This was a must win game against a team who have surprised everyone this season. West Ham have enjoyed an excellent campaign so far, but thankfully we came away with a 2-0 victory and a much needed 3 points to propel us above the Hammers in the table. Here’s how our individual players fared…
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Simon Mignolet – 8/10
This was a fairly comfortable afternoon for Mignolet who seems to have found some decent form after being frozen out of the side before Christmas. He seems a much more confident player now, coming out to claim corners and crosses with authority. His punching and catching were good again, bar one alarming attempt where he came off his line and flapped at the ball at a corner. Fortunately the header went wide, and Mignolet kept his 8th clean sheet in the league this season- remarkably the 2nd most of any keeper. Not bad for someone who has been so maligned and Rodgers’ decision not to dip into the transfer market for a new stopper this January will be vindicated, although the situation will be re-assessed in the summer.
Emre Can – 6/10
Can has been a vital part of this back three, but this wasn’t one of his finest games. He found himself troubled by the pace of Enner Valencia, and suffered a few awkward moments. He remains composed on the ball, however, and is embracing this new centre back role. Whether this is a long term solution remains unclear, but this was another clean sheet and I wouldn’t want to see him come out of the side. He looks well settled right now.
Martin Skrtel – 7/10
Skrtel continued his recent good form with another assured performance in the centre of our back three. He coped well with Andy Carroll’s aerial presence until the striker was injured, and as he has done recently, read the oppositions attacks with some timely interventions. His passing is not up to the level of Can or Sakho, but he looks a dependable presence right now, and isn’t making so many rash mistakes which has tarnished his reputation previously.
Mamadou Sakho – 9/10
We couldn’t ask for much more from the Frenchman here. Sakho was arguably man of the match, and is in the form of his Liverpool career to date. His passing is superb, starting multiple attacks, and he looks to have formed a decent understanding with Alberto Moreno on the left hand side. Sakho’s all round reading of the game is terrific, and the one moment which summed up his excellent performance was when he managed to out jump a West Ham player, and rather than head the ball away, he calmly took it down on his chest and passed it out from the back. It’s taken a while, but it looks like he is the top class defender we all hoped he’d be, and he seems to have convinced Rodgers of this too.
Lazar Markovic – 6/10
Markovic enjoyed some promising moments once more, but this game served as another reminder that his end product leaves much to be admired. He is only 20 of course, and whilst his direct dribbling and pace caused West Ham some problems, his shooting and decision making were not on the same wavelengths of his team mates, and he spurned a glorious opportunity to score his first Anfield goal in front of the Kop, blazing wide from 10 yards out. He has played a lot of football recently, and is starting to look a bit jaded. Perhaps he could do with a brief rest period, with Jordon Ibe or Javier Manquillo filling in on the right hand side.
Lucas Leiva – 7/10
Having become an essential part of the Liverpool midfield over the past few months, this was another steady performance from Lucas, breaking down attacks and absorbing pressure from West Ham’s somewhat limited attempts to score. Stewart Downing has enjoyed an excellent season so far, but was kept ineffective, largely due to the endeavours of Lucas patrolling in front of our defence. He also made 6 tackles, more than any other player on the pitch.
Jordan Henderson – 7/10
Henderson has formed a very effective partnership with Lucas in the centre of midfield, enabling them both to dominate and control possession with authority. Henderson’s passing range was exemplary in this game, spreading the ball wide and launching several dangerous attacks. We’re going to need this aspect of his game as he takes on increased responsibility in Gerrard’s absence. His finishing is still the missing piece in his armoury, and should have opened the scoring with a tame, curling effort which Adrian comfortably saved in the first half. His voice and leadership as captain were demonstrated again here. Liverpool have not lost a game where he has started as captain, and that can only be a positive sign going forwards.
Alberto Moreno – 8/10
Moreno perhaps isn’t being noticed so much at the moment, and is going under the radar a bit, but he is quietly becoming a very dependable outlet on the left side of midfield in a wing back role which seems perfectly suited to his game. Moreno’s pace is a huge asset, and he defended well whilst supporting the attack. His perfectly lofted through ball to Sterling in the build up to the opening goal was a delight, and he could have scored one himself when he sliced a volley inside the area. Moreno is finding the consistency he lacked at the start of the season and looks to have cemented his place in the side.
Adam Lallana – 6/10
No Liverpool player played badly in this game, and it’s harsh to single out Lallana, but he was probably our least effective player on the day. He missed a perfect chance to open the scoring in the first half, scuffing a volley whilst off balance from close range, and once or twice took too many touches before finally deciding to shoot on goal. In moments he looked silky and skilful, but without cutting edge. It took a while for his Liverpool career to get going, and he showed what a good player he is before Christmas. Perhaps we just need to be patient and let him grow back into form after his recent injury.
Philippe Coutinho – 9/10
If it weren’t for Sakho’s imperious display in defence, Coutinho would steal the man of the match award in this game. He was a constant menace throughout, dribbling past a helpless West Ham midfield with ease. He set up Sterling’s goal with a genius, deft, chipped through ball, before adding another assist with a perfectly placed pass for Sturridge to add a second. This was another terrific display from the Brazilian who is in the form of his career right now. Sturridge’s return should only enhance his performances going forward.
Raheem Sterling – 8/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Sterling’s pace and willingness to run in behind West Ham’s back line caused problems all day long. He seems to have grown into the striker’s role remarkably well for such a young player, although Sturridge will relieve the burden on him and I’d expect Sterling to play wider in the front three from now on. One piece of dazzling individual skill in the second half saw him nutmeg Winston Reid twice in a matter of seconds, making a complete fool of the New Zealand international. Sterling capped off another impressive display with a composed finish into the corner from Coutinho’s through ball for his 8th goal of the season.
Substitutes
Daniel Sturridge – 9/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
What more could you ask for? We’ve been dying to see this man back in the Liverpool shirt after 5 months out. He came on for the last 20 minutes, and with a brilliant first touch and powerful right footed drive on his weaker side, found the back of the net to score on his return. As Alan Shearer said quite reasonably on Match of the Day, Sturridge did more here in 20 minutes than Balotelli has managed all season. He is the clinical finisher we need to finish off the abundance of chances we create. This was the dream comeback.
Jordon Ibe – N/A
It was good to see Ibe get 10 minutes of league action at the end here. The game was already in the bag, but he showed some nice touches and a turn of pace in this brief cameo. He’s a fantastic prospect and definitely a useful member of the squad now, and especially in the future.
Red Regista
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