Liverpool entertained Derby County at Anfield earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a positive result in the third round of the EFL Cup. The Reds made a bright start to the game but were toothless in the final third as they were held to a scoreless draw at half-time.
It was a similar story in the second 45 minutes as Jurgen Klopp’s lacked the cutting edge in front of the opposition goal. The match ended 0-0 after the full-time whistle.
However, Liverpool ended up securing qualification by winning on penalties by a 3-2 scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Rams.
GK: Caoimhín Kelleher – 8.5/10
The talented keeper made some fine saves in the penalty shootout to win the game for Liverpool. He deserves to be named the man of the match.
RB: Calvin Ramsay – 6.5/10
He was defensively solid and had a few bright moments in the opposition half.
CB: Nathaniel Phillips – 8/10
Phillips was strong in the air and kept things tidy at the back. He will be quite pleased with the clean sheet tonight.
CB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
Gomez didn’t do much wrong at the back and dealt with the danger when required.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 7.5/10
The Greek full-back came back to defend when the opposition were looking to counter. He also produced an energetic display in the opponent’s half.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7.5/10
He was selfish at times with his decision-making in and around the opponent’s penalty box but deserves credit for scoring his penalty in the shootout.
CM: Stefan Bajcetic – 6/10
Bajcetic offered decent protection for his teammates at the back but failed to score his penalty in the shootout.
CM: Bobby Clark – 6.5/10
He had a few lively moments in the game but lacked quality on the attacking end of the field.
RW: Melkamu Frauendorf – 6.5/10
Frauendorf made two decent runs with the ball but never looked like he would score.
ST: Layton Stewart – 6/10
Stewart struggled to get himself involved in the game and was replaced in the 65th minute.
LW: Fabio Carvalho – 6.5/10
He showed some flashes of what he is capable of but struggled to threaten the Derby goal.
Substitutes:
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6/10
The Brazilian forward linked up play well with others around him but missed his penalty in the shootout.
ST: Darwin Nunez – 6.5/10
He didn’t get too many sniffs at goal but scored his penalty in the shootout.
CM: Harvey Elliott – 6/10
Elliott passed the ball really well and scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
RW: Ben Doak – 6.5/10
He produced a nice cameo off the bench.
