As part of the unique doubleheader friendly between the La Liga Outfit Athletic Club and Anfield, Liverpool returned to sacred Anfield turf for their second evening clash and kicked off at 8pm.
The family loyalists were already treated to a lung-rupting victory early in the evening as the Reds’ first XI offering was a convincing 4-1 victory. The goals of teen starlets, Rio Nugumoha, Darwinnes, Benduac and Harvey Elliott won the line.
With more big guns including the arrival of Mohamed Salah and Big Money Summer, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike entered the battle for the second fixture, Express Sport has carried out the rules surrounding player ratings…
Giorgi Mamardashivili 8-Big and impressive. I was now looking for more homes behind Liverpool and was warmly welcomed by Anfield. I pulled out a huge 82 minute save to keep the hosts ahead.
Milos Kerkez 8-endless energy and a keen desire to quickly improve and find the foot on this side. It will become a large asset.
Wataru End 8 – Sturdy ownership made the pitch well. It always looks ready to play in Liverpool. He was aggressive throughout the game and was late to get a penalty.
Ibrahima konate 7 – Strong and impressive, and begins to look sharp as the match progresses.
Jeremie Frimpong 7 – Always moving forward with enthusiastic energy. He had not owned it several times, but only for gambling his own skill. Arne Slot didn’t seem to mind.
Ryan Graven Burch 8 – Silk Possession. He needs more time on his feet, but he patrolled his space well. This season, it was bombed into dangerous spaces that could be a sign of more offensive responsibility. Tweaks that could be interesting.
Dominik Szoboszlai 7- held more than usual, lost the ball and worked well to hand over quickly again.
Florian Wirtz 9-Standing ovation when she drops out. It worked well in tight spaces and looked five steps ahead of most other steps on the pitch. Already a deadly asset.
Hugo Ekitike 8 – First exhaustion, bold show at Merseyside. I played directly and grew confidently. Already have Sarah’s assist under his belt.
Mohamed Salah 8- Return to Anfield and return to goal. Mauraude moved forward with will and seemed to connect with Wirtz and Ekitike as much as possible. Characteristically, I missed out on penalties, but it’s good to pull them out of the system in preseason.
Cody Gakpo 8-brace and sw walking that matches it. He appears to be ready to peak again in his red shirt. Obviously he is aware of the rise of mercury in teenager Rionugmoha and knows he needs to be locked up to maintain his status as a top dog.
