Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge to face off against Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup earlier tonight hoping to secure a win on the road. The Reds settled into the game well but conceded an early goal when Willian scored for the Blues in the 13th minute after Adrian made a catastrophic mistake when attempting to save the Brazilian’s shot. The home side went into the half-time break one goal to the good.
The Merseyside outfit created some decent chances to score in the second 45 minutes but were toothless in the final third. Ross Barkley ensured the victory for Chelsea when he scored on the break in the 64th minute. The contest ended with a 2-0 scoreline as Jurgen Klopp’s men suffered another disappointing defeat away from home.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the match against the Blues.
Liverpool Players Rated In Dismal Defeat Vs Chelsea
GK: Adrian – 3/10
The Spanish keeper made a horrendous error when attempting to save Willian’s shot. However, he did make a good stop in the second half to deny Pedro, but his team was already dead and buried by then.
RB: Neco Williams – 3/10
It was a tough night for the Liverpool youngster as the experienced Chelsea wide players often exposed his weaknesses on the counter. He made a lot of mistakes defensively and was ineffective going forward as well.
CB: Joe Gomez – 5/10
The English centre-back was far from his best during the contest. He made some important contributions in defence but was inaccurate with his ball-distribution.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 5/10
The Dutch defender made a lot of clearances but was caught napping too many times on the counter. Van Dijk’s form in recent weeks will be quite worrying for Klopp.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 6/10
The Scottish full-back put in a tireless shift down the left flank. He played some inviting crosses into the opposition box, but his teammates were woeful with their finishing.
CM: Adam Lallana – 6/10
The English playmaker had some bright moments but struggled to create too many goal-scoring opportunities in the opposition half.
CM: Fabinho – 1/10
The Brazilian did nothing right in the game and was caught ball-watching on several occasions. He looked vulnerable defensively and was partly responsible for allowing both Chelsea goals tonight.
CM: Curtis Jones – 5/10
The young Scouser couldn’t get into the flow of the game in the first 45 but made a couple of darting runs in the second.
RW: Sadio Mane – 4/10
The Senegalese speedster looked like a player out of form. It was a story of too many heavy touches and poor passes for Mane tonight.
ST: Takumi Minamino – 7/10
The Japanese playmaker was by far Liverpool’s best hope for a goal in this cup game. He was bright, inventive and created some decent chances for his teammates in the final third.
LW: Divock Origi – 6/10
The Belgian put in a decent shift out on the left-wing but had no end-product to show for his efforts.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 5/10
The veteran midfielder kept possession moving in midfield.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 5/10
He got a late chance but couldn’t keep his header on target.
RW: Mohamed Salah – N/A
The Egyptian didn’t have enough time to influence the game.
