Substitute Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones dedicated his penalty save to his late son after helping earn victory at Blackburn.
Keeper pays tribute to Reds supporters
Substitute Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones dedicated his penalty save to his late son after helping his side to victory at Blackburn on Tuesday night.
The 30-year-old Australian made his Premier League debut for the Reds at Ewood Park, coming on in the opening half after Alexander Doni, deputising for the suspended Pepe Reina, was handed his marching orders for a foul on Junior Hoilett.
He saved Rovers striker Yakubu's resulting penalty and the Merseysiders went on to triumph 3-2 thanks to Andy Carroll's late winner.
Jones, whose girlfriend gave birth to a son, Nico Luca, a week ago, following the death of his son Luca from leukaemia in November, thanked the Liverpool supporters for their support.
He told
Sky Sports: "The supporters have been brilliant. It's been a difficult 18 months with my son passing away. That was for him."
Team-mates
The Australian drew on his time when he was a team-mate of Yakubu at Middlesbrough to help him guess which way the Nigerian would choose to shoot from the penalty spot.
He added: "On Fridays we used to practise penalties a lot so I knew his style and what he does."
Jones is in line to play for Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final with Everton on Saturday and said of that game: "It's a big game and now it's just about preparing for that."
Match-winner Carroll was able to see the lighter side of the night's proceedings, as he said: "It was a funny old game, wasn't it?
"In the end we got the win we came here for. We kept on attacking all the way through.
"Coming here and winning, it's a great lift for the lads to go to Wembley."
