Liverpool came on top when they faced a weakened but inspired Leicester side at the King Power stadium. Liverpool went into halftime with a 2 goal advantage but where clearly second best in the second half of the match. Leicester pushed for an equaliser but Liverpool were let off the hook every time as the Foxes wasted their chances. Here are the player ratings for the match:
Alisson : 5/10
The Brazilian was pretty solid between the sticks. Everyone knows that he is a brilliant shot stopper and the defenders seem to trust him a lot. He has also been very good with the ball at his feet. His distribution skills are very under-rated as he seems like the goalkeeper Pep Guardiola would have been looking for a couple years ago. However, he had a pretty embarrassing moment in the match when he lost possession while trying something extravagant. Liverpool managed to hang on for the win but Alisson must learn from this and should try route-1 when under pressure.
Robertson : 8/10
The Scottish left-back is going from strength to strength. Robertson provided his second assist of the season when he surged forward and cut back one for Mane. Robertson has also been very solid in defence. Despite his lack of height, he hardly loses any aerial duels. He is a workhorse who runs up and down the pitch throughout the match. He readily overlaps on the outside of Mane, providing an extra attacking outlet.
Joe Gomez : 8/10
The young centre-back has become a revelation as he has partnered Virgil Van Dijk to an amazing start to the season at the heart of the defence. The Englishman proved why he deserves the national call-up as he put in his best performance as of yet. He dealt with all aerial balls and low crosses very comfortably. He was composed under pressure and put in an amazing shit. ONE FOR THE FUTURE !
Virgil Van Dijk : 7/10
ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD ! Van Dijk has been rock solid has kept every striker under his control. He has given stability to the shaky Liverpool defence. The only reason why he gets one point less than Gomez is because he perhaps should have cleared the ball instead of passing it back to Alisson which then resulted in the Leicester goal.
Trent Alexander Arnold : 7/10
TAA has been pretty much great since coming into the side. He is more effective going forward though. His crossing is amazing as he picks out his man almost every time. He was good defensively against Leicester but did not have much fun going forward this time, mostly because of Ghezzal and then Gray.
Jordan Henderson : 7/10
Henderson returned to Liverpool’s starting 11 for the first time since the World Cup. The Liverpool captain was a solid presence in the midfield but the reds missed the dynamism Naby Keita brings. The transition from midfield to attack wasn’t as quick as it should be as Henderson is partly to be blamed.
Wijnaldum : 6/10
Gigi Wijnaldum was certainly a presence but it wasn’t one of his best days. He was a bit sloppy in possession and gave the ball away cheaply a lot of times in the second half. He seemed to panic when Leicester pressed. Klopp has the international break to sort out his midfield trio and he would certainly look forward to it.
James Milner : 8/10
Another masterclass from the Englishman on his 100th appearance for Liverpool showed his worth to the club. He did his job and nothing else. The veteran brings an aura of simplicity with himself. He was always composed in possession and also got himself an assist when his cross for Firmino was turned in.
Firmino : 8/10
Firmino has established himself as one of the best false 9s in Europe. He dropped time and again, dragging one defender along with himself. This allowed more space to the wingers to cut in and score. Firmino got a goal for himself and had a pretty good match. It must have been a confidence boost going into the International break.
Sadio Mane: 8/10
Mane continued his amazing start to the season as he scored his 3rd of the season when he turned in Robertson’s pull back. The Senegalese is continuing to shine as defences focus more on keeping last season’s star Mohammed Salah quite. Mane is getting more room on the left flank and he is certainly making good use of it.
Mohammed Salah: 7/10
Mohammed Salah had a pretty quite game as he failed to find spaces behind Leicester’s defence. Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan focused more on keeping the Egyptian under control. Salah was substituted for Shaqiri in the second half as he failed to make an impact.
