Liverpool vs Porto: Player ratings as Reds keep up 100 per cent record in Champions League
Liverpool 2-0 Porto: Thiago and Salah leave the Portuguese side waiting for the final gameweek in their search to reach the last 16
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool won a fifth straight Champions League group stage game as they saw off Porto 2-0 on Wednesday night.
Otavio had the first big chance of the night but sent an effort wide of what was effectively an open goal.
Sadio Mane thought he had put the Reds ahead before the break when he ran through from Thiago’s pass and side-footed in, but a VAR check ruled it offside. Nothing stopped Thiago himself celebrating soon after the restart though, with a fantastic half-volley from distance finding the bottom corner.
Takumi Minamino also saw a strike ruled out for offside, before Mohamed Salah made it two amid a host of subs for the home side.
Here are the player ratings from the match at Anfield.
Liverpool
Alisson, 7. Captain for the night. Stood up well to a couple of one-on-one chances and his handling off aerials was good. Almost made to pay for one loose pass, but it was perfect distribution all night in comparison to his opposite number.
Neco Williams, 7. Energetic and improved from most of his outings last season - looks a more confident player.
Joel Matip, 7. A few moments where a rotated back line left him exposed but generally fared well.
Ibrahima Konate, 6. Gave the ball away in a dangerous area early on and booked in the first half. Improved after the break and some of his passing was exceptional from deep.
Kostas Tsimikas, 6. Not quite as effective going forward as he has been this season, but a good outlet for the team nonetheless.
Tyler Morton, 7. Very neat in possession, quick passes to move the ball forward and one very good interception in the area to stop a scoring chance from a cut-back.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 7. Took a while to get going but overall kept up his recent run of impacting games, putting in good performances and, importantly, clocking up regular minutes.
Thiago Alcantara, 8. Best player on the pitch in the first half and a fantastic first-time strike for the opener. Some of his passing and evading of challenges was a joy to watch.
Mohamed Salah, 7. Tried a few tricks early on and not too many came off. Kept making runs and giving the defence a hard time though and eventually got his reward with a fine finish.
Takumi Minamino, 7. A busy night of running but not always heavily involved in the build-up. Netted from an offside position.
Sadio Mane, 7. Aggressive running and a counter-attacking outlet for Liverpool. Fluffed a good chance to score but a decent night’s work.
Subs: Jordan Henderson 6, Andy Robertson 7, Divock Origi 7, Fabinho 6, James Milner n/a.
Porto
Diogo Costa 4, Joao Mario 5, Chancel Mbemba 7, Pepe 6, Zaidu Sanusi 7, Otavio 5, Sergio Oliveira 5, Mateus Uribe 6, Luis Diaz 7, Evanilson 6, Mehdi Taremi 5.
Subs: Fabio Cardoso 6, Francisco Conceicao 6, Vitinha 5, Toni Martinez n/a, Marko Grujic n/a
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