Sakho had a very good night at the back alongside Lucas
GK/Defence
Simon Mignolet – A relatively solid night for the Belgian, who made one or two saves but was fairly comfortable barring a brain-fart from Lucas that saw him have to rush off his line to narrow the angle for the onrushing forward; did well. Rating – 6
Nathaniel Clyne – The full-back did well getting up in support. Seemed to hold back just across the half-way line a lot, simply supporting the attackers from afar. Rating – 6.5
Lucas Leiva – The 29 year old was tried out at centre back once again by Klopp and, one hairy moment apart with a too-short back-pass, actually looked solid, commanding and like he was mostly in charge of the defence. Unlike Mascherano at Barcelona, Lucas is probably too entrenched as a midfielder for this to be a long-term thing but he has generally performed well when played here. Rating 7
Mamadou Sakho – This may have been the Frenchman’s most solid display for weeks and it is surely no coincidence that it calm when paired with Lucas. Recovered to ensure that a first half back-pass from his defensive partner wasn’t fully taken advantage of and made some very crucial tackles throughout. That said, the characteristic awkwardness and inability to make even the most simple of tackles or passes look easy remains. Rating – 6
Alberto Moreno – A fairly quiet game for the full-back who, a few hit-and-hope crosses aside had little impact on proceedings at either end. Much like Clyne, it appeared his directive wasn’t to stray as far forward as he usually gets to. Rating – 6
