The captain struggled in the middle to begin with but when moved out wide set up three goals
Midfield
Emre Can – Was so overrun in the first half that it was conceivable he might do something stupid. Can clearly needed Allen or Lucas alongside him, what he got was Milner who, like Gerrard before him, prefers playing centrally but it is easily his weakest position. In the second half, tactical switches allowed Can to come into his own and gain a real foothold in the game. Rating – 7
James Milner – The England midfielder struggles in the first half are well-documented and it’s likely we’ll never see him play in the centre again, on last night’s first half showing. But once pushed out wide in the second half, he looked a different prospect and his work-rate, persistence and sheer force of will ended up in him setting up 3 second half goals. What more can you ask of your captain in Jordan’s absence. Rating – 8
