Liverpool vs. Sevilla FC: Postmatch (9/13/17)

humbleninja (25)in #sports • 7 years ago

Part of being a Liverpool fan means that there is never a shortage of goals and this game followed that trend. After a spanking at the weekend, Liverpool looked better today, which was no doubt helped by the fact that he had the same number of men as the other team. As stunning as Liverpool is in attack, how poor their defense is equally as stunning. Lovren continues to be a liability at the back with a comical attempt at a relatively easy clearance led to Sevilla's opening goal through Ben Yedder.

I mentioned in my preview that the key men for each respective team will be Sadio Mané and Steven N'Zonzi.

Sadio Mané proved once again why he is Liverpool's key man. He was absolutely electrifying and Liverpool's best moves came when we was running at pace with the ball. He created numerous chances, including drawing the penalty which Firmino subsequently missed. His absence will hopefully mean a return to prominence for Phillipe Coutinho in the side.

Firmino and Salah were also impressive. After a relatively subpar weekend for the two, they bounced back in fine fashion. Firmino's off the ball runs continue to be deadly as he finished coolly from a Moreno cross. The once blemish to his night was the missed PK. Salah also silenced the few critics he garnered from the weekend after an impressive outing. He took his goal brilliantly after winning the ball from N'Zonzi. His €42m price tag is looking more and more like a bargain each game he plays.

On form, I think Liverpool's front three can match PSG's Neymar, Cavani, and Mbappe for best in the world.

Steven N'Zonzi was quiet, which was good for Liverpool. Liverpool's high pressure didn't allow him much time on the ball and he never really settled in the game. Defensively, he was solid for Sevilla, though. He made a few important tackles, and there was also an arguement that he tripped in the buildup to Salah's goal.

I also mentioned in my preview that Escudero and Correa will be important for Sevilla. Head Coach Berizzo likely told the pair to target Gomez at right-back and the opening goal came from a combination of the two as Correa played in an overlapping Escudero to slide it to Ben Yedder for the opener. As mentioned before though, this really should've been cleared by Lovren. The more you watch it, the more comical the attempted clearance gets. Correa also took his equalizer brilliantly.

Special praise has to be given how to Alberto Moreno. After being on the bench for much of the past two seasons, even relinquishing his place at left back to James Milner last season and looking almost certainly to being sold in the Summer, he has completely transformed himself. While his attacking prowess has never been questioned, his crossing and decision making has elevated this season. He put in some extremely dangerous crosses, one of which was converted by Robby Firmino to equalize for Liverpool. Though he occasionally still gets caught out of position, the timing of his runs has dramatically improved and he has blistering recovery pace. He almost had himself a goal as well.

The big talking point of the game was the return of the little magician, Phillipe Coutinho. I was really happy to hear that Anfield was warm and receptive when he came on. Looked slightly rusty, as he lost the ball a few times and had some misplaced touches, but the quality is still there. If we are going to challenge for trophies this season, he is going to play a big part. Even if he doesn't want to play, the incentive is there as this is a World Cup year.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty poor result. The missed PK came back to haunt us and Liverpool really should've taken all three points after dominating the chances. After a dynamic first half, the Reds looked slightly off pace in the second. Nonetheless, this really summed up Liverpool's night: