Liverpool locked horns with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this evening hoping to grind out an away win in the Premier League. The Reds dominated a lot of the ball in the first 45 minutes but struggled to break the opposition defence down as they were met by some resolute Chelsea defending. However, Andreas Christensen was sent off just before the half-time break for dragging down Sadio Mane.
The Merseyside outfit made their numerical advantage count in the second half as Mane scored two quick-fire goals to put his team in pole position to secure the three points. The reigning champions of England controlled the game well and saw out a comfortable 2-0 win at the English capital.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the match against the Blues.
GK: Alisson Becker – 8.5/10
The Brazilian keeper kept things solid in the first half. He saved Jorginho’s penalty and made another outstanding save in the second to cap off a fine performance in between the sticks for the away team.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English right-back kept things tidy at the back and played some sublime diagonal crosses during the game.
CB: Fabinho – 8/10
The Brazilian talent enjoyed the challenge of playing in central defence and did well to keep Timo Werner quiet throughout the 90 minutes. He made some crucial interceptions and kept a well-deserved clean sheet.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutch centre-back didn’t take any risks and produced another solid display at the heart of the Reds backline.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back was full of energy and running down the left flank but has got no assists to show for his efforts this week.
CM: Naby Keita – 6/10
The Guinean midfield ace tried to make some driving runs with the ball but lacked precision in the final third.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 6.5/10
The Liverpool captain played an excellent pass to release Mane which led to Christensen’s red card. He was replaced by Thiago at half-time.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch international got into some dangerous areas but didn’t have his shooting boots on during the game.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
The Egyptian winger is playing with confidence, and it showed in his performance today. He linked up play well with others around him and created some inviting openings in the decisive end of the field.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7/10
The Brazilian striker picked out Mane’s run with an excellent cross in the lead-up to Liverpool’s first goal. He ran out of gas towards the end and had to be subbed out.
LW: Sadio Mane – 9/10
The Senegalese speedster timed a great run in the first-half injury time but was brought down by Christensen, who was given his marching orders. Mane scored two brilliant goals in the second half to make the difference in this highly anticipated contest and deserved the man of the match award.
Substitutes:
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 5.5/10
The Spaniard passed the ball well and was involved in a lot of good build-up play after coming on at half-time. However, he was guilty of conceding a needless penalty for bringing down Werner.
CM: James Milner – 6/10
The veteran midfielder kept things neat and tidy in midfield.
ST: Takumi Minamino – 5/10
He struggled to get into the game.
