As if their defensive woes were not enough, Liverpool seem to have run into yet another problem this season; failing to take their chances. Jurgen Klopp sported a grim face in Moscow as his side failed to take more than a point from a game where they dominated. Spartak Moscow had to use two keepers, thanks to an injury, and both of them produced some excellent saves to deny the visitors a victory.
Fernando opened the scoring on the night with a pacey free-kick which Loris Karius, in all fairness, should have dealt with. But not long later, Philippe Coutinho, his one-two with Sadio Mane and a thumping shot, opened up the home side, giving Liverpool the equalizer. It ended 1-1 on the night and here are the player ratings for the Reds in this game:
Loris Karius (5):
Had no more than one save to make apart from a free-kick where he gave himself too much to do.
Trent Alexandre Arnold (5):
Poor with his crossing all night but was generally solid at the back and with his runs at the other end.
Joel Matip (6):
Was hardly tested by the likes of Adriano but mopped up most things that came his way in a decent performance.
Dejan Lovren (6):
A comfortable outing for the Croat who saw off the very few attacks the hosts managed to stitch on the night.
Alberto Moreno (6):
The Spaniard was often available in attack and also stuck to his task defensively. Could have done better in the final third but had a decent night.
Jordan Henderson (6):
Made numerous interceptions in the middle of the pitch, helping Liverpool retain possession for long periods but needs to be more creative with his passing to help his side in the attack.
Emre Can (5):
Was off-colour for most of the game as he failed to have the kind of an impact in the midfield that he usually does.
Philippe Coutinho (8):
Was battling hard all night to win Liverpool the game after some swift passing helped him open Liverpool’s account. Easily the best player on the night for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah (6):
Had a couple of glorious opportunities which he should have buried away but was a constant threat in attack with his pace and dribbling.
Sadio Mane (7):
A constant menace for Spartak as he got past almost every player in their squad. Came close to scoring but still rusty after a 3-match suspension.
Roberto Firmino (4):
A day to forget for the Brazilian who failed to take his chances, as easy as they were, and was hardly visible for long periods in the game.
SUBS:
Daniel Sturridge (5):
Tried to do too much in little space to work with and missed a sitter late in the game that should have sealed it.
Georginio Wijnaldum (8):
Ran the show in the last 20 minutes, popping up in spaces and turning with the ball, losing players and creating disharmony in defence for the hosts.
