Another defeat, but there was some spirit to this one. A 3-1 loss to one of the best teams in the world doesn’t look too bad on paper, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
There is a feeling that we didn’t get the rub of the green when it came to the refereeing, but we didn’t help ourselves at times with more individual errors.
Below we rate the performances of each player.
Martin Dubravka – 7 – There were some excellent saves from Martin Dubravka this evening. This was one of his better performances to date and there wasn’t a lot he could do for any of the goals. Sometimes, he pushes the ball back into danger, which does cause problems.
Javier Manquillo – 6 – It was an okay performance from Manquillo. He is limited in both halves of the pitch, but he always gives his all and did well to track a few of Mane’s back post runs.
Fabian Schar – 5 – Schar was a liability at times, with some of his rash tackles and decision making almost costing us. He is one of the players that feels like he has a mistake in him at any point. We don’t have any other options at the moment now.
Jamaal Lascelles – 6 – It was a better performance from the skipper. He was doing well in their air and his positioning was much better. There is clearly a lack of confidence, but he can take some positives from his performance.
Jamal Lewis – N/A – It was a shame to see him do his hamstring as early as he did. Our left side was targeted afterwards.
Jacob Murphy – 6 – There were some good moments from Murphy and he contributed in both halves of the pitch. He always offers an attacking threat, which makes him a useful option. Played a good ball in behind for Fraser leading up to the penalty appeal.
Joelinton – 7 – The Brazilian worked his socks off, winning tackles and dominating in the air. He played as a quasi central midfielder and was one of our better performers on the night. His transformation has been excellent to watch.
Jonjo Shelvey – 6 – We saw the good and bad of Jonjo Shelvey. His goal was excellent and he had been coming close to scoring in previous matches. There was some nice passing and a higher work rate than we usually see. However, he gave the ball away in an awful area in the build up to their second goal. Although he was given a hospital pass.
Isaac Hayden – 6 – There was more bite in our midfield, but Hayden did let himself down by faking a head injury. Admittedly, the ref normally calls it, but it is difficult to have sympathy with Hayden. His overall performance and tenacity was good to see though, with him making one vital block to deny Jota.
Ryan Fraser – 8* – It was probably the best performance we have seen from Ryan Fraser. His energy and movement caused problems. On a few occasions, he caused Liverpool real issues and could’ve won a penalty on another night. His passing was very good and he worked hard defensively.
Allan Saint-Maximin – 6 – The Frenchman did cause problems with his directness, but his decision making and final ball wasn’t great. There is no doubting that he is our most creative player though. If he can refine his game during the second half of the season, he will be key to our survival hopes. We need his injury to be a minor one.
SUBS
Matt Ritchie – 4 – Quite simply, he isn’t a left back. Liverpool targeted him and he couldn’t handle their quality. It was his poor judgement to play out that led to the first goal. It’s a worry that he’ll come in now Lewis is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Callum Wilson – N/A – He caused problems in his short time on the pitch, but wasn’t on long enough to be given a fair mark out of 10.
Joe Willock – N/A – Came on for the final few minutes when the game was all but over at 3-1.
Trippier or whoever for left back position is essential, Ritchie playing there is ridiculous, we must have a left back in the reserves who is better than that, not his fault though as he is continually being played out of position.
Schar does have mistakes in his locker as do the rest of the team!
Joseph(Quote)