LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 13, 2014: Liverpool's Lazar Markovic in action against Aston Villa during the Premier League match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa: Player Ratings

Liverpool suffered a dismal 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, as they lost their second Premier League game of the season. Henry Jackson rates each Reds player on the day.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 13, 2014: Liverpool's manager Brendan Rodgers against Aston Villa during the Premier League match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

SIMON MIGNOLET- 6 (out of 10)-

On an afternoon of poor performances by Reds players, the Belgian did little wrong. He could do nothing about Villa’s goal, and other than that was untroubled. Still lacks presence behind the defence though.

JAVIER MANQUILLO- 5

Too often the 20-year-old was negative in possession, he lost the ball cheaply and his crossing was largely poor. He must be more bold going forward if he is to nail down a starting place on a regular basis.

DEJAN LOVREN- 5

Lovren was hugely at fault for the goal, being out-muscled by Philippe Senderos in the lead-up to Gabriel Agbonlahor’s strike. It has been a shaky start to the 25-year-old’s Liverpool career.

MAMADOU SAKHO- 5.5

The 24-year-old needlessly gave away the corner that lead to Agbonlahor’s goal, and looked shaky throughout. His distribution was generally fine, but his decision-making was poor.

ALBERTO MORENO- 6

Defensively the 22-year-old Spaniard looked unconvincing, but he did at least get forward and offer attacking zest in wide areas. One of the Reds’ brighter players.

STEVEN GERRARD- 6

The skipper didn’t enjoy his finest performance, but he did little wrong. His passing was good, but there was often a lack of urgency about his play.

JORDAN HENDERSON- 6.5

Henderson was probably Liverpool’s best player on the day, but that’s not saying much. The 24-year-old never stopped running and getting forward, but his passing was a little off.

PHILIPPE COUTINHO- 5.5

After such dazzling pre-season form, Coutinho has struggled this season. He couldn’t find the space to influence proceedings, and barring a terrific late effort that hit the post, his shooting once again left a lot to be desired.

LAZAR MARKOVIC- 5

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 13, 2014: Liverpool's Lazar Markovic in action against Aston Villa during the Premier League match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Markovic’s home debut was a forgettable one in general, with the 20-year-old struggling physically at times and his final ball very erratic. Replaced by Fabio Borini midway through the second-half.

ADAM LALLANA- 6

The 26-year-old was clearly off the pace on his Reds debut, following a knee injury, but he did at least offer more creativity and urgency than a number of his teammates. Substituted for Raheem Sterling on the hour mark.

MARIO BALOTELLI- 5.5

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 13, 2014: Liverpool's Mario Balotelli goes down injured Aston Villa during the Premier League match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Despite the pre-game hype surrounding Balotelli’s Anfield bow, he was on the periphery of things throughout, and often cut a frustrated figure. The Italian failed to fill the void left by the injured Daniel Sturridge, before being replaced by Rickie Lambert after 70 minutes.

Substitutes

RAHEEM STERLING (on for Markovic 60) 6.5

The 19-year-old added pace and threat to the team, and he was a huge loss to the side prior to being introduced.

RICKIE LAMBERT (on for Balotelli 70) 5.5

The 32-year-old was quiet when he came on, and fluffed his lines late on when in a dangerous position on the edge of the penalty area.

FABIO BORINI (on for Markovic 70) n/a

The Italian had no impact on proceedings.

Who was your star man on a deeply disappointing afternoon at Anfield? Let us know in the comments section below.


Player ratings definitions: 10 = Faultless | 9 = Excellent | 8 = Very Good | 7 = Good | 6 = Average | 5 = Below Par | 4 = Bad | 3 = Very Bad | 2 Awful | 1 = Surely Not

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