Grading The Reds From Back To Front After Shootout Win Over Chelsea

Liverpool’s night against Chelsea went to the wire, and so did plenty of the individual performances behind it. Several key names were given a breather, some promising youngsters were trusted with big minutes, and Andoni Iraola’s rotation shaped just how testing the evening became before penalties eventually settled it. Here is how we rated every Red involved, plus the manager, after a 6-5 shootout win that had Anfield on edge from the first whistle to the last kick.

Defence And Goalkeeper

• Giorgi Mamardashvili – 8/10: Beaten by the one spot kick he faced in normal time but excellent for the rest of the night, including a couple of sharp stops after the restart that kept Liverpool in the tie.
• Ronald Araujo – 8/10 (Man of the Match): Composed rather than spectacular in the first half, then almost scored himself with a thumping header. A big defensive night from the Brazilian.
• Kostas Tsimikas – 7/10: Quiet early on but grew into it, and one outstanding delivery from the left nearly created a second goal.
• Joe Gomez – 7/10: Tidy on the ball and produced a crucial block to deny Chelsea a second, on top of calmly converting his penalty when it mattered most.
• Virgil van Dijk – 7/10: Dominant in the air as ever, and his header from a corner was the catalyst for the penalty that brought Liverpool level. Withdrawn after 71 minutes having done his job.

Midfield And Attack

• Ryan Gravenberch – 5/10: Off the pace for long spells, and his concession of the penalty that led to Chelsea’s equaliser summed up a difficult evening.
• Trey Nyoni – 8/10: Nervy early on but grew in confidence as the game went on, justifying Iraola’s trust in a rotated side. Replaced after 81 minutes.
• James McConnell – 6/10: Steady without ever grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, withdrawn at the hour mark.
• Lewis Koumas – 6/10: Industrious in his pressing but struggled to find the final pass, replaced at 58 minutes.
• Rio Ngumoha – 7/10: Found little room early on but became more dangerous with his dribbling once the game opened up, before making way after 81 minutes.
• Cody Gakpo – 7/10: Combative out of possession and ice cool from the penalty spot to drag Liverpool level before the break.

Substitutes And The Manager

• Bradley Barcola – 7/10 (on 58 mins): Added urgency and should have scored, forcing a smart save after a driven effort from range.
• Florian Wirtz – 6/10 (on 58 mins): Brought on to try and unpick Chelsea’s defence but never quite found the right pass.
• Jeremy Jacquet – 7/10 (on 62 mins): An energetic cameo that gave Liverpool more control in the closing stages.
• Alexis Mac Allister – 7/10 (on 81 mins): A calming influence as the game wound down.
• Alexander Isak – 5/10 (on 81 mins): Barely had time to make an impression.
• Andoni Iraola – 7/10: Rotated his side smartly to manage the squad’s minutes in a congested week, and his changes kept Liverpool fresh enough to get through on penalties.

Taken as a whole, this was the kind of performance that will not live long in the memory for its football, but it did not need to. Iraola got his selection calls largely right given the squad he had to manage through a packed week, and when it mattered most in the shootout, enough of his players held their nerve. The Reds move into the quarter-final draw still in the hunt for silverware, and that is ultimately what tonight’s ratings were always going to be judged against.