For the second week running Liverpool scraped a 1-0 victory. Bournemouth came to Anfield and were impressive with their fearless aproach to the game. The Cherries dominated Liverpool for periods of the game. However, Christian Benteke grabbed the winner on his Anfield debut. Though the performance was far from convincing, 6 points from the opening 2 games is encouraging.
Simon Mignolet: 6
Our Belgian keeper wasn’t as impressive as he was at the Britannia. He should have done much better for Tommy Elphick’s (wrongly) disallowed goal. He seemed indecisive the entire match and less than commanding in the air. Still, in usual Mignolet fashion, his shot-stopping was excellent. Let’s hope we see less of this weeks Mignolet, and more of last weeks.
Nathaniel Clyne: 9
MOTM; Clyne was absolutely excellent. The new Right-back barely put a foot wrong. He was very solid defensively, cutting out almost everything and also provided an attacking threat down the flank with his overlapping of Lallana proving a useful tool throughout. He should have capped his home debut with an assist, but Benteke’s volley came back off the bar. Doesn’t seem a coincidence that our defence has looked a lot more solid since we signed him.
Joe Gomez: 8
Much like Clyne, it’s no coincidence that we’ve looked a lot more solid at the back since his introduction. A very ‘defence-first’ defender which is absolutely necessary in our team. Dealt with Bournemouth’s main man Matt Ritchie very well for much of the game. His confidence and composure on the ball puts our senior centre-backs to shame. No doubt he will join their ranks sooner rather than later. Excellent defensive display.
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Martin Skrtel: 6
Like last week, Skrtel was the weakest performer at the back for us. Still proving he’s prone to the odd mistake. Skrtel didn’t do too much wrong, but was hardly convincing or commanding. Passing was again not great, like last week. A much better performance is needed from the Slovak if we are to leave the Emirates next Monday with anything. His grip on his status as the senior centre-back is loosening.
Dejan Lovren: 7
A shaky first 10-15 minutes stops Lovren from getting an 8 here. He was the most relieved man inside Anfield when Elphick’s goal was disallowed as he let the Liverpool fan dominate him in the air. After that though, he grew into the role. Looks a much, much, more composed figure on the ball this season, and -apart from the Elphick disallowed goal- looks much more dominant in the air. Still has a long way to go to win back some of his critics, but it’s a very good start.
Jordan Henderson: 7
Didn’t look like he was doing too much on the field, but his excellent assist earns him a 7. A very good first-time strike from a bouncing Milner pass almost found its way in. Didn’t look like he was making too much of a difference whilst on the pitch. It was when he came off in the 52nd minute that we realised how important he was to controlling the midfield. Came off with a knock. Reds faithful will be hoping he’s fit for the Emirates next Monday.
James Milner: 6
Milner’s work-rate and tireless running means it’s very rare he’ll get anything below a 6, but this came close. Gave the ball away too easily at times and a shocking free-kick routine summed up his game a little bit. Still more to come from the Englishman but his work-rate has endeared him to the fans already. The big test will be to see if he can keep it up next week against Arsenal.
Jordon Ibe: 5
Another forgettable performance by the 19-year-old. Though he hasn’t had a great start to the season, it’s important expectations are low and that he is protected from criticism. That said he seems to one-dimensional at the moment and his decision-making is lacking. If/when those improve, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind he will be a force to be reckoned with. Much like against Stoke, he seemed to run down cul-de-sacs at times rather than lay off a simple ball. However, he did make some great runs behind Simon Francis, the Bournemouth right-back. Patience is required but some promising glimpses.
Philippe Coutinho: 7
The Brazilian will probably be a bit disappointed with his performance, but he looked a threat all game. If his left foot was a bit better, he could have grabbed himself two more goals. His passing was a bit more hit and miss than usual, but he was still our most creative player. Looks to be forming a promising understanding with Benteke, he must be beyond relieved that he finally has a mobile runner in front of him. Not his best performance by any stretch but still good.
Adam Lallana: 6
Online, Lallana caught a lot of stick for his performance. On the ball, he wasn’t at his best, often taking more touches than required to play a simple pass. However, like Milner, his work-rate earns him a 6. He was industrious. There was a point near the end of the game where he ran back and dispossessed Matt Ritchie on the edge of our box and relieved the pressure on us. He has his critics, but no doubt that he works his socks off for the team.
Christian Benteke: 8
Big Ben had a fantastic outing. Not only did he net the winner, he also created 4 goalscoring opporunities for his team-mates. He was dominant in the air and bullied the entire Bournemouth back four. But, much more promising than that, was his mobility. Benteke isn’t just a target man, we saw in this game that he was willing to run the channels and create space for others. His link up play was excellent. This performance had fans drooling at the thought of a partnership with Daniel Sturridge. I wrote that Benteke wouldn’t fit into our system; two games in, and I’m already preparing to admit I was wrong.
Subs:
Emre Can (Henderson 52′): 6
Can has now put in more tackles than anyone else in 2015. That’s impressive stuff from someone who hasn’t started every game. He came on and put in a shift in the middle, which he had to do considering he’d just replaced Jordan Henderson. It seems as though Can will eventually find himself in the defensive midfield position, just behind Milner and Henderson. He was a bit shaky on the ball in this match, unlike his usual assured self. He will break the starting 11 soon enough, probably when he reaches peak fitness. May start next Monday due to Henderson’s injury.
Roberto Firmino (Jordon Ibe 70′): 6
Our new Brazilian signing came on with 20 minutes to go and was a little bit disappointing in all honesty. His touch seemed rusty and his dribbling not as sharp as we saw last week. Still, no judgements should be made till he at least starts a game. Doubtful we’ll see him start next week.
Alberto Moreno (Philippe Coutinho 81′): N/A
Tough to score anyone who has just 9 minutes to play. When he came on he was dangerous, making a run that relieved pressure and earned a free-kick on the edge of their box. This performance really made you wonder who told the Spaniard to be a full-back. Him in front of Gomez on the left flank looks a serious option now.