Mohamed Salah gets top marks again but “really tired” midfield struggles

Mohamed Salah was a bright spark for Liverpool in their 2-2 draw away to Aston Villa, but others didn’t do enough on the night.

The Reds knew the importance of victory at Villa Park and things looked to be going swimmingly when Salah opened the scoring.

Goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins turned the game on its head, however, with Liverpool’s defending leaving a lot to be desired.

Trent Alexander-Arnold earned Arne Slot‘s side a point with a deflected strike, but the visitors didn’t go enough to win.

Here we compare our player ratings with those of the Liverpool Echo, GOAL, FotMob and This Is Anfield’s readers.

Salah (7.6) must be starting to wonder when others are going to step up to the plate!

The 32-year-old yet again got a goal and an assist on Wednesday evening, looking on another level of any of Liverpool’s other attackers.

Ian Doyle of the Echo praised Salah’s team ethic, saying he “never stopped working,” while TIA’s James Nalton said he was a “constant threat” to Lucas Digne during periods of the game.

Ibrahima Konate (7.1) was Liverpool’s second-best player at Villa Park, producing a solid performance at the back.

The Frenchman “rescued Alisson at the start of the second half,” according to GOAL’s Gill Clark, adding that he “made some important interceptions.”

Alexander-Arnold (6.8) was in third place, with Slot’s decision to substitute him in the second half arguably a strange call.

Doyle thought Liverpool’s vice-captain “stood up” to the challenge of Marcus Rashford, but did admit that he “lost his way” after the break.

Ryan Gravenberch (5.3) has had a superb season, but there are real signs of him looking fatigued as the campaign goes on.

Clark described it as a “really tired showing” from the Dutchman and it played a part in the Reds failing to control the midfield battle.

Next up for Liverpool is a crucial trip to Man City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.