Liverpool entertained Napoli at Anfield earlier tonight looking to secure a comfortable victory on the night which would see them through into the knockout phases of the UEFA Champions League. The Reds began the match on the front foot and created some good chances to score. However, the visitors were a real threat on the counter and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the first half. Jurgen Klopp’s men made the crucial breakthrough in the 34th minute through Mohamed Salah’s finish from close range which gave Liverpool s a narrow one-goal lead at half-time.
The Merseyside giants kept the pressure on in the second half but failed to kill off the contest due to some woeful finishing in the final third. However, the Reds defended valiantly to hold on and come away with a crucial 1-0 win on the night which would be enough to book their place in the next round of the competition.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against Napoli.
GK: Alisson Becker – 9/10
The Brazilian keeper was excellent with his distribution of the ball and pulled off a season-defining save at the death from point-blank range to earn a clean sheet from the contest which put Liverpool through to the knockout stages.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
He coped well defensively and was a good outlet down the right flank.
CB: Joel Matip – 8.5/10
The Cameroonian centre-back put in one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt. He made some crucial clearances during the game when put under pressure by the Napoli attackers.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 8.5/10
The Dutchman was a commanding presence in the Reds backline and won most of his headers to keep the Napoli forwards quiet on the night.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
The Scotsman was full of energy and linked up well in the opposition half. He put in some dangerous balls from the wide areas and was a real menace for the visitors.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 8/10
The English midfielder remained calm under pressure and put in a captain’s performance in midfield. He retained possession well at the centre of the park, much to the frustration of the Italians.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7/10
The Dutch midfielder worked his socks off and made some great runs behind the Napoli backline. However, he squandered some great chances to score which would disappoint him.
CM: James Milner – 7.5/10
The English midfielder did the defensive dirty work and worked tirelessly to press the Napoli midfielders high up the pitch.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 8.5/10
The Egyptian winger took his chance well when the goal opened up for him as he slid the ball in between David Ospina’s legs to score the only goal of the game. However, he was guilty of wasting some great opportunities in front of goal.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7.5/10
The Brazilian attacker was a class act in the opposition half as he held the ball up well and was always looking to set-up his teammates down the wide areas.
LM: Sadio Mane – 4/10
The Senegalese speedster had a nightmare game at Anfield. He should have scored a hatful of goals but ended up wasting all of his chances during the game. Some of his misses left a lot of Liverpool supporters scratching their heads.
Substitutes:
CM: Naby Keita – 5/10
He didn’t do enough on the pitch after coming off the bench.
CM: Fabinho – N/A
The Brazilian came on for the final few minutes to run the clock down for the home team.
CB: Dejan Lovren – N/A
The Croatian centre-back did not have enough time to make an impact in the game.
