Liverpool player ratings v Chelsea

OPINION

Liverpool had been in perfect form ahead of taking on Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday but Jurgen Klopp opted to make several changes to his winning formula.

The eccentric German manager still fielded a strong line-up packed with experience players but opted to rely on players on the fringes of his squad who were desperate to stake their first-team claim.

However the team wasn’t able to keep its 100% record in tact as the Blues ending up winning the game 2-1 and now Klopp will turn his attention to make sure it isn’t two defeats in a row on Saturday.

Live 4 Liverpool have rated every single Liverpool player v Chelsea below from their 2-1 defeat , two strugged in 4/10 displays with one shining to 8/10 despite his side slumping to their first loss of the season.

Goalkeeper and defence

Simon Mignolet – 6 – Should have been beaten in the 17th minute but thankfully for him Alvaro Morata is in terrible form right now. Aside from the Chelsea forward’s golden chance, Mignolet dealt with what he had to with ease.

Nathaniel Clyne – 4 – Beautifully played the ball behind Chelsea in the 21st minute, on any other day Daniel Sturridge probably would have got a goal as a result of it. However a few times when bursting forward, his end product wasn’t what it needed to be and looked vulnerable at the back.

Dejan Lovren – 5 – Wasn’t overly tested and dealt with what he had to, though did have a few shaky moments needlessly.

Joel Matip – 6 – Looks confident following his weekend antics but had to play with caution after receiving an avoidable yellow card in 25th minute.

Alberto Moreno – 4 – Sloppy pass in the 5th minute which ended up starting a Chelsea attack, lucky for him, it didn’t amount to nothing. However he followed up his mistake by completely falling for Victor Moses’ trick to bring him down recklessly and give a free-kick away in a good position. Just Awful.

Midfield

Fabinho – 5 – Was covering nowhere near enough ground. The midfielder’s lack of legs was causing Daniel Sturridge to drop deep in order to help out. Clearly needs time to get up to speed as that performance won’t see him break into the first-team shortly.

James Milner – 7 – Experienced, calm and his usual reliable self.

Naby Keita – 6 – Tried his luck from distance in the 3rd minute, looked eager to impress. However his dive in the box in the first-half was embarrassing.

Attack

Xherdan Shaqiri – 8 – Beautiful turn in the box in the 9th minute but didn’t amount to nothing. Shaqiri is exciting to watch and nearly grabbed an assist through a wonderful piece of play where he created an opportunity for Mane before the half-time whistle. Looked amazing and ready to fire on all cylinders.

Sadio Mane – 7 – Would have been disappointed to not head home Shaqiri’s cross before the 45th minute mark but it was a difficult chance. Was generally lively though.

Daniel Sturridge – 7 – Dropped deep in the first 15 minutes in order to get the ball, appeared able to cope with the work load that comes with covering more ground. Should have scored before the break, fluffed his lines. Awful miss as soon as the second-half started that will haunt him. Though he didn’t give up and got a goal in the 58th minute in spectacular fashion.