Liverpool v Manchester City: How the players rated in Anfield thriller
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Liverpool v Manchester City player ratings
Liverpool ended Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season with an enthralling 1-0 victory at Anfield where a moment of magic from Mo Salah settled the outcome.
The Reds are now 25/1 in the Premier League winner odds, but City remain heavy favourites at 1/4 to retain their title.
After a pulsating match which saw City have a goal ruled out by VAR and home manager Jurgen Klopp sent off, we look at the Liverpool v Manchester City player ratings from Sunday’s game.
Liverpool
Alisson Becker: Surprisingly the Brazil international was relatively untroubled but offered his commanding presence and his foresight and quick release was key to the winning goal. 8
James Milner: Could not have done any more than was asked of him having been parachuted in to bail out a defensive injury crisis. Solid and committed, he kept a tight rein on Phil Foden. 7
Ain’t nobody… like @J_Gomez97 🎶
An excellent performance from your #LIVMCI @Carlsberg Player of the Match 👌 pic.twitter.com/zEAR1Y0uqb
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 16, 2022
Joe Gomez: Switched back into the middle due to Ibrahima Konate’s injury and looked well at home, handling the threat of Erling Haaland well. 8
Virgil van Dijk: Back to his commanding best just when it was required most, marshalling a defence and leading by example. Barely put a foot wrong. 9
Andy Robertson: A first start in five weeks after injury, full of energy but also intelligent faced with the double threat of Joao Cancelo and Kevin De Bruyne. 7
Big team performance today 🙌❤️ #YNWA pic.twitter.com/v0NmkFNvtB
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) October 16, 2022
Thiago Alcantara: Dominated midfield in the first half, allowing Liverpool to establish a degree of control. Also covered a lot of ground. 7
Fabinho: Put aside his personal struggles this season to close the gaps and deny City the space in which to operate. 7
Harvey Elliott: The teenager has been criticised for his defensive capabilities but put in arguably his best performance at both ends of the pitch with a disciplined and committed display. 8
Diogo Jota: Asked to do a slightly unfamiliar job on the left of a midfield but his ability to run and press kept him out of trouble. 6
Watch the free highlights from today's win against Manchester City 📽
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 16, 2022
Mohamed Salah: A class act who rose to the occasion. Took his goal brilliantly and looked more of a handful in his new advanced role. 8
Roberto Firmino: The engine behind Salah, knitting things together and shutting down the angles. No goal threat but that was only half his job. 7
Substitutes:
Jordan Henderson (for Fabinho, 73): Brought on to add fresh legs in midfield and his introduction kept things tidy. 6
Fabio Carvalho (for Elliott, 73): Difficult to get into a fast-paced game but handled the task well. 6
Darwin Nunez (for Firmino, 73): Got carried away by the occasion and chose to shoot on two occasions when he should have passed to unmarked team-mates. 4
Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Salah, 90): Introduced to shore things up. 6
Kostas Tsimikas (for Jota, 90): Replaced the injured Jota late on. 6
Manchester City
Ederson: Produced a world-class save to deny Salah early in the second half but could do little as the Egyptian later struck. 7
Joao Cancelo: Beaten all ends up by Salah for the crucial goal and was quieter than usual in attack, despite getting into good positions. 5
Manuel Akanji: Started to look ragged late on after an otherwise largely steady display. 6
A word from the boss.
🔴 1-0 🐝 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/tlWZDJaMfc
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 16, 2022
Ruben Dias: Covered a lot of ground at the back and did well when up against Salah. 7
Nathan Ake: A solid but not spectacular showing in the relatively unfamiliar position of left-back. 6
Rodri: Did not shirk the challenge but could not give City the midfield grip they required. 6
Ilkay Gundogan: Found good space at times and had opportunities but not highly influential. 6
Kevin De Bruyne: Quiet for large spells but showed his quality in other periods, notably with one sublime cross for Haaland. 7
Bernardo Silva: Rarely stopped running but did not make many significant contributions. 6
Phil Foden: Grew into the game after a quiet start and may feel aggrieved to have had a goal disallowed. 7
Erling Haaland: A powerful presence up front and a regular threat but, unusually for him, was unable to make the most of his opportunities. 6
Substitutes:
Julian Alvarez (for Gundogan, 89): Late attacking change but the Argentinian had no joy. 5
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
