Liverpool were outclassed by Real Madrid in their Champions League showdown on Wednesday evening, as they succumbed to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Anfield. Henry Jackson rates each Reds player on the night.
You can vote for your Liverpool Man of the Match on each player’s slide and share your own player ratings at the end of the slideshow.
SIMON MIGNOLET- 6 (out of 10)
The Belgian was partly at fault for both Real Madrid’s second and third goal, being positioned poorly for Karim Benzema’s header and then all at sea for the Frenchman’s second. He did make some good saves, however, including an excellent one from Ronaldo in the second-half.
Vote Mignolet as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
GLEN JOHNSON- 5
It was frightening how easy the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Isco were beating Johnson when they ran at him, and he looked dodgy all night. His use of the ball was fairly poor too.
Vote Johnson as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
MARTIN SKRTEL- 6
The Slovakian was Liverpool’s standout defender on the night, although that’s not saying a huge amount. He didn’t do a lot wrong, but it’s been a long time since he was in a side that kept a clean sheet.
Vote Skrtel as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
DEJAN LOVREN- 5
Lovren’s form is worrying, and there are no signs that he will improve any time soon. His positioning was poor, and barring a relatively decent start, he lacked any kind of leadership.
Vote Lovren as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
ALBERTO MORENO- 5.5
The 22-year-old tried his best to get forward when he could, but he was largely quiet. His defensive expertise is questionable, and he was guilty of trying to be too clever on the ball at times.
Vote Moreno as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
STEVEN GERRARD- 5.5
The skipper tested Iker Casillas early on with a decent strike, but he struggled to dominate the midfield battle against the metronomic Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Could have got closer to Ronaldo for Madrid’s opener.
Liverpool's midfield five of Gerrard, Allen, Henderson, Sterling & Coutinho won just 33% of their tackles in the first half.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 22, 2014
Vote Gerrard as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
JOE ALLEN- 6
The Welshman used the ball well in general, and got forward on numerous occasions, but he was largely on the periphery of things. He’s an understated player, but still needs to do more.
Vote Allen as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
JORDAN HENDERSON- 5.5
The 24-year-old was typically energetic, but he simply couldn’t get into the game. His passing was a little erratic by his recent high standards too.
Vote Henderson as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
PHILIPPE COUTINHO- 7
Coutinho was Liverpool’s best player. He looked a constant threat every time he had the ball, producing lovely footwork, clever passes and hitting the post with a terrific first-half effort. His defensive work could have been a little better, however.
#lfc's top four pass combos all featured Coutinho pic.twitter.com/3W2vqSuU1d
— Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) October 22, 2014
Vote Coutinho as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
RAHEEM STERLING- 6.5
The 19-year-old made a very promising start, frightening the Madrid defence with his pace and trickery, but his influence diminished the more the game went on. One of the Reds’ better players, as is the norm these days.
Vote Sterling as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
MARIO BALOTELLI- 4.5
The Italian wasn’t as bad as he was against QPR, but he was still very disappointing. Too often he was unpredictable and greedy in possession, offering little movement too, and he was substituted at the interval. His decision to swap shirts with Pepe at half-time has not gone down well.
Mario Balotelli's heat map vs. Real Madrid. He was most active kicking off after Liverpool had just conceded. pic.twitter.com/Zr09ZZNnmr
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 23, 2014
Vote Balotelli as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
Substitutes
ADAM LALLANA (on for Balotelli 46)- 6.5
The 26-year-old added more movement and creativity to the side, and was a fairly lively addition.
Vote Lallana as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
EMRE CAN (on for Henderson 67)- 6
Barring one impressive burst through the midfield, the 20-year-old was fairly unnoticed. He did make one excellent run back to dispossess Ronaldo, something Liverpool perhaps lacked earlier.
Vote Can as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
LAZAR MARKOVIC (on for Coutinho 67)- 5
Didn’t impose himself on the game at all.
Vote Markovic as your Man of the Match on Twitter: Tweet
Fan Comments