Liverpool clashed heads against FC Porto at Anfield earlier tonight hoping to get a win in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. The Reds began the match on the front foot and grabbed the lead in the 5th minute courtesy of Naby Keita’s deflected goal. Roberto Firmino doubled the home side’s advantage in the 26th minute via his tap-in from close range.
Jurgen Klopp’s men went into the half-time break with a healthy two-goal lead. Porto came back into the game in the second half as they created a few chances of their own. However, their attackers didn’t have their finishing boots on which handed Liverpool a comfortable 2-0 win on the night.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against FC Porto.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper was good with his handling of the ball and made a few decent saves to restrict the visitors from scoring a goal.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10
The Liverpool youngster gave away the ball on quite a few occasions during the game and lacked the cutting edge with his deliveries from the wide areas. However, to his credit, he still managed to grab an assist to show for his efforts.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 7.5/10
The Croat centre-back held his own while being targeted by Moussa Marega. He won a lot of headers and cleared his lines well when called into action.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 8/10
The Dutch defensive ace put in a dominant shift at the back and controlled the game well for Liverpool. It was another classy display from the Reds’ ‘Rolls-Royce’.
LB: James Milner – 5/10
The English veteran curved open the Porto defence with a brilliant ball in the lead up to Keita’s goal. However, he struggled to play in the left-back position, and his crosses from the left flank failed to threaten the Porto defenders.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The English midfielder delivered a telling pass in the build-up to Firmino’s goal. He played in a free-flowing role in midfield and made some good runs behind the Porto defence during the contest.
CM: Fabinho – 4/10
The Brazilian midfielder failed to get any control in the game as he gave away the ball a lot. He was also second-best in most of his attempted tackles. It was a rare off-day from Fabinho at Anfield.
CM: Naby Keita – 8/10
The Guinean international scored a goal against Southampton last week, and he replicated that feat tonight as he found the back of the net with his deflected attempt in the 5th minute. He showed some glimpses of his brilliance at times tonight as he looked like a real threat from midfield.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 6.5/10
The Egyptian winger worked hard for his team and went close with his first-half attempt. However, he ran out of steam towards the latter stages of the encounter.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6.5/10
The Brazilian forward scored an easy goal in the first half. However, he was also guilty of giving away the ball which is why Klopp decided to replace him in the second half.
LM: Sadio Mane – 6.5/10
The Senegalese speedster managed to create some decent chances for his teammates, but it was difficult for him with Andrew Robertson not there to support him down the left flank.
Substitutes:
LM: Divock Origi – 7/10
The Belgian won a couple of free kicks by making some dangerous runs behind the Porto defence.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 5/10
He was mostly a passenger throughout his time on the pitch.
