The big news today is that Brendan Rodgers is no longer the manager of Liverpool, but a Premier League game also took place, and it was same old story: Liverpool take the lead, then defensive mistakes conspire to allow the opposition back into the game. The Reds looked good in the first half, but regressed in the second half, and never looked like winning the match.
Player Ratings
* Mignolet (7): Kept Liverpool in the game with two top-class saves, but shot-stopping is Mignolet's job, and there's never been any doubt that he excels in that department. Suspect distribution once again, though, but overall, saved the club from defeat.
* Can (5.5): Amateur mistake for the goal from the allegedly 'amazing' Can. Made exactly the same error against Villa, but this time, Liverpool got punished. Other than that, defensively solid for the most part, but needlessly lost his head at one point.
* Skrtel (8.5): Dominant defensive performance from the Slovakian, who - along with Sakho - distributed well out of defence.
* Clyne (6): Solid defensively, and tried to get forward, but didn't really make much impact in the final third.
* Sakho (7): Generally effective in defence, but is becoming a liability in the air. Cost Liverpool a goal against Villa after being beaten for a header, and almost cost the Reds a goal today after losing yet another aerial duel. Stupidly got involved in a shoving match with Lukaku at a time when concentration and focus was of paramount importance.
* Moreno (6.5): Dominated against Gerard Deulofeu, and is proving that Rodgers made the right decision to recall him in place of Gomez.
* Milner (6.5): Decent performance in the first half, culminating in another assist from a corner. After wasting so many set pieces this season, though, he was due at least one good delivery. Fairly anonymous in the second half though, and didn't influence the game.
* Lucas (7): Another effective performance from the Brazilian. Provided good defensive cover in front of the back three, and distributed the ball well out of midfield. Remains ineffective in the final third of the field. Lucky not to be sent off for a petulant foul in the second half.
* Coutinho (5): A superb talent, but his inconsistency reared its ugly head again today. Speculation linking Coutinho with a move to Barcelona is on the rise, and it wouldn't surprise me if it's affecting him (subconsciously).
Sturridge (5): Anonymous for most of the game, and a passenger for the entire second half. Coutinho and Sturridge [(combined value: £60m)] generally have a great understanding, but today, they didn't gel at all. It's all well and good leaving Sturridge on for match-fitness, but the team needs to come first. To be fair, this kind of performance is only to be expected after a long lay-off, but Origi should've come on for Sturridge at some point.
* Ings (6): Good movement for the goal, but other than that, he didn't offer much throughout the game.
* Rodgers (5): Dropped Lallana for the second time in two weeks (after scoring in the previous game), which is questionable man-management. Continues to play Can out of position, and Liverpool paid the price. Good decision to bring on Allen for Lucas, who was at risk of a second yellow card. Should've subbed off Sturridge, not Ings; why remove the goalscorer, and keep a passenger on the field?
It's now one win in nine games for Liverpool, and the club has failed to win 16 of the last 22 games in all competitions (73% failure rate). Despite that, Rodgers insisted after the game that he is 'proud of the players', and hopefully, this is the last time an LFC manager will praise players for failing to win a game.
LFC Man of the Match: Skrtel
Author: Jaimie K
Player Ratings
* Mignolet (7): Kept Liverpool in the game with two top-class saves, but shot-stopping is Mignolet's job, and there's never been any doubt that he excels in that department. Suspect distribution once again, though, but overall, saved the club from defeat.
* Can (5.5): Amateur mistake for the goal from the allegedly 'amazing' Can. Made exactly the same error against Villa, but this time, Liverpool got punished. Other than that, defensively solid for the most part, but needlessly lost his head at one point.
* Skrtel (8.5): Dominant defensive performance from the Slovakian, who - along with Sakho - distributed well out of defence.
* Clyne (6): Solid defensively, and tried to get forward, but didn't really make much impact in the final third.
* Sakho (7): Generally effective in defence, but is becoming a liability in the air. Cost Liverpool a goal against Villa after being beaten for a header, and almost cost the Reds a goal today after losing yet another aerial duel. Stupidly got involved in a shoving match with Lukaku at a time when concentration and focus was of paramount importance.
* Moreno (6.5): Dominated against Gerard Deulofeu, and is proving that Rodgers made the right decision to recall him in place of Gomez.
* Milner (6.5): Decent performance in the first half, culminating in another assist from a corner. After wasting so many set pieces this season, though, he was due at least one good delivery. Fairly anonymous in the second half though, and didn't influence the game.
* Lucas (7): Another effective performance from the Brazilian. Provided good defensive cover in front of the back three, and distributed the ball well out of midfield. Remains ineffective in the final third of the field. Lucky not to be sent off for a petulant foul in the second half.
* Coutinho (5): A superb talent, but his inconsistency reared its ugly head again today. Speculation linking Coutinho with a move to Barcelona is on the rise, and it wouldn't surprise me if it's affecting him (subconsciously).
Sturridge (5): Anonymous for most of the game, and a passenger for the entire second half. Coutinho and Sturridge [(combined value: £60m)] generally have a great understanding, but today, they didn't gel at all. It's all well and good leaving Sturridge on for match-fitness, but the team needs to come first. To be fair, this kind of performance is only to be expected after a long lay-off, but Origi should've come on for Sturridge at some point.
* Ings (6): Good movement for the goal, but other than that, he didn't offer much throughout the game.
* Rodgers (5): Dropped Lallana for the second time in two weeks (after scoring in the previous game), which is questionable man-management. Continues to play Can out of position, and Liverpool paid the price. Good decision to bring on Allen for Lucas, who was at risk of a second yellow card. Should've subbed off Sturridge, not Ings; why remove the goalscorer, and keep a passenger on the field?
It's now one win in nine games for Liverpool, and the club has failed to win 16 of the last 22 games in all competitions (73% failure rate). Despite that, Rodgers insisted after the game that he is 'proud of the players', and hopefully, this is the last time an LFC manager will praise players for failing to win a game.
LFC Man of the Match: Skrtel
Author: Jaimie K
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