Liverpool faced off against Manchester City in a season-defining game yesterday night looking to continue their unbeaten run in the Premier League. The Reds started the match a bit defensive and looked to hit City on the counter. They created a fantastic chance midway through the first half when Sadio Mane hit the post and the follow up almost crossed the goal line. However, John Stones managed to clear to keep his team level in the contest.
The Citizens managed to make the breakthrough just before half-time through Sergio Aguero’s emphatic finish from a tight angle. Jurgen Klopp’s men tried to respond, but Man City withstood their pressure to go into halftime with a narrow one-goal lead.
However, the Reds refused to give up without a fight and equalised through Roberto Firmino’s header from close range in the 63rd minute. The Citizens went cautious and hit back on the counter through Leroy Sane’s breakaway goal to regain their lead. The match finished with a narrow 2-1 scoreline in favour of the home team.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Citizens.
GK: Alisson Ramses Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper was excellent with his distribution and pulled off a world-class save in the second half to deny Sergio Aguero from killing off the contest.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7.5/10
The English youngster found it hard coping with Leroy Sane’s pace in the first half. However, he recovered well to put in a brilliant display in the second. He played his part in the lead-up to Firmino’s goal when his wonderful diagonal found Robertson inside the City penalty box.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 5/10
The Croatian defender made a few small errors inside his own box which ultimately made the difference on the night.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 8/10
Another outstanding display from the Dutch defensive giant. He was calm on the ball, was accurate with his passing and cleared almost everything that was played into the Liverpool box.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
The Scottish full-back put in a brilliant defensive shift and kept Raheem Sterling quiet during the game. He also got a fantastic assist when he set up Firmino for the Reds equaliser.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutchman worked hard but failed to deliver a telling ball in the opposition half.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 6/10
The Liverpool skipper distributed the ball accurately but was guilty of playing it too safe at times. However, it was another solid, hard-working shift from the English midfielder.
CM: James Milner – 5/10
The English midfield veteran had a quiet game in the first half and was rightfully subbed early in the second half.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 6/10
The Egyptian forward was quietly effective as he set up Mane for a great chance in the first half. He also tested Ederson and was unlucky not to score with his goal-bound attempt in the second half.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7/10
The Brazilian linked up well while dropping in midfield quite often and scored the equaliser by being at the right place at the right time.
LM: Sadio Mané – 5/10
The Senegalese failed to use his pace often and didn’t threaten enough going forward.
Substitutes:
CM: Fabinho – 7.5/10
The Brazilian completely changed the game after coming off the bench and tilted the momentum in Liverpool’s favour in the second half. However, his excellent contributions were not enough for his team to claim anything from the contest.
CAM: Xherdan Shaqiri – 6/10
The Swiss international was unable to create any chances in the attacking third of the pitch.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – N/A
The English forward didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
