Liverpool 2-1 Norwich: Player Ratings – What the media and statistics say

Takumi Minamino was Liverpool’s standout player in their 2-1 win at home to Norwich in the FA Cup fifth round, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struggled.

The Reds made it into the quarter-finals on Wednesday evening, in what was a fairly low-key affair after the League Cup heroics over the weekend.

Minamino buried two impressive first-half finishes to put Liverpool in control, with the Japanese impressing again in the domestic cups.

The Reds’ intensity dropped after the break and Lukas Rupp made it 2-1 after firing past Alisson from distance.

Jurgen Klopp‘s side still did enough to qualify for the last eight though, with their opponents to be drawn on Thursday.

Here we compare our player ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, WhoScored and FotMob and the TIA readers.

Minamino (8.5) was seen as Liverpool’s best player by a distance at Anfield, as he again shone in a cup competition.

The Japanese took both of his goals with ruthlessness and aplomb, in what were his eighth and ninth strikes of a productive campaign.

The Echo‘s Ian Doyle handed Minamino a nine-out-of-10 rating for his efforts, saying he “pestered Norwich throughout” the game.

This Is Anfield were similarly gushing with praise for the 27-year-old, focusing on his “well-taken strikes” and hailing him as a “very decent squad option.”

In second place was James Milner (7.7), who switched to right-back and did his job in typically unruffled fashion.

FotMob noted the veteran had 114 touches in total during the game, making a sizeable seven recoveries, too.

Ibrahima Konate (7.3) also found himself in the top-three Reds players, as he again barely put a foot wrong.

Doyle said the Frenchman “used the ball sensibly when required” and he continues to look a player of huge potential for Liverpool.

It was an off-night for Oxlade-Chamberlain (6.3), however, who didn’t take his opportunity and was “the lesser light in a changed midfield”, according to TIA.

Liverpool’s next outing is a crucial Premier League clash at home to West Ham on Saturday evening (5.30pm GMT).