Liverpool
Loris Karius – 7
For most of the match, he was the only player anywhere near the Liverpool penalty area – he did make a sensational save in first-half stoppage time to deny Diame and collected the few crosses that Newcastle produced with confidence.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6
Was able to constantly attack on the right-side given Newcastle’s defensive setup but all too often he failed to deliver any crosses or passes of quality.
Virgil van Dijk – 7
Barring one or two skewed clearances, it was another impressive performance – the number of headers he made was astonishing, but he was rarely disturbed throughout the entire match.
Dejan Lovren – 7
His relationship with van Dijk appears to be developing quicker than most expected – it was the type of game that saw Lovren have more of an impact in an attacking sense rather than defensive, he was always a threat from set-pieces.
Andrew Robertson – 7
Met his match in Yedlin in terms of pace but Liverpool’s left-back managed to beat his counterpart through his skill and movement – wasn’t as dominating a performance as we’ve seen from him this season but nevertheless, it was a solid showing.
Emre Can – 5
Kept encouraging his teammates to up the tempo but all too often it was his misplaced passes and sloppy possession that slowed Liverpool down.
Jordan Henderson – 7
Despite often being criticised for his lack of forward intent, he proved decisive in moving the ball towards his front three – he was pivotal in breaking up play once Newcastle gained possession.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6
Was afforded a fair amount of space but it took him well into the second-half to start to exploit it – he punished the visitors with his drive and forward intent, and provided his sixth assist of the season.
Mohamed Salah – 7
Another game, another goal – his movement allowed him to create chances even against a tight defence that didn’t allow any of Liverpool’s attackers much space to operate.
Roberto Firmino – 5
Struggled to find his rhythm – his passing was wayward and his touches were poor, however, he did produce one moment of quality with a pinpoint pass for Mane’s goal.
Sadio Mane – 6
With his confidence on the rise, it was good for him to get another goal – he charged at the Newcastle defence time and time again but was guilty of spurning good opportunities with poor final balls.
Newcastle United
Martin Dubravka – 6
On the whole, it was another performance to encourage Newcastle fans – his defence left him exposed for Liverpool’s goals but, rather surprisingly, he wasn’t overly tested on his third start for the club.
DeAndre Yedlin – 5
Tried to make an impact going forward on the counter with his pace but to no avail – the number of long balls he hoofed forward during Newcastle’s periods of desperation must have almost reached double-figures.
Florian Lejeune – 5
Made four clearances and two blocks but his was main task was to limit the space for Liverpool’s attack.
Jamaal Lascelles – 5
Looked shaky, especially in the first-half, but improved as the game progressed – he brought the ball out of defence with some nice touches but it didn’t lead to anything.
Paul Dummett – 5
Limited the influence of Salah with fair success – was caught out of position at times but made a couple of crucial interceptions to deny Salah.
Kenedy – 6
Had to tuck in to help his central defenders in dealing with Liverpool’s ‘fab three’ – for most of the game he was stuck in a back five but when he did venture forward he looked a threat.
Mohamed Diame – 5
Was fairly anonymous in the Newcastle midfield – produced one fine shot which Karius saved at the end of the first-half but apart from that his impact was minimal.
Mikel Merino – 5
A quiet performance and was guilty of going down far too easily at times – no surprise to see him substituted early on.
Christian Atsu – 6
For an attacking right-sided player he was very defensive – his most notable contributions were a couple of crucial nicks to take the ball away from Salah.
Dwight Gayle – 4
Was a mere spectator before he was taken off – the fact that Newcastle’s most forward player had just 16 touches including a scuffed shot said a lot about the visitor’s performance.
Jacob Murphy – 5
Looked quite nervy on the ball and couldn’t really do much with it when he was in possession.
