FW: Christian Benteke – 4/10
Less than 20 passes and no shots at all in the first half earned Benteke a seat on the bench at the break. More and more he’s looking like a hit-and-miss target man as opposed to a serious weapon.
FW: Philippe Coutinho – 7/10
It was a nearly day for Coutinho, who was unlucky that he had four shots which only barely missed. But a one-on-one with the goalkeeper? The Brazilian should have scored. Might Raheem Sterling have?
FW: Daniel Sturridge – 6/10
It was nice to see Sturridge back in the starting XI after a lengthy injury spell, but only sometimes did he look like he was at full strength. There were times when he seemed unable to keep up with the game.
Substitutes:
Danny Ings – 8/10
A half-time sub for Benteke, Ings made his mark immediately with a well-taken goal moments after the whistle. He will now hope to get more start time going forward, but the competition for places is hot.
Adam Lallana – 6/10
Had a good effort on goal in stoppage time which went slightly too far to the left. Lallana demonstrated good ball control, but the decision to bring him on for Sturridge was a bit of a head scratcher.
Roberto Firmino – 5/10
A non-factor in the final 20 minutes, Firmino played deep and couldn’t really impact the game.
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