Liverpool were by no means their fluent best this evening versus Swansea, but they picked up the three points thanks to James Milner’s second half penalty.
The win moves us up to 6th place, as Manchester City were the only club above us to win this weekend.
Crucially, Henderson and Sturridge returned, and Coutinho should be ready for the next fixture with Newcastle.
Here’s how we rated the players along with short clips of their most important contributions:
GK) Simon Mignolet – 6.5/10
Got rid of the ball very quickly, unlike Thursday, and did the little he had to do with little fuss. Had one dodgy moment when he and Lovren were under pressure late on.
DR) Nathaniel Clyne – 7/10
Real pace and work-rate down the right. Hasn’t put a foot wrong in our past three or four games.
DL) Alberto Moreno – 7/10
Another strong outing from the fullbacks, two of our best players this season. Both offered themselves in attack well. Moreno took care of first Wayne Routledge
DC) Martin Skrtel – 6/10
So nervous alongside Lovren and in front of Mignolet, although it ultimately wasn’t costly. Booked for a silly foul.
DC) Dejan Lovren – 6.5/10
Solid again in the most, although he still didn’t exactly full us with confidence. Still, a clean-sheet is a clean-sheet, and Lovren’s doing better than most expected him to since winning a place in the side.
MC) Emre Can – 8/10
Ran the game in the first-half, in a promising central midfield display. Won the ball back and passed it with class. Made much better decisions than usual, too.
MC) James Milner – 7/10
Scored his second penalty in two matches with a nicely taken spot kick into the the top left corner. Industrious as ever, but he’ll do well to keep his spot in the side now Jordan Henderson’s back.
AMR) Jordon Ibe 7/10 (Toure 94′)
His cross earned us the hand-ball penalty which won us the match, and the youngster passed the ball simply throughout. The match could have gone a lot differently if he’d taken his guilt-edged chance in the 5th minute, but he failed to get a shot off on time and Swansea got it clear via their own post. Could have arguably taken more risks in the final third.
AMC) Roberto Firmino 5/10 (Henderson – 64′)
Really poor, sadly. Fans were surprised but pleased to see him on the team-sheet contrary to morning reports, but his touch was off and he wasn’t on the same wavelength as Benteke. So far, the pair haven’t linked up well.
AML) Adam Lallana – 6.5/10
Tricky, but lacked penetration. Liverpool badly missed Coutinho today, despite securing the three points.
FC) Christian Benteke – 5/10 (Sturridge – 71′)
Some days unplayable, some days his control is poor. Today was one of the latter. Barely completed half of his passes, sadly.
Subs:
Daniel Sturridge – 6/10 – He’s finally back, Reds. Replaced Benteke in the 2nd half to a generous welcome. Played some nice touches and wanted possession although his movement wasn’t especially exciting.
Jordan Henderson – 6/10 – So good to see him back as well as Sturridge. With Coutinho back for the Newcastle game, Klopp has options aplenty.
Kolo Toure – n/a
Liverpool players applaud The Kop post match. pic.twitter.com/Bpwo57fbJ1
— This Is Anfield (@thisisanfield) November 29, 2015