Manchester City vs. Liverpool player ratings: Stars shine as Premier League showdown lives up to the hype

Written by on April 10, 2022

Manchester City vs. Liverpool player ratings: Stars shine as Premier League showdown lives up to the hype

City and Liverpool played a high-octane draw on Sunday in Manchester

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Manchester City and Liverpool played one of the best matches of the Premier Leagues season on Sunday, an end-to-end battle that finished with the points being shared in a 2-2 draw. Both teams had their chances to get a victory but a draw was a fair result, and one that maintains City’s one-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table.

So how did each individual do on Sunday? We’ve got you covered with player ratings from the match.

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Liverpool player ratings

(GK) Alisson

90 Alisson had a busy day in net but both Manchester City goals were close to unstoppable. He made two saves and was excellent on his crosses. Business as usual from the Brazillian. 

7

(DEF) Andrew Robertson

90 A quiet defensive day for Robertson as Alexander-Arnold was targeted more but he was solid when called upon, making five clearances and getting the hockey assist on Jota’s opener. After the excellent run that Robertson has been on though, it’s fair to have expected more on the day.

7

(DEF) Virgil van Dijk

90 Always solid at the back, van Dijk made a few critical interceptions to prevent Manchester City from running riot on the day.

7

(DEF) Joel Matip

90 Also a quiet day as City didn’t find a ton of space through the center of the pitch, Matip was reliable when called on. 7

(DEF) Trent Alexander Arnold

90 It’s tough to judge Alexander-Arnold from this match. He was targeted by City, only making three of his six attempted tackles but without him, Liverpool doesn’t come out of the game with a point. It’s a good match to show that attack and defense have to be looked at together when judging a player. 7

(MID) Thiago Alcantara

90 Arguably could’ve been sent off in the match, Thiago had an OK game in possession but didn’t do enough protecting his defense. It’s something that the rest of the midfield had issues with as well though.  5

(MID) Fabinho

90 Fabinho was shaky with and without the ball. One of the most important players to Liverpool’s attack and defense seemed rattled by the occasion. Only completing 76 percent of his passes, he put the team into a few bad spots on the day. 5

(MID) Jordan Henderson

78 Liverpool’s captain has a penchant for showing up in big moments but only took one shot in the entire match. Creating zero chances, Henderson wasn’t up for the speed of the game and had to be withdrawn for Liverpool to truly chase the match. 5

(FWD) Sadio Mane

84 Mane was magnificent. He didn’t get the ball much but his hold up play, when moved to striker, was critical in the second half. Scored a great goal and was able to keep things moving with or without the ball.  7

(FWD) Diogo Jota

70 While Jota ran out of steam, he did well even though he was isolated for most of the match. Pressing the ball he caused CIty issues and put both of his two shots on target with one leading to a goal. Liverpool’s man of the match despite the lack of touches. 8

(FWD) Mohamed Salah

90 Salah always finds a way. Not able to get the ball in the box as much as usual, he created three chances with one being the assist on Mane’s goal. Attracting the attention of the entire City defense fro most of the match, Salah did what he needed to. 7

Luis Diaz

Jota (70′) It doesn’t feel like Diaz had enough time to make an impact. While he had 20 minutes at the end of the game, Liverpool didn’t have the ball enough to really set him loose on City. 6
Naby Keita Henderson (78′) Was more dynamic in midfield than Henderson but wasn’t really a game-changer either. 6
Roberto Firmino Mane (84′) Also hurt by Liverpool not having much of the ball after he came on, Firmino only had eight touches in six minutes on the pitch. N/A
Jurgen Klopp  3 On a day where Liverpool could’ve gone into the half behind by multiple goals, to come out with adjustments and get a quick equalizer shows that he pressed the right button. Klopp should be happy with the result on the day as the pressure is still on City to perform. 7

Manchester City ratings

(GK) Ederson

90 A show all of his own, Ederson refused to do things the easy way as he nearly ran the ball past his goal line and parried shots with his chest. He might have done better for Jota’s opener but made amends with an excellent save early in the second.

7

(DEF) Kyle Walker

90 Hardly known as the most expressive of passers, he was fizzing brilliant balls into the path of midfield runners from the outset. Yet it was in defense that Walker really excelled, his recovery runs consistently hurrying Sadio Mane and Jota as they burst away. He may have felt he could have done more to stop Mane scoring Liverpool’s second no matter how good Mohamed Salah’s pass was.

8

(DEF) John Stones

90 Just what City needed at the back, he radiated calm under the pressure of the Liverpool press. Of his first 72 passes, 66 found a team mate in a display that was rarely showy but was invariably effective.

7

(DEF) Aymeric Laporte

90 His sliding tackle in the box was as good a piece of defending as you will see in the Premier League this season. Not far behind was how he shepherded Alexander-Arnold around the hour mark, turning a dangerous moment into a chance to regain possession. 9

(DEF) Joao Cancelo

90 He was not to be outdone by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the battle of the creative full backs, his peach of a ball teeing up Gabriel Jesus for the game’s third goal. On the front foot Cancelo was devastating, turning the left flank into City’s playground with his eye for a pass. 8

(MID) Rodri

90 This was perhaps not his most assertive display, perhaps because so many Liverpool attacks flew down the flanks or over his head in the blink of an eye. When the game did break down in midfield, however, Rodri was on hand to win possession for City. 7

(MID) Kevin De Bruyne

90 From the very start until the last second De Bruyne was determined to leave his imprint on the game. Clearly at the peak of his powers there was often nothing Fabinho could do to keep up with him when he drove through midfield and though his goal had a touch of good fortune to it that was thoroughly earned by everything else he offered. 9

(MID) Bernardo Silva

90 Often dropping deeper alongside Rodri, Bernardo was the chief conductor of City’s impressive build up play whilst still bursting into the box and creating chances for his teammates. In other words, there was a lot of customary Bernardo excellence on show today.  8

(FWD) Gabriel Jesus

82 With Easter season underway Jesus rose to the occasion, scoring a fine volley to restore City’s lead before the break. One suspected it was his off ball qualities that convinced Guardiola to start him, if so it was a decision that was justified by a player who always seemed to be on hand to steal the loose balls. 8

(FWD) Phil Foden

90 On the stats sheet you will find precious few chances created or shots taken but as much as anyone Foden gilded this contest with his array of flicks, feints and darts beyond the defense. 7

(FWD) Raheem Sterling

74 One of the few players on the pitch not to shine brightly, an early miss where he could have put the ball wider of Alisson setting the tone for a game where he struggled to live up to the high standards he has set recently. He was mere millimeters away from changing that but VAR judged him offside after a smart finish.  6

Riyad Mahrez

Sterling, 75′ An extremely active cameo from City’s top scorer, who combined menacingly with De Bruyne in the right hand channel around the 80th minute before flashing a free kick just wide as time ran down. Then he might have won it at the death, chipping over the bar off a brilliant De Bruyne pass. 6
Jack Grealish Jesus, 83′ He did not have quite enough time to show what he could do even if there was one late flash of menace from Grealish. 5
Pep Guardiola 2 The intensity with which his side pressed from the outset was a clear change in approach, one that proved to be extremely effective in disrupting Liverpool’s rhythm. Though he might have freshened up a flagging frontline earlier the control City exerted on this game reflected well on their manager. 8

The post Manchester City vs. Liverpool player ratings: Stars shine as Premier League showdown lives up to the hype first appeared on CBS Sports.


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