
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa: Live Player Ratings from Anfield
Liverpool and Aston Villa drew 2-2 at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday, with the home team having to come from two goals down to rescue a point.
Andi Weimann and Christian Benteke gave Villa a two-goal lead, before strikes either side of half-time from Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard, the latter a penalty, secured a draw.
| Mignolet | 5 | 6 |
| Johnson | 4 | 3 |
| Skrtel | 6 | 7 |
| Toure | 5 | 5 |
| Cissokho | 4 | 3 |
| Gerrard | 5 | 6 |
| Henderson | 7 | 7 |
| Sterling | 6 | 8 |
| Coutinho | 6 | 6 |
| Suarez | 7 | 7 |
| Sturridge | 7 | 7 |
| Guzan | 6 | 6 |
| Bacuna | 6 | 6 |
| Vlaar | 8 | 9 |
| Clark | 7 | 7 |
| Bertrand | 8 | 7 |
| El Ahmadi | 6 | 5 |
| Delph | 7 | 7 |
| Westwood | 6 | 6 |
| Weimann | 6 | 5 |
| Benteke | 7 | 8 |
| Agbonlahor | 8 | 8 |
First half quick analysis:
LIVERPOOL—
Mignolet: What on earth was he doing for the second goal?
Johnson: Continuing his inept form of late. Easily beaten by Clark which could have been first goal, dreadful for Villa's second.
Skrtel: Bullied all over by Benteke but the only member of the back four doing any defending.
Toure: Left for dead on the ground and in the air.
Cissokho: Awful on the ball—direct but without any aim, mindless and not looking for easy pass.
Gerrard: Overrun and unable to track effectively.
Henderson: Liverpool's best player but has been shunted sideways to beef up midfield. Great assist.
Coutinho: Out the game early on but pulling more strings as the half progressed.
Sterling: Hasn't beaten Bertrand yet.
Suarez: Frustrated and kept quiet in the area but using space well outside box.
Sturridge: Great finish and Liverpool's biggest threat by miles.
VILLA—
Guzan: Nothing to do until the goal.
Bacuna: Looks a bit of a loose end of the defence but not directly targeted by any quality opponent.
Vlaar: Excellent inside his own box so far.
Clark: Robust, overly so at times, but hasn't had too much to repel.
Bertrand: Staying back and defending very well.
El Ahmadi: Not yet too involved.
Delph: Great support running to pick up loose and second balls, prolonging Villa attacks.
Westwood: Doing a lot of good work off the ball and supporting his front three or four.
Weimann: A threat with his pace and movement though not hugely effective on the ball...other than his goal!
Benteke: Occupying two defenders constantly and creating space for fellow attackers.
Agbonlahor: Should have scored inside a minute but really attacking the channels well.
Second half quick analysis:
LIVERPOOL—
Mignolet: Didn't have too much to do but his aerial handling was far better.
Johnson: Quite what kind of performance this was supposed to be is still open to debate.
Skrtel: Again, Liverpool's best defender. Dealt better with the threat of Benteke in second half.
Toure: A somewhat wild and scatty performance but Toure was better in the air after the break.
Cissokho: If Opta measured the runs-down-blind-alleys-per-game statistic, Cissokho would now be top.
Lucas: Did well on the ball in his 20-minute spell on the pitch but lost track of runners and went off injured.
Gerrard: Improved Liverpool's attack with penetrating balls and scored a penalty.
Henderson: Full of running, always an outlet, not enough composure or movement ahead of him.
Suarez: Individualistic toward the end but Villa handled him well in truth. Went close with a free kick.
Sturridge: Didn't find enough room for shots inside the area but was always helping to link play.
Sterling: Didn't have great success in one-v-ones but kept going and found more space and success later in the game.
VILLA—
Guzan: Made a few important interceptions aerially but rash in giving away what was always going to be a penalty.
Bacuna: Too often not tested defensively, added nothing going forward.
Vlaar: Excellent game and marked Suarez out of the picture.
Clark: Not quite as solid as his partner but did his share.
Bertrand: Lost his man a few times after the break but a solid and reassuring debut.
El Ahmadi: Not hugely involved.
Delph: Faded as a force in the middle after the break.
Westwood: Similar to first half, bits and pieces but nothing stand-out.
Weimann: Very little impact.
Agbonlahor: Villa missed his pace when he went off injured.
Benteke: Occupied the defence well again and created space for others, but no ultimate end product.











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