Jurgen Klopp praised a Liverpool side with “good organisation” and “big heart” as a collective show of brilliance overwhelmed PSG in a 3-2 win on Tuesday.
The Reds arrived at Anfield looking to rid themselves of the ghosts of Kyiv, where a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid deprived them of a sixth European Cup.
A disappointing display in last season’s Champions League final undermined their mesmeric run to the showpiece clash, taking in knockout victories over Porto, Man City and Roma.
But the visit of Thomas Tuchel’s PSG provided them with an opportunity to return to form on the continent, and goals from Daniel Sturridge, James Milner and Roberto Firmino ensured just that.
Extending their winning start to the season to six games, Klopp’s side gained more admirers as the likes of Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold all shone.
Speaking after the game, Klopp hailed a performance which he deemed “really good in all departments,” and it was certainly a team effort on Merseyside.
But how did journalists, statisticians and fans see Liverpool’s brilliant European opener?
Below we compare our ratings with those of the Liverpool Echo, the Telegraph, Sky Sports, ESPN, The Anfield Wrap, WhoScored and the This is Anfield readers:
Unsurprisingly, after a display of defensive grit including a series of strong challenges to thwart Neymar, Milner (8.7) averaged the highest rating from Klopp’s starting lineup.
The vice-captain received a nine out of 10 from all but one publication, with the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe describing him as “indispensable and extraordinary.”
Robertson (8.1), Wijnaldum (8.0) and Alexander-Arnold (7.9) were not too far behind, each receiving two nine-out-of-10 ratings.
Bizarrely, the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle only deemed Wijnaldum a seven out of 10, claiming he “appeared off the pace” early on.
“The epitome of this side. Greater than the sum of his own parts by willpower, attitude and desire,” wrote The Anfield Wrap’s Ben Johnson of Robertson.
Sturridge (7.6), scoring on his first start in the Champions League since 2012, was also widely praised, along with both Jordan Henderson (7.6) and Virgil van Dijk (7.6).
But Mohamed Salah (5.9) fared less impressively, as the only player to be rated as a five out of 10 by more than one publication.
Salah’s struggle was reflected in his statistical output, too, committing an error leading to Kylian Mbappe’s equaliser, losing possession five times and registering the second-worst passing accuracy of any of Klopp’s outfielders (70.6%).
He did, however, create two chances—the joint-most in the Liverpool side, along with Henderson, Van Dijk, Sturridge and Sadio Mane.
Sturridge was the standout in terms of numbers, firing the most shots on goal (four) and hitting the target with the joint-most (two), as well as completing the second-most dribbles (two).
Interestingly, Wijnaldum did not fare well from this perspective, despite posting the highest passing accuracy of any Liverpool player (92.2%).
Meanwhile, over in France, L’Equipe gave Trent Alexander-Arnold their highest marks, signling out him and fellow full back Andy Robertson for praise and saying that Trent played like he had “four lungs”.
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