Liverpool suffered their first league defeat since they last played Manchester United, back in December, as two Juan Mata goals gave Louis van Gaal’s side a 2-1 victory at Anfield. The game was overshadowed however, by a red card for captain Steven Gerrard, who was on the pitch for just forty seconds in his appearance in this fixture.
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The scoreline could have been worse for Brendan Rodgers’s men, had Wayne Rooney converted a stoppage time penalty. But despite the England captain’s miss, Liverpool’s Champions League qualification hopes were dealt a massive blow.
Read the full Liverpool player ratings below:
GK) Simon Mignolet – 7/10
Probably could have better with Mata’s first goal, but cannot be blamed for the second, and he did manage to save Rooney’s penalty, so he won’t be too disappointed with his own performance.
RCB) Emre Can – 6/10
Didn’t have his best game since his move to being part of a back three, but did concede the penalty late on, though it had no impact on the result.
CB) Martin Skrtel – 7/10
Did well defensively, keeping Rooney quiet, but was lucky his stamp on David De Gea wasn’t spotted by the referee.
LCB) Mamadou Sakho – 5/10
Had a poor game. He struggled, and failed, to contain Juan Mata.