level, but he shouldn’t be judged on that simply because he is another homegrown player.
He has the ability and work ethic to reach many more Reds milestones as the year pass and he feels undroppable on current form.