Liverpool faced off against Red Bull Leipzig at the Puskas Arena earlier tonight, hoping to avoid defeat and secure qualification into the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. The Reds gave a good account of themselves in the first half but squandered some glorious chances to take the lead. Both sides went into the half-time break with nothing to split them.
The Merseyside outfit finally managed to get themselves ahead in the 70th minute when Mohamed Salah scored with a brilliant finish. Sadio Mane added another goal just four minutes later with a tidy finish from close range. The match ended with Liverpool securing a comfortable 2-0 win on the night and a 4-0 victory on aggregate.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest against RB Leipzig.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made a couple of solid saves to secure a much-needed clean sheet tonight.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English right-back didn’t put a foot wrong at the back but struggled to create too many clear-cut chances with his crossing in the final third.
CB: Ozan Kabak – 7/10
Kabak didn’t take any risks on the defensive end of the pitch and performed well enough to deny the Leipzig attackers from scoring a goal.
CB: Nathaniel Phillips – 7/10
He was strong in the air and dealt with everything that came his way. Phillips was a commanding presence at the heart of the Liverpool backline and seems to be growing in confidence with each game.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back worked his socks off to keep a solid shape inside his half and even made a few driving dashes in the Leipzig half.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7/10
The Liverpool skipper retained possession immaculately throughout his time on the field and managed to offer enough protection for his teammates in defence.
CM: Fabinho – 8/10
The Brazilian sensation made some important interceptions and disrupted the rhythm of the Leipzig attackers during the 90 minutes.
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 7.5/10
Thiago engineered a couple of decent chances in the first half. He linked up play quite well with others around him and was substituted in the second half.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 8/10
The Egyptian wing wizard wasted some excellent chances to find the back of the net in the first half. However, he took his goal well in the 70th minute and also played a crucial role in the move leading up to Mane’s goal just moments later.
ST: Diogo Jota – 7.5/10
The Portuguese striker worked hard and set-up Salah’s goal with a good pass. He ran out of gas and got replaced late in the game.
LW: Sadio Mane – 7.5/10
The Senegalese speedster gave away the ball far too many times but got his name on the score sheet with a powerful finish from close range.
Substitutes:
ST: Divock Origi – 7/10
He set-up Mane’s goal with a pin-point cross from the right flank.
CM: Naby Keita – 7/10
Keita bossed the game after coming off the bench for the final quarter of the game.
CM: James Milner – 6/10
The veteran midfielder added some energy to the Liverpool midfield.
LB: Konstantinos Tsimikas – N/A
He hardly had any time to influence the game.
LW: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – N/A
The ex-Arsenal midfielder came on to run the clock down.
