Stoke City
Lee Grant – 6
Couldn’t be blamed for any of Liverpool’s goals – wouldn’t have been easy for any goalkeeper given the attacking talent Liverpool had on the pitch at different stages of the match.
Bruno Marins Indi – 6
Was unable to prevent the cross that brought about Liverpool’s opener – was often dragged over to the left touchline in an attempt to nullify Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gomez.
Ryan Shawcross – 6
Tried to make the game more physical but met his match in Solanke – looked slow when quick passes were being played around the area by Liverpool’s attackers.
Kurt Zouma – 6
Tough night for the Frenchman – produced some good tackles but made to look ordinary by Liverpool.
Mame Biram Diouf – 7
Was brought down by Mignolet, which should have resulted in the Liverpool goalkeeper being sent off.
Darren Fletcher – 6
Couldn’t get on the ball enough – was completely dominated by his Liverpool counterparts.
Joe Allen – 7
Marginally better than his midfield partner – tried to push Stoke further up the pitch with his passing but to limited success.
Eric Pieters – 7
Had to focus on his defending more so than his attacking with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gomez charging at him down the right-wing.
Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting – 6
Didn’t do much of note apart from making way for Jese in the second-half.
Xherdan Shaqiri – 6
Was a threat to the Liverpool’s left-side with his trickery but was dealt well by Moreno.
Peter Crouch – 7
A threat in the air as always but didn’t have too many chances on goal.
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet – 6
Should have been sent off for a clumsy foul on Diouf – other than that he dominated his area well and dealt well with Stoke’s crosses.
Joe Gomez – 7
Produced another consistent display in both defence and attack– was involved in the opening goal with a cross to Solanke who then offloaded the ball to Mane.
Joel Matip – 7
Was successful in dealing with the aerial threat of Peter Crouch and was also comfortable with stepping into midfield and starting attacks – had more touches than any other Liverpool player.
Dejan Lovren – 6
Solid display – got rid of any danger in the Liverpool penalty area with his clearances.
Alberto Moreno – 6
Not a bad performance, especially considering he was against Diouf’s pace and Shaqiri’s trickery on the left side – once again his energy never faulted.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7
Worked hard on the right side and looks to be settling into the side – was substituted after being cautioned for an altercation.
Emre Can – 6
Was included in the team for his strong physical presence and had a decent match – played the long pass forward which resulted in Salah’s second goal.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 6
Was involved in a lot of Liverpool’s play and passed the ball well in midfield – had a few shots.
Sadio Mane – 8
Although at times he looked off the pace, he scored with a chip over Lee Grant and crossed to Salah for his first of the night.
Dominic Solanke – 8
His physical presence helped in this match but his overall ability was demonstrated with a neat pass that assisted Mane’s opener.
Roberto Firmino – 6
Linked up well with Solanke – worked hard as usual but was dispossessed too often.
