Liverpool faced off against Manchester City at Anfield earlier this evening hoping to secure a victory and stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table. The Reds began the clash on the back foot, but they looked threatening on the counter. Fabinho gave the home team the lead with a stunning strike in the 6th minute. Mohamed Salah doubled Liverpool’s advantage just seven minutes later when he scored with a header from close range. The Citizens were dominant for a major chunk of the first half but couldn’t manage to take any of their chances in the final third.
The Merseyside outfit made a bright start after the half-time break and found the back of the net again through Sadio Mane’s header in the 51st minute. Bernardo Silva got a consolation goal in the 78th minute but Jurgen Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters’ ran away with a 3-0 win today.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest against the Citizens.
GK: Alisson Becker – 8/10
The Brazilian keeper put in a near-flawless performance in goal for the Reds. He did his job when called into action and distributed the ball accurately from the back.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English right-back played some glorious crosses from the right flank. He was a fantastic creative outlet for Liverpool. However, he couldn’t handle Sterling’s pace when left exposed in a 1v1 footrace.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 8/10
The Croatia international looked solid at the back and made some important clearances for his team.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 8.5/10
The Dutch colossus controlled the game well and put in a defensive masterclass inside his own half. He came to Liverpool’s rescue on several occasions during the game.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
The Scotland skipper picked out Salah with an inch-perfect cross in the first half. He defended valiantly and put in another tireless shift down the left flank.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 8/10
The Liverpool captain worked his socks off for his team. He picked out Mane with a brilliant cross in the second half, and the Senegalese made no mistake from close range.
CM: Fabinho – 9/10
The Brazilian midfield ace scored with a majestic strike in the 6th minute. He battled hard for every loose ball and put in a man of the match-winning display today.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 8/10
He was full of energy and running in midfield. The Dutch international kept possession well in tight spaces and put in a matured performance during the game.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 6.5/10
The Egyptian winger took his goal well in the 13th minute. However, he faded in the second half, which is why Klopp decided to bring him off the pitch.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7/10
The former Bundesliga sensation dropped into pockets of spaces in midfield and played some excellent passes in the opposition half. However, he was a bit wasteful in the final third.
LM: Sadio Mane – 7/10
The Senegalese winger made a couple of dangerous dribbles in the first half. He followed up Henderson’s deep cross to score the third goal of the contest after the half-time break.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 6/10
He brought some energy and calmness to the Liverpool midfield.
CAM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5/10
The English playmaker made one decent run with the ball towards the dying embers of the encounter.
CB: Joe Gomez – N/A
He came on to see out the victory for the home side.
