The Brendan Rodgers’ era was a roller coaster ride for Liverpool as they missed out the league glory narrowly five years back. The Northern Irishman returned to Anfield this afternoon for the first team since facing the dismissal and his Leicester City side, emerging as one of the prime ‘top four’ contenders, challenged the Reds’ all-win streak right until the very end. But the hosts found a way out yet again as a stoppage-time spot-kick from James Milner ensured all three points after a difficult game of football.
Below are the Liverpool players rated in their 2-1 win against Leicester City.
Adrian: 6.5
Should have done better while dealing with James Maddison’s strike that almost earned the Foxes a massive away point. But the Spaniard maintained his composure in goal and did reasonably well in the absence of Alisson Becker who is set to return after the international break.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 7.5
Was effective with his crosses from the right flank. Did a decent job defensively to resist Leicester’s counter-attacking threats. Played his part in the build-ups and took the ball out from the back using the width of the pitch.
Dejan Lovren: 8
A nervy occasion against RB Salzburg saw Jurgen Klopp preferring veteran Dejan Lovren over Joe Gomez as Joel Matip’s replacement. The Croatian was standout all afternoon and made his presence known in his first league start of the campaign.
Virgil van Dijk: 7
Won most of the duels, did not allow Jamie Vardy to threaten enough using his pace and off the ball movements. But the Dutchman had a few difficult moments too including the shot that was fired in by Maddison. He has prevented these moves time and again before this fixture.
Andrew Robertson: 8
Was outrageous from the left flank as he not only kept on creating chances with his cut insides and crosses but also nullified Harvey Barnes banking on his defensive attributes.
Fabinho: 7.5
Another steady display from the Brazilian in the centre of the pitch. Completed the most number of passes and kept on switching the game using his vision, with the ball runs and distribution. Was clumsy at times while tackling but did his best to dominate possession in midfield.
James Milner: 8.5
Was handed a start ahead of skipper Jordan Henderson and turned out to be the difference between these two sides. He set it up for Sadio Mane with a brilliant through ball and kept his calm while converting the spot-kick in the dying seconds to restore the lead.
Georginio Wijnaldum: 6
An average outing for the Dutch professional as he did well to keep it moving in the middle of the park but lacked the innovation required to create chances against a resilient and disciplined Leicester backline. Was taken off and replaced by Jordan Henderson midway through the second half.
Mohamed Salah: 5
Scored a brace on midweek against RB Salzburg but had an afternoon to forget before limping off the pitch late in the game following a reckless tackle from Hamza Choudhury. His moves were predictable, and the final ball lacked accuracy on most occasions.
Sadio Mane: 8.5
Netted his 50th Premier League goal for the club in his 100th appearance. The Senegalese calmly slotted it home after picking up Milner’s pass and did exceptionally well to win a spot-kick in the closing seconds of the match.
Roberto Firmino: 6.5
Was not at his best having been deployed from a slightly deeper role. Missed a glorious opportunity to put the team ahead and was not as effective as he usually is in spite of creating a few chances. Was replaced by Divock Origi in the second half.
Substitutes
Jordan Henderson: 6.5
Injected more balance and energy in the centre of the pitch with his strong runs and fresh pair of legs.
Divock Origi: 6.5
Made an impact once again off the bench as he played a key part in the move that eventually resulted in a foul by Marc Albrighton on Sadio Mane inside the box.
Adam Lallana: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
