Liverpool entertained Chelsea at Anfield earlier today hoping to leapfrog Manchester City to the top of the Premier League standings. The Reds began the match on the offensive but failed to breakdown a solid Chelsea defence in the first half.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s men came out strong in the second half and took the lead in the 51st minute through Sadio Mane’s header from close range. Mohamed Salah doubled Liverpool’s advantage just two minutes later when he scored one of the goals of this season via his wonder strike from long range.
The home team rode their luck and defended valiantly to earn a 2-0 win from this contest.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Pensioners.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made a couple of good saves and was tidy with his distribution as well. Alisson secured another clean sheet at Anfield which goes to show how much of an impact he has had at Liverpool this season.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8/10
His delivery from set-pieces was on the money. The English youngster delivered some telling crosses during the game but found it difficult to cope with Eden Hazard’s threat in the second half.
CB: Joel Matip – 8/10
The Cameroonian centre-back hardly gave away the ball and made some crucial clearances for his team. He also managed to bully the Chelsea attackers throughout the match and earned a well-deserved shut out at the back.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutch defender was defensively solid and passed the ball well out from the back. He was calm under pressure and led his defence with authority and conviction.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back was full of energy and running down the left flank. He tried his best to link up with some of his other teammates in the final third and was defensively sound as well.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 9/10
It was a captain’s performance from the Reds midfielder. He made some lung-bursting runs behind the Pensioners defence and delivered an inch-perfect ball to Mane who broke the deadlock after 51 minutes. Overall, it was a man of the match display from Liverpool’s unsung hero.
CM: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazilian talent broke down a lot of Chelsea attacks and was quite accurate with his distribution as well.
CM: Naby Keita – 6.5/10
The Guinean midfielder made some tireless runs from midfield. He was always willing to take on the Chelsea defenders but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 8.5/10
His fabulous strike in the second half gave the home side some breathing room to secure another win at Anfield. The Egyptian winger is stepping up at the right moments which will delight Klopp.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6.5/10
The Brazilian had a pretty average first half as he was guilty of giving away possession quite a few times in midfield. However, he recovered well after the break and was the orchestrator behind Mane’s opening goal in the 51st minute.
LM: Sadio Mane – 8.5/10
The Senegalese speedster caused numerous problems for Cesar Azpilicueta on the wide areas. He made the all-important breakthrough early in the second half which gave his teammates an ideal platform to go on and grab all three points from Anfield.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 6/10
The English midfielder came off the bench to see out the win.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch talent added some fresh legs in midfield.
RM: Xherdan Shaqiri – N/A
Not enough time to influence the game.
