A young Liverpool side put up a great performance against a strong West Ham side on Saturday when the sides met in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Despite the hard work of the inexperienced Liverpool players, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. Many of the fans think that Liverpool deserved more than a draw.
Who shined for Liverpool? Who did not? Here’s Liverpool player ratings for the game.
Simon Mignolet – 6
Mignolet had a very quiet night and will be happy to keep the clean sheet. There were nervous times when he had the ball under his feet, but he was confident in dealing with those. He is still not sure when to come off the line and when not to. He has to improve on his decision making.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6.5
Clyne put up his typical performance. He was solid and reliable after having returned directly to Liverpool’s starting lineup following his injury and had a decent game. Dimitri Payet gave him a tough time, but he dealt with it well.
Steven Caulker – 7.5
Caulker got his first for Liverpool on Saturday and he did a great job. He was solid at the back and he deserves credit for keeping the West Ham attackers at bay. His distribution at times was rusty though.
Dejan Lovren – 6.5
Lovren returned to Liverpool’s starting lineup after being sidelined for more than three weeks and he too had a decent game. He was shaky at times, but overall he was ok. A good game to mark his comeback. Now he well need a few more games to hit his full form.
Brad Smith – 6
The young Australian was started ahead of Alberto Moreno. Smith was good when attacking but sloppy when defending. He has got amazing pace and also can cross well but he has to improve his defensive skills.
Kevin Stewart – 7.5
Stewart was one of those players who shined for Liverpool. Did not contribute much to Liverpool’s attacking but was a physical presence in the midfield. He was all over the pitch.
Cameron Brannagan – 8
Brannagan stole the show against West Ham. He put up a class performance and was a real threat from the midfield. His deliveries were good and he was good in possession too. Gave the West Ham midfielders some trouble.
Joe Allen – 7
Allen has been in fine form recently and as a reward he was given the captain’s armband against the Hammers. He was all over the pitch and he was good in possession. His bicycle kick was nice to see but unfortunately he couldn’t connect.
Joao Carlos Teixeira – 6
Teixeira had a decent game. He had no much influence on the game and his creativity could be seen in his game but couldn’t contribute much.
Jordon Ibe – 5
Ibe’s struggle continues. The youngster’s form has taken a dip and he has not been able to find it back. Apart from dribbling he couldn’t get anything right. His distribution was poor and also he gave away the possession at times.
Christian Benteke – 5
He cannot be blamed for anything but still his performance was not good enough. He got some half chances from which he couldn’t do anything.
Substitutes:
Sheyi Ojo – 6
Ojo came on as a substitute for Ibe but he did not have much time to make impact. He could have been brought on earlier.
Jerome Sinclair – N/A
Jose Enrique – N/A
