Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Man Utd: Slot’s Gambles Eventually Go Bust

Liverpool came out on the wrong side of five-goal thriller at Old Trafford which included several intriguing tactical decisions from Arne Slot.

Arne Slot took a risky approach which provided plenty of highs and lows in an entertaining affair. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

Liverpool were ultimately condemned to a 3–2 defeat by Manchester United in a chaotic affair at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Forced into a tactical reshuffle by a glut of injuries to his frontline, Slot opted for the midfield pairing of Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz through the middle as a pair of false nines with Cody Gakpo cutting in from the wing. That approach would leave the visitors horribly exposed down their left wing, which is where the second of United’s quick-fire double originated from.

However, Slot stuck by this approach and was rewarded right after restart. Szoboszlai scored Liverpool’s first before teeing up Gakpo’s equalizer in the 56th minute. Yet, just as the Merseyside giants threatened to pull off a historic turnaround, they were undone again.

This perennially exposed iteration of Liverpool continued to give up chances and were ultimately punished by Kobbie Mainoo’s well-placed strike with a quarter of an hour to play. As any honest gambler will admit, an unfortunate roll of the dice is never too far away.

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Heroes and Villains

Heroes

Dominik Szoboszlai inspired a second-half turnaround. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

When in doubt, turn to Szoboszlai. Liverpool’s savior so often this season stepped up once again. Even the buccaneering Hungarian had been overrun during a one-side opening 45 minutes, but it was Szoboszlai who led the fight back.

Presented with a loose pass from Amad Diallo inside his own half, Szoboszlai drove into Manchester United’s penalty area with a furious dart matched by a moment of delicate finesse to pick out the bottom corner. A deft, first-time pass to set up an open goal for Gakpo was just as impressive.

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Villains

Freddie Woodman did not cover himself in glory. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

A goalkeeper is never far from villainy in this fickle sport. One week on from impressing against Crystal Palace, the stand-in shot-stopper was guilty of an unfortunate blunder for Benjamin Šeško’s goal which left Liverpool trailing 2–0.

Freddie Woodman was hardly alone in wilting under the wave of Manchester United dominance during that first half; his far more experienced teammate Andy Robertson also struggled to keep his head above water.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Man Utd (4-2-2-2)

Alexis Mac Allister (left) and Dominik Szoboszlai started slowly. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Freddie Woodman—5.2: Bruno Fernandes was denied an assist for Manchester United’s second goal. That honor fell to Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper, who prodded the ball into Šeško’s midriff.

RB: Curtis Jones—6.8: Struggled to get a grip on Matheus Cunha in a defensive sense but heavily involved when stepping into midfield.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—6.0: After being bullied around the final third by Šeško, the closest Konaté could get to meaningfully stopping the goalscorer was shoving him down the steep banking on the side of the Old Trafford pitch.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—6.1: Is Van Dijk's shakiness “uncharacteristic” anymore? The former figure of consistent composure was once again a mess of hurried swipes and skewed clearances.

LB: Andy Robertson—6.0: Not afforded a great deal of cover but tormented nonetheless.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.2: Embodied the dramatic swing in fortunes for both teams on either side of halftime. After an opening 45 minutes of errant touches and over-stretches, Gravenberch seemed to suddenly get his toe to the ball in time after the interval.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.3: Inadvertently gave Cunha’s opening goal a helping hand by failing to close down the Brazilian before deflecting his effort into the corner. Rectified that error with a clever piece of pressing in the buildup to Liverpool’s equalizer only to undermine his good work with another poor clearance for Mainoo’s winner.

AM: Jeremie Frimpong—6.0: It was a desperate performance from Mohamed Salah’s stand-in; no shots, no chances created and no impact.

ST: Dominik Szoboszlai—8.7: Liverpool’s very own superhero. Szoboszlai put in a performance which should not have left him on the losing side.

ST: Florian Wirtz—6.8: The ghost in Liverpool’s machine had a holographic influence on proceedings.

AM: Cody Gakpo—7.7: Took his goal well and had most of Liverpool’s chances but constantly left Robertson exposed.

SUB: Milos Kerkez (59’ for Robertson)—6.6: Had a better time than Robertson but was still far too weak in the buildup to Mainoo’s strike.

SUB: Rio Ngumoha (75’ for Frimpong)—6.6

SUB: Federico Chiesa (88’ for Konaté)—N/A

Subs not used: Armin Pecsi (GK), Joe Gomez, Mor Talla Ndiaye, Trey Nyoni, Kieran Morrison, Will Wright.

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What These Ratings Tell Us

Jeremie Frimpong has had a debut season to forget. | Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

• For all the criticism of Mohamed Salah this season, Jeremie Frimpong is not the answer. That Slot even fielded the right back on the wing rather than in defense was a statement in its own way. The Dutch boss trusted his central midfielder Curtis Jones to play in Frimpong’s natural position above and beyond the summer recruit.
• Slot claimed that Florian Wirtz’s development this season has been “so clear and obvious.” Any signs of progress were decidedly lacking at Old Trafford as the fleet-footed forward failed to make a discernible impact.
• Szoboszlai still ranked as the highest rated player on the pitch despite emerging on the losing side which is a neat microcosm of his glorious individual season amid Liverpool’s collective malaise.

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The Numbers That Explain Liverpool’s Loss

• Liverpool tumbled into a two-goal deficit in the opening 15 minutes for the first time in Arne Slot’s 110-game tenure. It only took 11 second-half minutes to bring it back to 2–2 in this wonderfully helter-skelter affair.
• Despite boasting the vast majority of possession, 62%, Liverpool struggled to carve open enough clear-cut chances, doing their best work when they were allowed to counter attack Manchester United.
• Only once before this season have Liverpool conceded more than the 18 shots United mustered on Sunday.

Statistic	Man Utd	Liverpool
Possession	38%	62%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.14	0.89
Total Shots	18	13
Shots on Target	6	5
Big Chances	3	1
Passing Accuracy	79%	88%
Fouls Committed	12	11
Corners	3	2

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