Liverpool entertained FC Midtjylland at Anfield earlier tonight hoping to pick up another positive result in the UEFA Champions League. The Reds were lacklustre in the first half as they struggled to create too many meaningful chances to score in the final third. The away team defended valiantly and went into the half-time break still level on the scoreline.
The Merseyside outfit were much more adventurous after the interval and finally made the breakthrough just ten minutes into the second half courtesy of Diogo Jota’s tap-in from close range. Mohamed Salah came off the bench to score a late penalty which gave Jurgen Klopp’s men a hard-fought 2-0 victory over their Danish opposition.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest versus FC Midtjylland.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made a crucial early stop in the game and came out to collect a lot of loose balls inside his penalty area. He will be satisfied with his clean sheet tonight.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English right-back got back to defend when his teammates were getting stretched on the counter. He was always looking to deliver some inviting crosses in the opposition half and ended the match with an assist to his name.
CB: Fabinho – 6/10
The Brazilian talent kept things tidy at the back but was forced to go off due to an injury in the first 45 minutes.
CB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
Gomez was a rock at the back and led his team to another important clean sheet despite losing his primary centre-back partner to injury in the first half.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish left-back chose his moments to join in on the attack and hardly gave away anything in defence.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 5/10
The Liverpool captain struggled to get a foothold in the game and was taken off at half-time.
CM: James Milner – 6/10
The English veteran struggled to give a good account of himself in the first 45 minutes but came back and produced a much-improved display in the second.
RW: Xherdan Shaqiri – 6.5/10
The Swiss international was an anonymous figure on the field during the early stages of the contest. However, he showed great vision to pick out Alexander-Arnold’s run in the lead-up to Jota’s goal.
CAM: Takumi Minamino – 5/10
The Japanese international worked hard but failed to create any worthwhile in the attacking third.
LW: Diogo Jota – 7/10
The Portuguese winger was mostly left frustrated in the first half. However, he popped up with the all-important opening goal, which gave his team a solid platform to defend in numbers and secure maximum points from this clash.
ST: Divock Origi – 6/10
Origi was not afraid to get on the ball but often lost possession when running with it in the decisive end of the pitch. However, he never looked like he had a goal in him.
Substitutes:
CB: Rhys Williams – 6.5/10
The youngster didn’t let the occasion get the better of him and dealt with everything that came his way in the second half.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7/10
The Dutch midfielder brought some control back into the Liverpool midfield by retaining possession with ease and grace at the centre of the park.
ST: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
The Egyptian winger was a constant menace after coming on to the field and kept his composure to slot home the late penalty.
LW: Sadio Mane – 6/10
The Senegalese international was unusually quiet after coming off the bench.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 5/10
Firmino wasted a glorious chance to kill the game off for his side.
