Liverpool entertained Red Star Belgrade at Anfield earlier tonight hoping to gain three points in front of their home supporters. The Reds began the match a bit slow but got into the game after the first 15 minutes. The Merseyside outfit made the breakthrough in the 20th minute through Roberto Firmino’s emphatic finish. Jurgen Klopp’s men added to their lead just before half-time courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s finish to get a commanding half-time advantage.
Salah trebled Liverpool’s lead from the penalty spot just six minutes into the second half. Despite missing a penalty, Mane scored the Reds’ fourth goal on the night to cap off an excellent 4-0 victory for the Merseyside club.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against Red Star Belgrade.
GK: Alisson Ramses Becker – 6/10
The Brazilian keeper was not tested at all during the game. It was probably the most comfortable clean sheet of his career.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10
The English right-back was unusually quiet going forward, but he didn’t do too much wrong defensively.
CB: Joe Gomez – 8/10
The Reds centre-back put in an excellent display at the heart of the Liverpool defence. He made some brilliant challenges during the game to secure a well-deserved clean sheet.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutchman organised the Reds backline well and didn’t give the Red Star attackers a sniff at goal.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
The Scottish speedster was a menace for the Red Star defence as he made some fantastic darting runs down the left flank. He set up Liverpool’s opener with a good cross and could have scored a goal himself in the first half.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7/10
He distributed the ball quite effectively and looked classy while operating at the middle of the pitch.
CM: Fabinho – 8/10
The Brazilian talent had his best game in a Liverpool jersey. He made some well-timed tackles during the match to help his team see out a comfortable victory at Anfield.
CAM: Xherdan Shaqiri – 8/10
His assist for Salah’s first goal was a thing of beauty! The Swiss sensation was a creative force for the Reds and set up some great opportunities for his teammates in the attacking third.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 8/10
The Brazilian scored one goal but should have scored more during the game. He was always looking to create with some delicate passes in the opposition half.
LM: Sadio Mané – 7.5/10
The Senegalese found the back of the net in the second half to put the icing on the cake for the Reds. However, his overall finishing was poor.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 8.5/10
The Reds superstar scored a brace which helped him get to the 50-goal mark in the colours of Liverpool. The Egyptian is slowly returning to form which would delight the Kopites around the world.
Substitutes:
CAM: Adam Lallana – 5/10
He got a fantastic opportunity to score, but his attempt was tame.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 7/10
The Englishman put on a nice little cameo after coming off the bench.
LB: Alberto Moreno – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
