Liverpool 1-1 Man City: Player ratings as Premier League title rivals play out Anfield stalemate
The final Premier League meeting between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola ended with shared spoils.
Manchester City went in front through John Stones before Alexis Mac Allister equalised, leaving Arsenal at the top with ten matches remaining.
Liverpool, who relinquished their lead this weekend, is level on points with the Gunners, who boast a superior goal difference, with City one point behind.
Here’s how the players rated at Anfield:
Time to take a breath 😮💨#LIVMCI pic.twitter.com/zDamSK7Wi1
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 10, 2024
Liverpool
Caoimhín Kelleher – 6.5 – Continues to do reasonably well in Alisson’s absence. Unlucky with City’s opener as the set-piece bamboozled the hosts.
Joe Gomez – 6 – Not an orthodox left-back and subsequently enjoyed a fascinating battle with England teammate Foden.
Virgil van Dijk – 8.5 – The colossal from Breda was shepherding a very youthful (and inexperienced) Liverpool back four. So, with that in mind, it was another stellar outing, especially as he kept Haaland at bay.
Jarell Quansah – 7 – Replaced the injured Konate for a rare Premier League start, and to his manager’s delight, he didn’t look out of place facing the champions.
Conor Bradley – 5.5 – If the missing Trent Alexander-Arnold ends up in midfield, then Liverpool’s right-back spot will belong to Bradley, who again showed maturity beyond his years.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7 – He played between Liverpool’s midfielders and equalised for Liverpool from 12 yards early in the second half. Mac Allister has now converted nine of his 10 penalties in the Premier League (90%), including each of the last eight in a row.
Wataru Endo – 6.5 – “We really need you,” Jurgen Klopp told Endo during their first meeting at the Reds training ground. Based on today’s evidence, you can see why the Japanese international has effortlessly followed in Fabinho’s footsteps.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6 – Didn’t need a second invitation to join Liverpool’s attack and was proactive in the box-to-box role he’s come to own.
Luis Díaz – 8 – High-pressing, mobile, and energetic, this was another typical performance from the Colombian forward. “He’s like a Duracell bunny. He plays like he’s an eight, nine-year-old kid,” as Gary Neville said on Sky Sports commentary.
Darwin Núñez – 6.5 – No longer the butt of jokes, Núñez has started to fulfil his potential as a credible scoring threat and one capable of leading the Reds frontline.
Harvey Elliott – 6 – You couldn’t fault his commitment today. If he wasn’t closing down, then Elliott was getting into good positions to cause City’s defence problems.
Substitutes:
Mohamed Salah (for Szoboszlai 61) – 6 – Straight into the action, Salah was responsible for some of Liverpool’s numerous chances to go in front.
Andy Robertson (for Bradley 61) – 5.5 – At home marauding down the Reds’ left flank and was in the mix of things as Klopp’s side chased a winner deep into added time.
Cody Gakpo (for Núñez 76) – N/A – A late sub.
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Man City
Ederson – 4.5 – He enjoyed a relatively quiet first half, keeping a clean sheet that looked to be on the cards before a moment of madness early into the second half. Ederson, while injuring himself, conceded a penalty after bringing down an onrushing Nunez, which Mac Allister duly converted.
Nathan Aké – 5.5 – The multifunctional Dutch centre-back played a crucial role in both opening goals. He blocked Mac Allister, leaving space open for Stones, but a short backpass to Ederson resulted in a Liverpool spot-kick, which saw the Argentine gain a semblance of revenge.
Manuel Akanji – 5 – In place of Ruben Dias, Akanji made a game-high three interceptions for City; the Swiss international would have preferred a quieter afternoon.
Kyle Walker – 6 – He broke through into Liverpool’s final third on the stroke of half-time but fluffed his lines. Diaz kept him busy throughout.
John Stones – 7 – Put the visitors in front through a cleverly worked corner. “The man who is beyond category, who cannot be pigeon-holed, the player who can play No 5, 6, 8 or 10 has finished like a No. 9,” exclaimed Peter Drury on Sky Sports commentary.
Rodri – 6.5 – Pulled the strings in City’s midfield with this performance, further enhancing growing thoughts of him being City’s most valuable player (even with De Bruyne around).
Julián Álvarez – 6 – Played on the periphery and could have easily found himself on the score sheet if not for some wayward finishing.
Kevin De Bruyne – 7 – As usual, the Belgian maestro was conducting proceedings. He’s been directly involved in 14 goals in 13 appearances for City in 2024 (two goals and 12 assists), the most of any Premier League player across all competitions this year.
Bernardo Silva – 5.5 – Another quiet but effective outing for the Portuguese wizard, but it became clear once Liverpool got on top his influence was facing.
Phil Foden – 6 – A performance that could have been more. Foden saw a lucky deflection hit Kelleher’s crossbar.
Erling Haaland – 6 – The Norwegian machine rarely threatened Kelleher’s goal, but he was often useful in City’s build-up play.
Substitutes:
Stefan Ortega (for Ederson 55) – 5 – He looked shaky at times but was relieved not to concede once he came on.
Jérémy Doku (for De Bruyne 69) – 5.5 – Unlucky to hit the inside of the post late but fortunate not to hand Liverpool a last-minute penalty.
Mateo Kovacic (for Álvarez 69) – N/A – A late sub.
