Final Score: Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City
Liverpool managed to do the impossible tonight by beating Manchester City 4-3. Jurgen Klopp’s men exacted revenge on the high-flying Citizens after losing 5-0 to them in the reverse fixture earlier this season. However, we all got to see a new-look Liverpool tonight and the crowd at Anfield backed the team with fervent joy. It was truly an incredible match and a result that perhaps very little people dared to expect.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the account by scoring the first goal and Leroy Sane equalised right before half-time. From then on, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in quick succession to provide a lead but Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan scored in the final few minutes to make it 4-3. City actually did fight hard for a draw but it was Liverpool’s night in the end.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Loris Karius – 5/10
Could not do much to keep any of City’s goals out but he should have restricted Sane’s equaliser.
Joe Gomez – 6/10
Gomez made some rookie mistakes but he managed to hold his own. He needs to stop making those errors so that he can reach his true potential.
Joel Matip – 7.5/10
Matip did quite a decent job and was his usual sturdy self. He made some much-needed blocks, clearances and tackles and was quite influential at the back.
Dejan Lovren – 7/10
Van Dijk’s absence did prove to be worrisome initially but Lovren was surprisingly quite solid against a team like City. Also, he works well with Matip and that was quite evident on the field today.
Andy Robertson – 8.5/10
Robertson has shown signs of improvement in the last couple of games and tonight was no different. He troubled City all across the left flank and the thunderous applause he received was the sign of a job well done.
Emre Can – 9/10
Can shines through in big games and he was in complete control against City. He effectively dictated the pace of the play in the middle and was splendid in both segments of the game.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 10/10
Oxlade-Chamberlain has managed to prove all the naysayers wrong by putting in a brilliant performance tonight. He was arguably the best performer on the field. Displayed stunning pace and energy throughout the game and bagged the opening goal as well.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 8.5/10
Wijnaldum found himself in the right place at the right time on several occasions tonight and kept Kevin De Bruyne at bay. He shut out a lot of City’s attacks and was quite delightful to watch.
Sadio Mane – 9/10
Mane made some incisive runs to trouble the City defence and was quite effective on the counter-attack as well. Capped off a good display by scoring a goal in the second-half.
Mohamed Salah – 9.5/10
Every time Salah had the ball, the crowd erupted with joy. They love the Egyptian and Salah often rewarded them with a neat touch and pass and then ultimately scored a goal as well.
Roberto Firmino – 8.5/10
Firmino brought in a lot of energy and pace up front and led the line with the kind of solidity that was missing in recent few games. He can only go forward from here on.
Subs:
James Milner – 5/10
Looked a bit nervy and did not do much on the field.
Adam Lallana – N/A
Came on with hardly 2 minutes left for full-time and could not make much of an impact.
Ragnar Klavan – N/A
Klavan too came on quite late with virtually no time to do anything influential.