Liverpool player ratings for the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge…
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool – We fell agonisingly short of a trip to Wembley as Branislav Ivanovic’s goal four minutes into a half an hour period of extra time was enough to send the home side through to the Capital One Cup final.
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Alberto Moreno and Raheem Sterling both had chances for the Reds inside 90 minutes, but we were unable to find a way past the impressive Thibaut Courtois in the Chelsea goal.
Read the full Liverpool player ratings below:
GK) Simon Mignolet – 8
Kept Liverpool in the game with a superb reaction save to deny Diego Costa after the ball flicked off Martin Skrtel – excellent stuff from the Belgian.
RCB) Emre Can – 6
Looked a little shaky at the start of the evening, but recovered well from Costa’s horrific stamp to put in a better performance that he did against the Blues last week.
LCB) Mamadou Sakho – 5
Made one terrible mistake that almost led to Chelsea goal and did lead to him picking up an injury. An out of character bad night for the Frenchman.
CB) Martin Skrtel – 6
Left some gaps as he became overly focused on Diego Costa in the latter stages. Nonetheless, a decent performance for the tireless and determined Slovakian.
DM) Lucas Leiva – 6
Played his usual role in front of the back three to good effect, but was a little lucky to remain on the pitch late on after a series of clumsy challenges.
CM) Jordan Henderson – 6
Lacked the cutting edge required to drive Liverpool forward in midfield. He also could have seen red for a needless handball – when he clearly stuck his arm out.
RM) Lazar Markovic – 5
A quiet night for the Serbian who after some bright moments early on quickly faded and was rightly subbed mid-way through the second-half. It was just a shame who came on.
LM) Alberto Moreno – 7
A highly impressive performance from the young Spaniard, who never stopped running down the left hand side. Got forward well to support the attack and was unlucky to be sacrificed late on.
AM) Philippe Coutinho – 7
The Brazilian looked good again. He was creative and exciting to watch on the ball and always looked likely to make something happen, while he was also unlucky not to score.
AM) Steven Gerrard – 6
Played one superb through ball, but his legs just don’t have what they used too. Despite all his drive and determination he slowed as the match wore on. Gave all he could.
ST) Raheem Sterling – 7
Looked likely to be the man who would get the goal after causing plenty of problems in the first half. The inclusion of Kurt Zouma, with his extra pace, helped Chelsea cope with him well.
Manager: Brendan Rodgers – 6
A disappointing night for Rodgers, but not a calamitous one. It was another impressive performance from his side and he will be able to take the positives from the game.
Subs:
1) Glen Johnson – 6 – Did what was expected of him after being forced on, no complaints.
2) Mario Balotelli – 4 – Gave away the free-kick, failed to mark Ivanovic and wasteful up front – very bad night.
3) Rickie Lambert – 5 – Skied a late chance, otherwise quiet in his brief time on the pitch.
