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.
DMC) Lucas – 7.5
Lucas gave the back-four the protection it’s been so desperately crying out for. In the second, he provided the team the platform from which Coutinho, Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen could create from. It would be foolish for Rodgers to drop the Brazilian anchorman – even if Steven Gerrard is chomping at the bit to start again.
DMC) Joe Allen – 7
Anonymous in the first-half, Allen struggled to get an increasingly frustrated crowd going, but he was by no means the worst of a very bad bunch. As the game grew more open, the mercurial Welshman was able to thread incisive passes through to Sterling and Coutinho – and he made a number of interceptions too when Stoke tried to break. He should have scored mind, firing over when getting on the end of a tremendous team move with the game at 0-0.
AMR) Jordan Henderson – 6
Sloppy in the first-half, Henderson’s energy and enthusiasm couldn’t make up for a lack of quality and creativity on the ball. He did however supply the ball for Rickie Lambert which led to the goal, and noticeably pressed the opposition more aggressively as the game went on. He’ll be crucial if we’re to turn this season around.
AMC) Coutinho – 5.5
Yes, Coutinho gives the ball away too often, but it’s because he’s trying to make things happen – which in the first-half, nobody else was guilty of. One excellent run in the first ended up coming to nothing though, and the Brazilian was clearly annoyed by the lack of movement Rickie Lambert offered him. Should have won a penalty too, when he nutmegged Ryan Shawcross, and the centre-back blocked his path, but nothing was given. Still, he was wasteful in possession, and can expect to be replaced by Adam Lallana on Tuesday as a result.
AML) Raheem Sterling – 7
Much better on the left than he is on the right, this is certain, and Rodgers should use him on this wing more often. Sterling couldn’t break down a compact Stoke defence for most of the game, and some delicately planned one-twos often didn’t come off. However, our wonderkid thrives on space when the game becomes more stretched, and he was increasingly the outlet we used as the need for a goal grew. Stoke backed off him, and his dribbling was – at times – a joy to behold.
FC) Rickie Lambert – 6
Held the ball up well enough, and was strong in the air too. His lack of pace badly restricts the creativity of Sterling and Coutinho behind him though – and on a number of times they were begging out for a striker who made runs in behind the defence. His excellent header from a Henderson cross hit the bar though, which Johnson met and scored with – won the game.
SUBS)
Steven Gerrard – n/a
Rousing reception as he joined the action, but although his arrival saw the team score a goal, he didn’t have a big influence.
Dejan Lovren – n/a
An 89th minute sub, Lovren did the job he was asked to do solidly enough during injury time.