Who was your Man of the Match, Reds?
Here’s how we rated the players today, following the 2-0 win at Anfield…
SEE MORE:
(Video) Daniel Sturridge scores to make it Liverpool 2-0 West Ham!
(Video) Raheem Sterling makes it Liverpool 1-0 West Ham – but how good is that Coutinho pass?
GK) Simon Mignolet – 7/10
The Belgian kept his fourth clean-sheet in his past six matches, and he deserves serious praise for re-finding the form that saw us splash out £9m on him back in summer 2013. Mignolet held on to everything, and even looked relatively commanding when dealing with crosses.
DRC) Emre Can – 6/10
A shaky start from the young German, who almost put a Hammers forward through on goal with a nervy back-header. Some missed passes aside, he improved as the game went on.
DLC) Mamadou Sakho – 8/10
Sakho won the race against time to be fit for the clash, and due to his recent performances, Rodgers was happy to risk him – and we’re glad he did. The Frenchman shielded the ball well, and even played some passes with his usually unfavoured right-foot! Positionally excellent, and barely missed a pass or tackle all afternoon.
DC) Martin Skrtel – 7/10
Definitely won the individual battle with returning Andy Carroll, who had some rather unkind things to say about Brendan Rodgers before the game. Skrtel relishes his position at the heart of the back-three, and was quietly faultless.
MR) Lazar Markovic – 6/10 (Sturridge 68′)
A decent showing from Markovic, who made countless promising overlapping runs down the right, but was rarely found by Adam Lallana, who was very quiet. The Serb missed a guilt-edged chance to put us in front, but thankfully it didn’t prove costly.
ML) Alberto Moreno – 6/10
His passes couldn’t find their targets in the 1st half, but he was improved in the 2nd. Moreno’s work-rate and endless pressing was noticeable, and his ability to arrive late in the box from a left wing-back position was impressive, although his finishing didn’t match the effort.
MC) Lucas – 8/10
The Brazilian anchorman made seven successful tackles versus West Ham, far more than any other player on the pitch. The club genuinely should consider him for the permanent captaincy. His discipline, tactical awareness and decision making skills are as good as anything in the top flight right now.
MC) Jordan Henderson – 7/10
Like a young (or old) Gerrard, Henderson sprayed some excellent long balls today, with Sterling most often the recipient. He ticked player over nicely, and showed once more that the captaincy role doesn’t faze him.
AMRC) Adam Lallana – 6/10
Quietest of the attackers, by far. Lallana gave the ball away in the final third a few too many times, but luckily Sterling and Coutinho were in such good form it didn’t matter.
AMLC) Coutinho – 9/10 – MOTM (Ibe 81′)
The Brazilian playmaker was jaw-dropping today, and this was probably the culmination of two months of very, very good form. His assist for Sterling’s opener was deft, and he laid Sturridge’s goal on a plate, too. That latter partnership could be lethal from now until the end of the season.
FC) Raheem Sterling – 8/10
For a while it looked like this could be a frustrating afternoon where we failed to break West Ham down, but Sterling’s neat finish put an end to our concerns. He made countless dangerous runs down the left, and skinned West Ham defenders on more than one occasion. Let’s hope he signs a new contract soon…
Subs)
Daniel Sturridge – 7/10
He’s finally back, and he rewarded the adoring Kop (who gave his entrance an enormous ovation) with a goal.
Jordon Ibe – 7/10
The wonderkid nearly scored when coming on, making his third top flight substitute appearance since returning from his loan spell. If he continues developing at this rate, he’ll be some player.
