Liverpool player ratings v Spurs

OPINION

Liverpool travelled to Wembley to face Tottenham on Saturday looking to continue their 100% start to the season against one of their fellow Premier League title contenders.

The Reds controlled the early stages of the first-half without taking the lead before letting Spurs back in the game as Mauricio Pochettino’s side started to dominate possession.

However thanks to an excellent corner by James Milner, the Reds were able to take the lead as Georginio Wijnaldum rose above everyone to head his teammates’ delivery home to make it 1-0 before the break.

The Reds were then able to wrap up their victory over Spurs in the second half as Roberto Firmino had a tap-in to score after Sadio Mane made Kieran Trippier look foolish on the left-flank.

Erik Lamela then grabbed a consolation goal for Spurs right near the end of the game.

Live 4 Liverpool have rated every single Liverpool player v Spurs below from their 2-1 win over the London club, with one player struggling in a 4/10 display while trio impress with 8/10 performances :

Goalkeeper and defence

Alisson Becker – 7 – His long-kicks were a little hit and miss in the first-half but looked comfortable when called into action between the sticks. there wasn’t much he could do about Spurs’ last-gasp goal.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6 – The teenager was rarely caught out of position and put in a respectable display to aid his side’s cause.

Joe Gomez – 6 – Rose above a lurking Harry Kane to head the ball away in the early stages and looked able to keep the lethal finisher in his back pocket. The 21-year-old may have made a mistake in the early stages of the second-half but it didn’t see to faze him.

Virgil van Dijk – 8 – Strong performance once again as he looked comfortable with what every Spurs’ attack threw his way. The powerful centre-back was even able to cover for Gomez’ mistake to deny Lucas Moura going through on goal.

Andy Robertson – 7 – Did his defensive duties well but would have been disappointed that he wasn’t able to expose Spurs down the flanks as much as his ability would allow him.

Midfield

James Milner – 8 – The hot streak continues as the vital midfielder’s crossing and passing ability continue to make him look like a vital cog in Klopp’s system. The veteran put in a beautiful delivery from a corner to assist the Reds’ first goal and Jurgen Klopp would have been very pleased with what he saw from the midfielder.

Naby Keita – 4 – After letting Christian Eriksen get the better of him, the midfielder made a great recovery run to put his body on the line to stop the Spurs playmaker creating an easy chance for Kane. Yet aside from that the 23-year-old, who earns £120,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), week was ineffective and did nothing to help his side get the win.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 6 – Quietly stopped Spurs’ forming attacks in midfield while playing simple passes that aided his side cause in the early stages before losing his way in the game. The central midfielder didn’t look able to provide the defensive cover for the Reds’ defence that his side needed him too. However the midfielder took his opportunity to score a very rare goal by powerfully heading home Milner’s corner in the first half.

Attack

Roberto Firmino – 5 – The Brazilian attacker had a decent if not spectacular display against Spurs. Firmino was constantly looked for an opportunity to make a worthwhile impact and was gifted with such a chance when Sadio Mane played the ball across the face of goal for him to tap home.

Mohamed Salah – 5 – The attacker pounced on having an opportunity at goal in the 21st minute as he showcased his pace to expose a mistake by Eric Dier, however the only disappointment was that he didn’t hit the back of the net with his effort. Though due to the high-standard he has set for himself, it was a very quiet game by his standards and fans would have hoped for more.

Sadio Mane – 8 – Looked lively even when there was nothing on for him in the first 45 minutes of the match. A large portion of the first-half saw him barely get a touch of the ball but as soon as there was a mere sniff of him being able to have a chance to make something happen, he grabbed the chance with both hands. Mane demonstrated this when he assisted his side’s second goal by gliding past Kieran Trippier with ease. From there the attacker proceeded to cause Spurs’ problems and had fantastic second half to earn him an 8/10.