Liverpool entertained Chelsea at Anfield earlier tonight, looking to produce a much-improved showing at home. The Reds were lacklustre in the first half and conceded the opening goal in the 42nd minute when Mason Mount scored a beautiful solo goal. The Blues went into the half-time one goal to the good.
Jurgen Klopp’s men were a bit more adventurous in the second 45 minutes but were toothless in the final third. The contest finished with the Merseyside outfit suffering yet another home defeat, this time by a 1-0 scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the clash against the Blues.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper was caught in no man’s land on one occasion in the first half but was bailed out by VAR. He couldn’t do much about Mount’s finish but did well to pull off some good saves to restrict the opposition to just one goal.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 5/10
He was far from convincing when defending inside his half and did not manage to deliver a telling cross in the attacking third.
CB: Ozan Kabak – 5/10
The Turkish centre-back was too slow to react to the danger and produced a disjointed display on the defensive end of the pitch.
CB: Fabinho – 4/10
He was at fault for letting Mount cut inside in the lead-up to Chelsea’s winning goal in the 42nd minute. The Brazilian was slightly better in the second half, but the damage was already done by then.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 6/10
The Scottish full-back ran himself to the ground while trying to press the opposition but was not at all effective as he was often second-best to the ball. However, he did whip in some dangerous crosses in the second half.
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 6/10
The Spaniard kept the ball moving with ease and helped Liverpool gain some control at the centre of the park. However, he failed to create any meaningful chances in the final third.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch midfielder was proficient at keeping the ball in tight spaces but lacked creativity in the opposition half.
CM: Curtis Jones – 5/10
Jones took a lot of time on the ball and threw away possession far too often. He was quite disappointing tonight, especially after his goal-scoring display versus Sheffield United last weekend.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 6/10
The Egyptian winger was the only Liverpool player who looked like he could come up with some magic in the decisive end of the pitch. However, Klopp’s decision to take him off in the second half was not justified considering how the Reds were in desperate need of a goal.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 5/10
The Brazilian striker gave away the ball far too often and offered very little in front of the Chelsea goal. He needs to be dropped as he is clearly nowhere near his best.
LW: Sadio Mane – 5/10
Mane tried to do a lot but ended up doing very little. It was quite a frustrating night for him.
Substitutes:
ST: Diogo Jota – 6/10
He got some valuable minutes under his belt but never got a sniff at goal.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6/10
The English talent added some energy onto the field.
CM: James Milner – N/A
The veteran midfielder had very little time to make an impact.
