Liverpool’s tense 4-3 win over Crystal Palace saw a mixed selection of performances from Reds players, as the watching media’s ratings prove.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side decided to give their supporters a nerve-shredding Saturday to endure, on a balmy afternoon at Anfield.
Liverpool went behind to Andros Townsend’s first-half opener, but Mohamed Salah levelled just after the restart.
Roberto Firmino put the Reds in front, James Tomkins then levelled for the visitors, but further efforts from Salah and Sadio Mane put the hosts out of sight.
Max Meyer’s last-gasp strike after James Milner‘s dismissal made for a nervy final few seconds, but Klopp’s men got over the finish to return to seven points clear of Man City.
Below we compare our ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Mirror, Sky Sports, The Anfield Wrap, Anfield Index, FotMob and the This is Anfield readers:
Salah (8.1) was yet again the difference between Liverpool getting a victory and falling short, as his astonishing influence shows no sign of going away.
The Egyptian was the Reds’ highest-rated player on the day, as he reached 50 Premier League goals in just 72 appearances, at the same rate Fernando Torres achieved.
The Mirror‘s Mark Jones claimed Salah “looks to be on a one-man mission to win this title”, while Anfield Index’s Oliver Emmerson hailed his “majestic finish” to make it 1-1.
Jordan Henderson (7.6) produced one of his best performances of 2018/19, with only Salah enjoying a higher average rating.
This is Anfield’s Henry Jackson felt a “lovely threaded early ball summed up his positive approach” and the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle said the skipper “provided the impetus after the break”.
There was similar praise for Henderson’s midfield partner Fabinho (7.3), who continues to go from strength to strength in a Liverpool shirt.
The Brazilian also caught the eye of FotMob, having completed 94 per cent of his passes, won six duels and made three ball recoveries.
There were poor performers too, unfortunately, with James Milner (5.3) and Naby Keita (5.4) the two who struggled the most at Anfield.
Emmerson gave Milner a rather harsh 3/10 rating, although he did feel the decision to put him at right-back against Wilfried Zaha was “atrocious”.
Keita, meanwhile, produced another forgettable display for the Reds, with Jackson describing him as a “passenger” for too much of the game.
Doyle did have sympathy for the Guinean playing in a left-sided role, but still thought he “faded badly” as the match wore on.
Klopp and his players now have a very welcome break before the visit of Leicester on January 30, as they head off to a training camp in Dubai.
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