Liverpool were not at their best against West Ham, but strong performances from the full-backs helped them seal a priceless 3-2 victory.
Jurgen Klopp‘s champions-in-waiting hosted a beleaguered Hammers outfit on Monday evening, but they didn’t have things their own way.
Gini Wijnaldum and Issa Diop traded early headers, but Liverpool struggled to get going in a frustrating first half at Anfield.
Pablo Fornals pounced to put the visitors 2-1 up soon after the restart, and for a while it looked as though the Reds’ unbeaten record was going up in smoke.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane saved the day, however, both scoring ugly goals to seal a hard-earned win that puts them 22 points clear of Man City.
Here we compare our player ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Mirror, Sky Sports, FotMob and the TIA readers.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (8.3) was comfortably Liverpool’s star man in the average ratings, following another impressive outing.
The 21-year-old added two more assists to his tally for the season, teeing up Wijnaldum and Mane for their goals.
TIA’s Joanna Durkan felt Alexander-Arnold was “back to his pinpoint best,” while Ian Doyle of the Echo described him as “easily Liverpool’s best player.”
Andy Robertson (7.4) was next up, with the Scot registering the other assist for Salah, following typically bullish work down the left flank.
The Mirror‘s David Maddock hailed the 25-year-old’s “quality delivery from the left,” as he made it seven league assists for the season.
Mane (7.2) took home the bronze medal, as he scored another winning goal in a campaign that could see him crowned the PFA Player of the Year.
The Senegalese “refused to give up on the play,” according to Durkan, highlighting his never-say-die attitude this season.
FotMob pointed out that Mane won 11 duels and completed five dribbles, also making five ball recoveries.
Bottom of the pile was Naby Keita (5.6), as the No. 8 struggled in the middle of the park, with Doyle of the opinion that his performance was “more promise than end product.”
Liverpool’s next assignment sees them head to Watford on Saturday evening, with just four wins to go until they seal the title.
Fan Comments