Liverpool Player Ratings vs Napoli: 8/10 for Salah, Konate; 7 for game-changer Nunez

Liverpool picked up a 2-0 win over Napoli in the UEFA Champions League, with Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate shining.

Goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez ensured a safe passage for the Reds into the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champion League. Liverpool go through as second placed in their group, owing to Napoli’s superior head-to-head record. Both teams have accumulated 15 points from six group games.

Meanwhile, the Partenopei will be disappointed with their toothless display at Anfield on the night. They have been excellent form recently and would have expected to win the game. 

The Reds, on the other hand, were coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Leeds, and they showed great character to bounce back strongly. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Liverpool players performed on the night.

Alisson Becker: 7/10

The Brazilian did not have an awful lot to do, and the Napoli attackers barely tested him. Alisson looked sharp with his catching and positioning throughout and produced some impressive long balls to initiate counters for his side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 7/10

Alexander-Arnold was up against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the night, and the Georgian attacker has been in red hot form. However, the English defender dealt well with the Napoli star. He looked solid at the back and was impressive with his passing. Overall, a fine performance.

Ibrahima Konate: 8/10

The Frenchman was wasteful with his passing ,but he was absolutely impeccable with his defending. Konate was a rock at the back for Liverpool, and the Reds looked much improved with him in the side. The youngster was easily the best defender on the pitch.

Virgil van Dijk: 7/10

Virgil van Dijk improved on his performance against Leeds. He looked reasonably solid and dealt with the pace and movement of Victor Osimhen with ease. The Dutchman’s distribution was spot on as well, and he switched the play with long balls from time to time.

Kostas Tsimikas: 6/10

The Greek left-back was quite subdued on the night. Although he did not look out of place defensively, he offered very little going forward. Liverpool missed Andrew Robertson’s output in the final third.

Fabinho: 5/10

The Brazilian put in another abject performance on the night. It has been a difficult season for Fabinho, and he was easily bypassed in the midfield. He will need to improve massively if he wants to play for Brazil in the World Cup. Rafael Benitez’s comments on his struggles must be taken note of.

James Milner: 6/10

Milner did his job well in the middle of the park. The Liverpool vice captain did not make a notable impact, but he did the basics well. Kept play ticking and worked hard defensively.

Thiago Alcantara: 7/10

The Spanish international was Liverpool’s prime creative source in the middle of the park. Thiago did well to break the lines with his passing and linked up well with his teammates. He created opportunities with his pinpoint long passing.

Mohamed Salah: 8/10

Salah worked hard, but he has lacking in sharpness in the first half. The Egyptian attacker improved as the game went on and scored a poacher’s strike. Salah now has the joint-most goals for Liverpool in Europe.

Roberto Firmino: 6/10

The Brazilian forward was relatively ineffective, and he seems to have lost his goalscoring touch recently. It will be interesting to see if Firmino can retain his place in the starting lineup in the coming games.

Curtis Jones: 6/10

The young midfielder was deployed in the front three, and he worked hard with his passing and link-up play. Jones had a couple of half-chances to score but could not convert them. 

SUBSTITUTES

Harvey Elliott: 6/10

Elliott replaced James Milner midway through the game and improved the creativity in Liverpool’s midfield with his flair and link up play. 

Darwin Nunez: 7/10

Another impressive cameo from the Uruguayan striker, the player to watch in our preview. Nunez played a part in the opening goal and then got on the scoresheet himself. He worked his socks off, and his decision making seemed much improved.

Fabio Carvalho: NA

Carvalho came on too late to make a meaningful impact. 

Stefan Bajcetic: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating. 

Calvin Ramsay: N/A

Klopp handed Ramsay his debut, but the youngster did not have a lot of time to make an impact.