Liverpool entertained Sheffield United at Anfield earlier tonight hoping to return to winning ways in the Premier League. The Reds made a nervy start to the game and conceded an early penalty which Sander Berge scored to give the visitors the lead. The Blades grew in confidence midway through the first half before the Merseyside giants came roaring back and found the leveller via Roberto Firmino’s finish from point-blank range. Both teams went into the half-time break honours even with everything to play for in the second half.
Diogo Jota gave Liverpool the lead with his well-directed header just after the hour mark. The Reds hung on to their narrow advantage and secured a hard-fought 2-1 win at Anfield.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Blades.
GK: Alisson Becker – 6/10
The Brazilian keeper dived the wrong way when attempting to save Berge’s penalty. However, he made a good save to restrict the opposition to just one goal tonight.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English defender went close to scoring a wondergoal with his cheeky freekick attempt from midfield in the first half. He was defensively solid and played some sublime long balls during the game.
CB: Fabinho – 6/10
Fabinho was not performing at his best in the first half and gave away the penalty to put more pressure on his teammates. However, he recovered well and produced a commanding performance in the second half.
CB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
The English centre-back made some important clearances for his side and was a rock at the back throughout the 90 minutes.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back got into some promising areas with his tireless running and hunger to create chances for others around him. He didn’t give away too much defensively as well.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Liverpool captain slowly grew into the game and put in a classy display in the second half. Some of his passing was a joy to watch but he was not at his best when pressing the opposition at the centre of the park.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6.5/10
The Dutch midfield ace was mostly poor in the first 45 minutes. However, he seemed to have gotten better towards the end of the contest when he made a couple of powerful runs to give his teammates a breather at the back.
RW: Diogo Jota – 7.5/10
The Portuguese experienced a few bright moments in the first half without having anything to show for his efforts. However, he kept pushing himself in the second 45 minutes and finally took his chance well from close range to win the contest for the Reds.
CAM: Roberto Firmino – 8/10
The former Bundesliga playmaker scored the all-important equaliser for Liverpool just before the half-time break which will do his confidence a world of good. He was also a class act in the second half and showed some neat touches in and around the opponent’s penalty area.
LW: Sadio Mane – 7/10
The Senegalese winger was left frustrated in the first half. However, it was his initial header which was saved by Aaron Ramsdale but the ball fell to Firmino’s path with the Brazilian making no mistake from point-blank range. He also delivered an inch-point accurate cross to Jota in the lead-up to Liverpool’s second goal to end the game with an assist to his name.
ST: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
The Egyptian winger was the fittest player on the field and created some brilliant chances for himself in the second half. However, he didn’t have his finishing boots on and even had a goal chalked off as off-side.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 6/10
He used his experience well to see out the win.
ST: Takumi Minamino – 6/10
The Japanese international provided some fresh legs on the field.
