Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Man City: Salah Farewell Tour Off to Humiliating Start

An embarrassing return to domestic action after the international break.

A nightmare outing for Mohamed Salah. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Liverpool were dumped out of the FA Cup on Saturday after a shocking 4–0 defeat away to Manchester City.

Erling Haaland netted twice late in the first half and, after Antoine Semenyo’s cool strike, completed his hat-trick before the hour mark on a day which quickly descended into farce for Arne Slot’s side.

There was even a missed penalty for Mohamed Salah on his first appearance since announcing his departure at the end of the season. Things could hardly have gone worse.

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The Moment That Defined the Match

Everything fell apart after the penalty. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

For 37 minutes, Liverpool looked good. Sure, there were a handful of underperformers, but Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké both looked electric and were really threatening to make something happen.

Out of nowhere, Virgil van Dijk sent Nico O’Reilly tumbling to the ground late in the first half. Eleven in-game minutes later and it was 3–0.

Liverpool completely fell apart defensively, losing any composure they showed before the penalty as a rejuvenated City came flying forwards without a care in the world. The drop in performance levels was alarming and fans—at least, those that had not already walked out—soon began to question whether their defenders were even trying.

Van Dijk let his frustrations boil over as he continued to bark orders into the abyss, chasing the ball around the pitch and losing all his composure when his teammates needed him most.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Man City (4-2-3-1)

Liverpool were well below their best once again. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—5.7: Could do very little about any of City’s goals. Should have had an early assist for Salah.

RB: Joe Gomez—6.0: Given a massive scare by Jérémy Doku in the opening minutes that set the tone for the rest of the game. Clearly could not match the Belgian physically and was given the run-around throughout.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—5.8: Completely lost Haaland for City’s second goal. Will be very disappointed not to have tracked the run.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—5.4: Beaten by O’Reilly’s speed and had no right to protest the decision. Was left chasing shadows as City’s confidence grew and grew, with his frustrations boiling over.

LB: Milos Kerkez—6.1: Very lively during a first half which rarely saw him tested by Antoine Semenyo, but couldn’t cut out City’s attack for the second goal. Like the entire team performance, things quickly fell apart.

DM: Ryan Gravenberch—6.6: Didn’t do enough at the base of midfield. Looked uncomfortable when asked to make something happen on the ball.

DM: Curtis Jones—6.6: Can’t fault the energy and work rate, but Jones’s impact in possession was limited. Failure to clear the ball led to the throw-in from which City scored the second and the hosts soon started passing rings around him.

RM: Mohamed Salah—6.0: Should have done far better with an early chance but took way too long on the ball. Two big chances at the start of the second half and even gifted a penalty, but could not get anything beyond James Trafford.

AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.2: Liverpool’s star of the season so far was nowhere to be seen throughout. Tried to help his side off the ball but the Reds needed far more from him in possession.

LM: Florian Wirtz—6.9: Looked incredibly dangerous early on as he constantly found space, rotating around Liverpool’s forward line and causing chaos. Disappeared from the game when things started going wrong.

ST: Hugo Ekitiké—7.2: Lively and fluid in the first half as his partnership with Wirtz looked bright, but found opportunities in front of goal hard to come by. Smart movement to win the penalty.

SUB: Jeremie Frimpong (62’ for Gomez)—6.4

SUB: Alexis Mac Allister (67’ for Gravenberch)—6.4

SUB: Cody Gakpo (67’ for Ekitiké)—6.5

SUB: Rio Ngumoha (67’ for Wirtz)—5.9

SUB: Federico Chiesa (77’ for Salah)—6.1

Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Andy Robertson Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

A nightmare outing for Salah. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

• Mohamed Salah could hardly have had a worse start to his farewell tour. Confidence is incredibly low right now and the Egyptian will be desperate to turn things around and leave Anfield on a high.
• Liverpool’s defense was all over the place, with Virgil van Dijk’s drop-off of greatest concern. Even with Jérémy Jacquet coming in the summer, more reinforcements may be needed.
• There were glimpses of life from both Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké. It may be hard to take any positives from this, but the two summer signings look to have clicked and should offer some hope for the future.

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The Numbers That Explain Liverpool’s Abysmal Defeat

• Liverpool missed both of their big chances during the game, whereas City scored all four of theirs.
• Five shots on target from 11 efforts showed the sloppy side to Liverpool’s attack. Players simply could not keep their shots down.
• Liverpool actually managed more passes than City, 444 to 442, but too many of those were short and uninspired.

Statistic	Man City	Liverpool
Possession	50%	50%
Total Shots	11	11
Shots on Target	7	5
Big Chances	4	2
Pass Accuracy	89%	89%
Fouls	15	10
Corners	4	2

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