With top 4 rivals Man United and Arsenal both winning at the weekend, the pressure was all on Liverpool to ensure they kept up the pace with another 3 points in a tricky away fixture against a decent Swansea side. After a dismal first half performance, a change of system and a slice of good fortune, thankfully the Reds came away with the crucial victory. Here’s how I rated our individual players.
Simon Mignolet – 9/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Mignolet made two vital first half saves, first to deny Gomis down low, followed by a spectacular stop to tip Sigurdsson’s curling strike around the post. These saves kept us in it throughout a terrible first half and Mignolet kept his 6th consecutive away clean sheet, and his 12th of the season, which is a fantastic achievement. He’s only 1 behind Fraser Forster in the race for the golden glove, and right now he’s probably the most inform keeper in the league.
Emre Can – 7/10
On a couple of occasions, Can was left exposed and was too easily bypassed by Swansea’s pacey wingers who caused him problems throughout the first half. However, he recovered well with a solid second half display, showing great strength and resilience at the back. He won 4 tackles, the joint highest of any Liverpool player.
Martin Skrtel – 8/10
Having recovered from his head injury sustained against Blackburn, Skrtel was back to his commanding best here. He was spot on throughout, marshalling the back three with authority during a first half which saw Swansea sustain pressure in the attacking third, whilst hardly affording them a single chance after the break. Skrtel cut out any danger and always in the right place to regain possession.
Mamadou Sakho – 8/10
It was great to see Sakho back in the starting line up after a spell on the sidelines through injury, and the Frenchman was an assured presence in the back three. Despite a couple of dodgy passes early on, he was largely composed and accurate with the ball and reliable in defence, winning plenty of powerful clearing headers. He’s certainly an improvement on Lovren in this position, and the difference in quality was clear.
Raheem Sterling – 6/10
It was a game of two halves for Sterling. He started off playing right wing back and was very poor in the opening 45 minutes, showing a lack of urgency and accuracy with his passing, giving the ball away far too often. However, as the game progressed, Sterling played further forward and began to influence proceedings far better, taking players on and driving forward with pace in the second half, helping Liverpool retain possession high up the pitch. I get the impression he looks somewhat distracted at the moment; perhaps the contract speculation is getting to his head. The sooner it gets sorted, the better.
Joe Allen – 8/10
Another player returning from injury, Allen was absolutely superb here against his former club. His passing was not only accurate, but incisive, playing the ball forwards into dangerous areas. Despite his small frame, he’s not afraid to get stuck in and he made numerous excellent tackles and interceptions to break up Swansea’s attacks, showing great anticipation and positional awareness. He’s become a key component of the side right now.
Jordan Henderson – 7/10
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Like many of Liverpool’s players, Henderson wasn’t at his best in the first half and struggled to control the midfield as Swansea’s diamond formation proved a real problem. However, following a change of system into a 3-4-3 diamond midfield, Henderson flourished and grew into the game. His usual energy and desire were evident, and his decisive forward run in behind resulted in him closing down Amat’s clearance to inadvertently divert the ball over Fabianski’s head for his 3rd goal in the last 3 games, taking his tally up to 6 goals for the season. He’s become one of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League.
Alberto Moreno – 4/10
This was certainly not Moreno’s finest performance. He struggled all game, getting caught out of position and giving away clumsy fouls. Going forward he didn’t offer any real quality and generally passed backwards, unlike his usual aggressive, buccaneering style. It was a night to forget for the Spaniard, as he was substituted with half an hour left for the returning Gerrard.
Adam Lallana – 5/10
Lallana was almost completely anonymous in the first half, hardly touching the ball. When he did, it was too slow and lacking in intensity. He had a decent effort well saved by Fabianski, before switching to left wing back in the second period where his industry and guile saw him improve significantly, but he needs to sustain that level throughout the 90 minutes much more often.
Philippe Coutinho – 6/10
It was a relatively quiet evening for Coutinho who has been in such scintillating form lately. The dominance of Swansea early on saw him starved of possession, although when he picked the ball up he was Liverpool’s most creative outlet. He had a couple of close, trademark curling efforts go just off target before providing a perfect pass to Sturridge in the final minute, which would have been a superb assist had the striker not hit the post.
Daniel Sturridge – 5/10
Sturridge was ineffective in the first half except for a wasteful shot way over the bar, and his first touch and lack of energy or movement were alarming. However, he looked more lively after half time and was very unfortunate to see his deft, last minute right footed shot hit the post, denying him a goal. He’s certainly not up to the level we’ve come to expect, but I’d be hesitant to criticise him given the extent of his injury. After a 5 month absence it will surely take a period of several months to gradually regain full confidence and match sharpness once more.
Substitutes
Steven Gerrard – 7/10
Gerrard was finally back after a lengthy injury lay off, replacing Moreno for the final half hour. He slotted in very well in defensive midfield and brought a degree of calm to help see out the victory, passing accurately and making sure he covered his defensive duties to break up play several times. It’s great to have his experience to bring off the bench in these kinds of situations.
Glen Johnson – N/A
Johnson only played the final few minutes in place of Lallana to keep things tight at the back but hardly had to do anything.
Red Regista
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