There were positives aplenty after Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Watford on Wednesday night, with the Reds impressive individually and collectively.
Liverpool were under pressure to beat the Hornets after Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Man United, but they delivered an emphatic victory.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side had the bit between their teeth from minute one and Sadio Mane‘s brilliant double relinquished any anxiety after two goalless draws in a week.
Divock Origi got his third goal of the season to put Liverpool out of sight in the second half, before Virgil van Dijk headed home twice late on at the Kop end.
The win means Klopp’s men stay a point clear of champions Man City, who scraped a hard-fought 1-0 win at home to West Ham.
Here, we compare our ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Mirror, the Independent, Sky Sports, ESPN, FotMob and the This is Anfield readers:
The star man on the night was the returning Trent Alexander-Arnold (averaging 8.7), who produced a fantastic individual performance at right-back.
He picked up three assists in total, including a peach of a cross that led to Mane heading home the opener in style.
This is Anfield’s Joel Rabinowitz gave Alexander-Arnold a perfect 10/10 rating, describing the 20-year-old’s display as one of his “best-ever” in a Liverpool shirt.
The Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle felt he revelled in space down the right flank, outlining his importance to the team.
Fabinho (8.2) enjoyed a stellar outing in the middle of the park, showing exactly why he has become one of the Reds’ most influential figures.
He made six ball recoveries, won all four of his attempted tackles and enjoyed a passing accuracy of 88 percent, according to FotMob.
It would be remiss not to highlight the impact of Mane (8.4), too, with the Senegalese’s double inspiring Liverpool to victory, having led the line centrally in a 4-3-3 system.
ESPN‘s Glenn Price lauded Mane’s “outrageous” back-heel that put the Reds 2-0 up, also saying he excelled as “Liverpool’s attacking focal point”.
On a night full of superb performers, Van Dijk (8.6) showed how crucial he is to the cause, with his late brace acting as the icing on the cake.
The Dutchman was a rock at the heart of the defence, leading to Rabinowitz making him his second 10/10 performer at Anfield.
The Independent‘s Simon Hughes was seemingly in a less lavish mood, though, with Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk the only players to earn 8/10, with the rest all rated lower.
Next up for Klopp’s side is the 233rd Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Sunday, in what will be another big test of their Premier League title credentials.
Fan Comments