Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah ran the show as Liverpool clinched a 7-1 win over Rangers in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Liverpool desperately needed a morale-boosting win over Rangers, and Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the way his side stepped up against the Scottish outfit on the night. The win leaves Liverpool second in group A with nine points from four matches.
Scott Arfield handed the hosts a dream start with an early goal in the first half. But Liverpool responded through Roberto Firmino and then took the game away from Rangers as the contest progressed.
The Brazilian striker has been in exceptional form this season, and he managed to score a brace on the night. Meanwhile, summer signing Darwin Nunez got on the scoresheet as well, with Firmino setting him with a nice ball.
Second-half substitute Mohamed Salah scored a the quickest hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League. And midfielder Harvey Elliott wrapped up the scoring late on in the game. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Liverpool players performed on the night.
A memorable #UCL night in Glasgow 🤩 pic.twitter.com/h82zfUJHeC
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 12, 2022
Alisson Becker: 7/10
Alisson has been one of the few consistent performers for Liverpool this season, and he produced another impressive display in goal. The Brazilian was barely tested by Rangers, and he was flawless with is catching and distribution throughout the game.
Joe Gomez: 6.5/10
Gomez started as a right-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. While he looked solid at the back, he did make a mistake with his passing which Rangers failed to capitalise on. The defender improved as the game went on and laid down an assist for Roberto Firmino.
Ibrahima Konate: 8/10
The Frenchman returned from injury to make his first start of the season. Konate was undoubtedly the best defender on the pitch, and Klopp will be delighted to have him back, especially with Joel Matip injured.
Tackles at the right time✅
Aware of his surroundings✅
Calm in possession of the ball✅
Good decision-making ✅Ibrahima Konate is on his way to the top. #LFC #RANLIV #UCL pic.twitter.com/yyHsQZpZoh
— Zubin Daver (@zubinofficial) October 12, 2022
Virgil van Dijk: 6.5/10
The Dutchman did not make any major errors as such, but he is still struggling to get back to his best. The Rangers attackers failed to test van Dijk consistently, but he needs to improve in the coming weeks.
Kostas Tsimikas: 5/10
The Greek international started ahead of Andrew Robertson, but he failed to impress once again. Tsimikas struggled against Fashion Sakala and was wasteful with his deliveries. He did pick up an assist, though.
Jordan Henderson: 5/10
The Liverpool captain put on a disappointing display against Arsenal at the weekend, and he struggled against Rangers as well. Henderson failed to control the tempo of the game with his passing and looked nervous on the ball. He kept choosing the safe option in terms of passing and rarely helped his team drive forward.
Fabinho: 5/10
The Brazilian defensive midfielder returned to the starting lineup against Rangers, but he struggled to hit top form. Fabinho has not been at his best for a while now, and he struggled to cope with the peace and intensity of the game.
Harvey Elliott: 8/10
Harvey Elliott vs Rangers
• 40/55 (73%) passes
• 1 chance created
• 75 touches (2nd for LFC)
• 5 shots (1st in game)
• 1 goal
• 2/3 dribbles (2nd)
• 1/1 tackle
• 2 clearances
• 1 interception1st Champions League goal to go with an outstanding performance 💫 pic.twitter.com/DbUYLblZ6v
— LFC Stats (@LFCData) October 12, 2022
The young attacking midfielder has been on the periphery of the first team of late, but he has impressed when given a chance. That was the case once again on Wednesday when Elliott started against Rangers.
The highly-rated youngster impressed with his creativity, decision making and finishing in the final third. He created a number of opportunities for his teammates and scored his first European goal for Liverpool.
Fabio Carvalho: 6/10
The youngster earned a rare start against Rangers, but he failed to showcase his quality on the night. Although Carvalho had a few eye-catching moments, he did not manage to create chances consistently. He did not trouble the Rangers defenders with his movement and shooting in and around the box either.
Roberto Firmino: 10/10
The Brazilian seems to be enjoying his football once again. Firmino scored an important brace for his side to take the game away from Rangers and set up the goal for Darwin Nunez with a spectacular flick.
Liverpool's top scorer this season: Roberto Firmino (7) 🤫 pic.twitter.com/PLk6YpwpHb
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 12, 2022
Darwin Nunez: 7/10
Another impressive outing from the club record signing, our player to watch in the preview. Nunez worked hard throughout the game and he was rewarded for his efforts in the second half. He managed to convert Roberto Firmino’s flick with a well-placed effort.
SUBSTITUTES
Andrew Robertson: 6/10
The Scottish international was given a run out in the second half but was barely tested defensively.
Thiago Alcantara: 6/10
Thiago was brought on in the second half to help Liverpool control the proceedings in the middle, and he did just that.
Diogo Jota: 7/10
The Portuguese international continued his impressive form with a cameo against Rangers. Jota caused all sorts of problems for the home side while operating in the hole and created important chances for Salah.
Mohamed Salah: 10/10
🇪🇬 Salah has scored the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history ⚽️⚽️⚽️#UCL pic.twitter.com/9oJqTcZfqk
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 12, 2022
The Egyptian was handed a rest, keeping the Manchester City game in mind. Salah arrived midway through the second half and produced a remarkable cameo, scoring a six-minute hattrick, now the fastest in UEFA Champions League history.
James Milner: 6/10
Milner replaced Konate late on in the game and helped close out the contest with his experience.
