The big Frenchman was unfortunate to be withdrawn with barely 20 minutes gone
GK/Defence
Simon Mignolet – Some may find the ‘4’ a little unfair on the Belgian. In reality, those saves he made late on and in extra time dragged his rating up and we feel that the ‘4’ is actually pretty generous. Mignolet simply has to be a summer casualty. The Reds may still have lost without his cock-up but with him in goal we’ll never get the chance to find out. Cost us one goal in the second half and offered nothing in the shootout. Absymal. Rating – 4
Nathaniel Clyne – The England full-back was found past the half-way line much more than he was on Thursday but he was slow and indecisive in attack. Clearly a more defensive player, he may need to work on a few things over the summer. Otherwise solid and made some promising interceptions. Rating – 6.5
Lucas Leiva – Showed signs this season of how he could provide a real leader and platform for a solid defence a handful of times already this season but the 29 year old was determined that his chance of a cup final start was not to be missed. An absolute colossus at the back, he led by example and was even better after having to swap sides following Sakho’s departure. Kept Aguero quiet, barring a few occasions when the Argentina star bought himself some space but has given us all real food for thought – should he stay there? His penalty was no different from the one he took against Stoke and he was unfortunate that Caballero was just utterly inspired. Rating 9 Man of the Match
Mamadou Sakho – Was shaky prior to his departure for Toure and his wobble, and crumple, that saw Aguero have his best effort was all Klopp needed to see before he pulled him off after a clash of heads with Can. That said, the French defender was to blame for the entire incident after jumping for the same ball and butting heads with the midfielder; something he’d already almost conspired to do about 15 minutes prior when he jumped for the same ball as Lucas. You have to feel for him for missing most of the final, but Toure was unlucky not to have started and combined very well with Lucas after his withdrawal. Rating – 5
Alberto Moreno – Very, very poor in the second half, but wasn’t too bad in the first. Put in a few dangerous crosses but became more of a massive liability at the back the more the game went on. Was pulled off for Lallana on 72′ and the defence looked more solid after his withdrawal. As the season wears on, he’s becoming more and more of a concern defensively. Brad Smith to start in mid-week? Rating – 5
