The veteran centre back was excellent today
GK/Defence
Simon Mignolet – Another game in which Mignolet looked to naturally command his area and defence. A much welcome improvement, one which will hopefully continue. Rating – 7
Nathaniel Clyne – You could argue that Adam Lallana, James Milner or Roberto Firmino were the perfect Klopp players. All three give their all, leave nothing out on the pitch and provide quality in heaps. But is there another player that the German trusts more? By the end of the season, the ever-present Clyne is going to need a prolonged rest and that’s a testament to how consistent he is. Rating – 7
Kolo Toure – Ah, Kolo. It’ll be a sad day in June when you finally leave the club but we’re enjoying your every moment on the pitch at present. The sight of Toure pushing forward in the second half, several times, to the sound of the whole ground shouting ‘shoot’ just sums Toure’s impact at Anfield up. Defensively, he was sound, comfortable and got the better of Crouch (some 8-9 inches taller than him) several times. Rating 7
Martin Skrtel – Bizarrely, some outlets rated Skrtel poorly today. One citing his inability to get hold of Crouch throughout the game. Funny thing is, Skrtel was barely on the same side as Crouch, with the big striker tending to drift closer to Moreno and Toure (see above). Otherwise, Skrtel was strong and dominant, winning most headers and tackling crisply. Lovren and Sakho will – and should – return on Thursday though. Rating – 7
Alberto Moreno – It’s good to see Moreno showing his best at both ends; it’s been an all too rare occurence since the turn of the year but he was excellent at both ends. At Stoke’s end he was giving them nightmares early in the first half, scoring a lovely goal and being called off-side unluckily. Do the same on Thursday, please Alberto. Rating – 7.5
