Are these ratings for the Reds fair?
GK) Simon Mignolet – 7
A much needed clean-sheet for the under pressure Belgian stopper. He made a sharp stop from Diouf who was one-on-one, and held on to a deflected, fizzing N’Zonzi drive too. Most importantly, his last minute save from Bojan’s effort earned us the points. The shot might have been going over, but Mignolet didn’t know that. Sometimes kept the ball at his feet for too long, but we can forgive him that today…
DR) Glen Johnson – 7
Fair play, Glen Johnson. He’s been slaughtered by fans for nearly the entire season, but his late, late goal earned us a more than crucial three points. His bravery to get onto the rebound saw him earn a big cut on the head – but also the adulation of the Kop. Before his goal, he made a sloppy mistake in possession in the first-half, where he failed to clear his lines and had the ball stolen from him. As the game grew though, Johnson got more opportunities to gallop forward, and was in the box at the end when it really mattered.
DL) Jose Enrique – 5.5
Played plenty of long balls up the left flank, some of which Raheem Sterling managed to get on the end of. He looked pretty shoddy in the first-half, lacking match sharpness and ideas in possession – but he improved in the second, as the rest of the side did.
DC) Martin Skrtel – 6
Not as solid as his central defensive partner, but Skrtel will just be delighted he’s ending a match without making a noticeable mistake. Fans were nervous every time Stoke won a corner – but despite riding his luck, Skrtel cleared his lines effectively, and made some surging runs through midfield, too.
DC) Kolo Toure – 8
Totally justified his manager’s decision to pick him ahead of Dejan Lovren. Toure didn’t put a single foot wrong all afternoon, and won nearly everything in the air, too. Deserves a run of games in the side, undoubtedly.
