Liverpool faced off against Shrewsbury Town earlier tonight hoping to claim a win from their FA Cup fourth-round clash at the New Meadow. The Reds made a dominant start to the contest and took the lead in the 15th minute courtesy of Curtis Jones’ calm finish from close range. The home side went on to concede another goal in the 46th minute when Donald Love scored an unfortunate own goal.
However, the Shropshire-based outfit refused to give up without a fight and scored two quick-fire goals via Jason Cummings to level the scoreline on the night. The contest ended with both teams sharing the spoils and living to fight another day at Anfield.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest against Shrewsbury Town.
GK: Adrian – 8/10
The Spanish keeper made some vital saves in the first half to keep his side ahead in the game. However, he couldn’t do much about either of Cummings’ efforts in the second 45 minutes.
RB: Neco Williams – 8/10
The young full-back made a bright start to the match and worked his socks off down the right flank. It seems like he is learning a lot from Trent Alexander-Arnold and it showed in his performance tonight.
CB: Joel Matip – 6/10
The Cameroon international put in a strong display in the first half. However, he gave away the ball cheaply and put in forgettable performance after the half-time break.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 3/10
The Croatian defensive ace was completely clueless about his positioning in the lead-up to Cummings’ equaliser in the second half. He was at fault for allowing the Shrewsbury striker so much time and space to find a finishing touch in front of goal.
LB: Yasser Laraouci – 4/10
The Reds youngster was big and strong in the first half. However, he completely disappeared in the second 45.
CM: Pedro Chirivella – 6/10
The Liverpool starlet passed the ball accurately from midfield and played a vital part in the lead-up to Jones’ opening goal in the 15th minute. However, he failed to dictate proceedings as well in the second half.
CM: Fabinho – 5/10
The Brazilian midfield ace was sloppy in possession of the ball and looked a bit slow on his feet. However, he was still willing to put in a battling display at the centre of the park, which is commendable.
CM: Curtis Jones – 8/10
The Reds whizkid scored again in the FA Cup as he kept his composure to tuck the ball into an empty net from a tight angle. He is in for a very promising future at Merseyside.
RM: Harvey Elliott – 6/10
The talented winger dropped deep to link up play well with others but lacked the cutting edge to open up the Shrewsbury backline.
ST: Takumi Minamino – 5/10
The Japanese international worked hard but never looked like he had a goal in him.
LM: Divock Origi – 6/10
The Belgian speedster was Jurgen Klopp’s best hope for a goal tonight. He fought for every loose possession and was unfortunate not to have scored during the game.
Substitutes:
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7/10
The ex-Arsenal midfield ace had some bright moments after coming off the bench.
ST: Mohamed Salah – N/A
The Egyptian attacker missed a glorious chance to win the game for his side.
ST: Roberto Firmino – N/A
He was a constant menace for the opposition in the dying embers of this encounter.
