WBA v Liverpool ratings: Matip and Lovren impress; Can busy

Rob McCarthy
Liverpool: Grabbed an important win at West Brom

Following Liverpool’s 1-0 win at West Brom on Sunday, we take a look at the star performers and those that struggled in a fairly ordinary contest at The Hawthorns.

West Brom:

Ben Foster: Made a couple of decent stops and enjoyed some ‘crazy time’ at the end of the game as he pushed forward more the once to try and help his side get an equaliser. 6

Craig Dawson: Strong in the challenge as ever but failed to push forward from his right-back role. 6

Gareth McAuley: Coped pretty well with the pace of Divock Origi but not his normal threat from set-pieces. 6

Jonny Evans: Strong in the challenge but gave a away a few free-kicks and was eventually booked. 5

Chris Brunt: Gave the ball away too much and was not effective going forward. Booked. 5

Darren Fletcher: Put in his usual shift but was caught in possession a few times. 6

Claudio Yacob: Workrate can never be questioned but he had no real impact on the game. 5

Nacer Chadli: Made a bright start but completely faded and was subbed. 5

Jake Livermore: The best of West Brom’s midfield three but that is not really saying much. 6

Matt Phillips: A willing runner but missed West Brom’s best chance of the game when he should really have scored. 5

Hal Robson-Kanu: Lacked the pace to worry Liverpool’s central defenders and was replaced. Booked. 5

Substitutes:

James Morrison (for Chadli, 61): Hardly made any impact at all. 5

James McClean (for Yacob, 64): Ran around a lot but did little else. 5

Salomon Rondon (for Robson-Kanu, 64): Made very little impact. 5

Liverpool:

Simon Mignolet: Had very little to do but made a crucial stop to deny Phillips late on. 7

Nathaniel Clyne: Strong defensively but not really effective in the attacking third. 6

Dejan Lovren: Provided a solid base alongside Joel Matip from which Liverpool were able to mostly dominate. 7

Joel Matip: Solid as a rock and won most of the challenges that came his way. 7

James Milner: His usual dependable self but missed a great chance to put the game beyond West Brom. 6

Georginio Wijnaldum: A few nice touches but provided more industry than flair in a hard working display. 6

Emre Can: Played more on the left in the first half but was used centrally in the second and was more influential for the Reds. 7

Leiva Lucas: Put in a shift but poor on the ball and gave possession away a few times. Booked. 5

Divock Origi: Didn’t get too much change out of West Brom’s defenders and was eventually replaced. 6

Roberto Firmino: Not quite at his best but popped up with the all-important winner. 7

Philippe Coutinho: Industrious in the first half but completely drifted out of the game in the second. 6

Substitutes:

Daniel Sturridge (for Origi, 82): Failed to really make a mark in his short time on the pitch. 5

Alberto Moreno (for Coutinho, 90): Unbelievably selfish when shooting from distance, when he could have played in three team-mates with Ben Foster stranded upfield and the goal gapping. 4