Terrific Salah, Fantastic Mane - The best and the worst rated Liverpool players vs Manchester City

Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City: Klopp’s Men Tear Cityzens Apart In A One-sided First Leg Quarterfinal

Liverpool handed Manchester City a hammer blow in the quarterfinals of the Champions League as they grabbed a massive 3-0 win in the first leg of the fixture.

An electrifying Anfield witnessed an early moment of jubilation when Mohamed Salah put the Reds ahead in the 12th minute from a counter-attack. The goal came as a shocker for Manchester City who conceded again within 10 minutes from an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain thunder strike.

The Reds magnificently found their third just after the half-an-hour mark when Sadio Mane headed home from Salah’s cross. The first half turned out to be a massive setback for the visitors who were down by three goals at half-time.

Liverpool remained cautious in the second half and showcased their defensive rigidity. Mohamed Salah’s groin injury might be a massive blow for the Merseysiders but they managed to keep hold of the City attack and did not let them trouble Loris Karius between the sticks. The game, hence, ended 3-0 in favour Liverpool and the Cityzens now have an uphill task at Etihad next week.

Liverpool Player Ratings

Loris Karius (7)

Surprisingly, City had no shot on target last night and the German custodian had to do very little in goal. Yet, he was prompt, cautious all the time, impressive with his distribution and did well to slow the tempo down while taking goal-kicks.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (9)

Was heavily criticised for his errors against Manchester United and Crystal Palace. Was supposed to be the weak link in the Liverpool defence and City kept on trying to explore the flank via Leroy Sane throughout the game. The teenager, however, stood tall and never lost his concentration and did not allow the German winger trouble the Reds defence with his mazy runs. Probably his best night in Liverpool colours so far.

Dejan Lovren (8.5)

The Croatian was handed a start following the season-ending thigh injury of Joel Matip. There was no room for errors and the defender delivered a towering performance to ensure the Reds didn’t concede in the second half.

Virgil van Dijk (8)

The Dutchman’s presence has transformed a fragile and vulnerable Liverpool defence into a rigid and well-organised one. His aerial presence did not allow the Cityzens to utilise the set-pieces. He also did not let Gabriel Jesus create anything inside the box.

Andrew Robertson (8.5)

The full-back was magnificent once again with his timely forward runs as well as defensive responsibilities, particularly after Raheem Sterling’s introduction in the second half. He kept his cool and never let the visitors dominate the game.

Jordan Henderson (8)

Did the dirty work in midfield, never let City create anything spectacular despite playing plenty of passes in the middle of the park. However, the skipper is now set to miss the return leg as he received a booking following a foul on Raheem Sterling.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (8.5)

The Englishman was on the scoresheet last time around against Man City and scored once again with a stunning strike from 25 yards out. Was replaced by Alberto Moreno in the closing minutes of the game.

James Milner (8.5)

The ex-Manchester City veteran ran all over the ground, won back possession on plenty of occasions and helped his defence tirelessly particularly in the second half.

Mohamed Salah (8.5)

Scored the opener and also assisted Mane with a sublime cross. The Egyptian, however, suffered a groin strain in the early minutes of the second half and was replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum.

Sadio Mane (8.5)

Came back to haunt the City defence once again as he not only scored his side’s third but also kept troubling the opponents with his swift skills and tricky runs.

Roberto Firmino (8)

Assisted Salah’s goal and also kept on creating chances throughout the first half. The Brazilian, however, looked worn out after the break and was taken off to be replaced by Dominic Solanke with 20 minutes remaining.

Subs

Georginio Wijnaldum (7)

The Dutchman came in place of Salah and slotted himself in central midfield to take the ball out of the defence and distribute it upfront.

Dominic Solanke (6)

The young Englishman picked out Mane with a great pass but disappointed on another occasion when he had a free run but could not pick anyone out despite having options inside the box.

Alberto Moreno (N/A)

Was introduced in the closing minutes in the place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.