Rodgers backs Jones after Old Trafford defeat
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed he is ready to give goalkeeper Brad Jones a prolonged run in the first team.
Jones was a surprise selection to play his first Premier League game in 21 months when Liverpool lost 3-0 to bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Despite being beaten by Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie, Rodgers stated he will retain Jones ahead of Simon Mignolet - who has endured a difficult season to date - for the forthcoming matches.
"Brad Jones didn't have a great deal to do, apart from pick the ball out of the net," Rodgers told his post-match press conference.
"He had a couple of saves and punches in front of him and he took them well, but I just felt that I needed to make the change.
"I said to Simon that it was for an indefinite period. He's played in a lot of the games.
"I felt that Brad, in my first year [as Liverpool manager], when he had to play quite a lot of games he came in and did well for me.
"Brad's a very capable keeper. I just felt I wanted to change it because we have to find the solutions across the squad to be better.
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"It's something that can happen to a keeper. Sometimes that coming out the firing line can help you to reflect."
Jones' opposite number David de Gea had a far busier afternoon, denying Liverpool on a host of occasions - most notably from Raheem Sterling and second-half substitute Mario Balotelli.
And Rodgers conceded that a failure to be clinical in both penalty boxes was Liverpool's undoing.
"I didn't think we deserved to be on the end of the scoreline, but they were much more clinical in the times of the game when they needed to be," he said.
"It's not often you come here and create that many chances - we won here 3-0 last season and probably didn't create half the opportunities.
"For their goalkeeper to get man of the match it tells you everything about the side of the game I wanted the side to improve upon. We created more chances than we probably have done in the past five or six games.
"I was pleased with that aspect but obviously disappointed with the first and the third goals we conceded - the second one was clearly offside and that's a poor decision at a critical time of the game.
"But I don't think with the players that we had and how they worked we could have done any more. If we don't make the mistakes then the game is much closer."
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