Player ratings as Liverpool score low marks, while Napoli's Allan is a monster

Chris Bailey 01:24 04/10/2018
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  • Carlo Ancelotti’s tactical masterclass squeezed the life out of the usually rampant Liverpool attack as Lorenzo Insigne earned a 1-0 win for Napoli that blew Group C of the Champions League wide open.

    With the hosts playing a high line and switching between three and four at the back in and out of possession, Liverpool could neither pass nor use their pace to play around the dominant hosts.

    Super-sub Dries Mertens led the charge, while Allan was indomitable in midfield. The Reds’ attacking three, however, come in for low marks.

    Check out our ratings below …

    NAPOLI RATINGS (4-3-3)

    David Ospina – Must have been expecting a busy night but, to the surprise of everyone, could have spent the game perched on a deckchair. 6

    Nikola Maksimovic – His role was very much one of a Steady Eddy and performed his defensive duties well. 6

    Raul Albiol – Not as mobile as Koulibaly, but was often in the right place at the right time to mop up the loose ends. 7

    Kalidou Koulibaly – Impervious in defence and popped up almost everywhere else, playing on the left wing at points as Napoli went to a three-man defence in possession. 8

    Mario Rui – Ran himself into the ground and nearly ran the Reds out of town with a defeat, delivering the ball that saw Mertens crash against the woodwork. 8

    Allan – Snipped off the supply lines to Liverpool’s trident and his passing accuracy would have impressed Xavi in his pomp. Monster performance. 9

    Marek Hamsik – Occupying a deeper role with Jorginho now in London. So assured in possession, though regrettably his forward forays have been sacrificed. 7

    Fabian Ruiz – Perhaps the least impressive of Napoli’s midfield unit, but helped keep the balance on the left. 6

    Jose Callejon – The most likely attacking outlet for Napoli before Ancelotti’s superb subs came on, and his superb driven cross was a thing of beauty for Insigne’s winner. 8

    Arkadiusz Milik – At one point Callejon was visibly frustrated by the striker’s lack of movement. A more dynamic frontman could have made the result more emphatic. 4

    Lorenzo Insigne – Plugged away without too much joy before he stole into the box and sent the Neapolitans into raptures at the death. 7

    SUBSTITUTES

    Dries Mertens – Played a delicious through ball to Callejon that was wrongly flagged offside, then found the crossbar from a few yards out. Should have started ahead of Milik. 7

    Simone Verdi – Helped stretch the legs of the Liverpool defence when he came on for Ruiz, though his impact was limited. 6

    Piotr Zielinski – A more-than-adequate replacement for Hamsik in the last 10 minutes to keep Napoli surging towards an eventual winner. 6

    LIVERPOOL RATINGS (4-3-3)

    Alisson – Parried  a few shots and generally remained unflustered at the backCallejon’s cross was simply too good to deal with. 7

    Trent Alexander-Arnold – Great recovery tackle on Ruiz at one point, but looked shaky when Napoli turned it up in the second half. 5

    Joe Gomez – Liverpool spent so long searching for one decent centre-back – and now they’ve got two. Mini Van Dijk did his best to hold Napoli at bay. 8

    Virgil van Dijk – Makes everything look so easy, both on the ball and off it. The Reds’ centre-backs were not at fault, getting very little support from their team-mates. 8

    Andrew Robertson – Did his best to shackle Callejon and was successful for the most part. Simply could not get going in an attacking capacity, however. 6

    James Milner – So brilliant in Europe last season, but his only significant contribution to this game was going in the referee’s book. 3

    Georginio Wijnaldum – Will still be dizzy when he wakes up on Thursday after chasing the shadows of Allan and Hamsik. 4

    Naby Keita – Energetic in early stages, though gift-wrapped a chance for Insigne, before injury forced a premature substitution. 5

    Mohamed Salah – It’s just not happening for the Egyptian King. Aside from a few neat – and rare – touches in Napoli’s box, was given no breathing space by the hosts’ high line. 4

    Roberto Firmino – No shots. Which is okay if you’re as good as linking the play as Firmino. But he made no passes of note. 3

    Sadio Mane – The only member of the attacking trio to run at Napoli a couple of times, but that’s about as generous as you can be. 4

    SUBSTITUTES

    Jordan Henderson – Thrust into action because of Keita’s injury and struggled to show any energy or accuracy in a compressed midfield. 4

    Fabinho – Could not stem the tide for the final 15 minutes as Napoli got stronger and stronger as the game wore on. 5

    Daniel Sturridge – Klopp waited until the 89th minute for his last throw of the dice. N/A

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