Carabao Cup 2017/18: Leicester City 2-0 Liverpool, player ratings

It was another familiar tale for Liverpool in their first match of the League Cup. The Reds dominated possession and created chances but were not clinical enough while at the other end their defensive woes continued.

Jurgen Klopp made numerous changes to his side and opted to leave Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Daniel Sturridge, Emre Can, Joel Matip and Simon Mignolet out of the matchday squad.

Leicester also made several changes but the team they sent out was enough to test a fragile Liverpool defence and secure their place in the next round as goals from Shinji Okazaki and Islam Slimani in the second half gave the hosts a rather comfortable victory.

Leicester City

Ben Hamer - 6/10

Hamer was the busier of the two keepers in the first half but he wasn't tested enough. The most difficult save he had to make was probably an effort from Philippe Coutinho straight at him.

Daniel Amartey - 6/10

Had his handful in the first half as most of Liverpool’s attack came through that side and he didn’t get enough support from his teammates to stop Robertson’s crosses. He had a much better second half.

Aleksandar Dragovi? - 7/10

The Austrian managed to win a lot of headers and played well to shut Liverpool down despite their territorial dominance. He comfortably dealt with some dangerous crosses and runs into the box.

Wes Morgan - 7/10

Morgan commanded the backline well and somehow helped keep Liverpool at bay in the first half despite wave after wave of attack. He was solid in the second half and rarely did the visitors have a sniff.

Ben Chilwell - 6/10

Chilwell made some good interceptions throughout the game. He gave Chamberlain space on a couple of occasions and let the former Arsenal player run at the defence but the youngster did well in a rare outing.

Marc Albrighton - 6/10

Albrighton didn't have a good first half as he didn't cover his full back well enough or create any chances. He rectified those mistakes in the second half. Nothing spectacular but solid.

Vicente Iborra - 7/10

The former Sevilla man didn't enjoy a lot of the ball like he must have been used to but gave his two centre-backs a lot of protection. The Spaniard closed down spaces quickly and forced Liverpool to pass wide or behind several times.

Wilfred Ndidi - 6/10

Ndidi also got a rare outing against Liverpool and like his midfield partner, he too did well to stop Liverpool’s midfield from doing any damage by driving forward. He was subbed off for Hamza Choudhury late in the game.

Demarai Gray - 8/10

Gray was arguably the best player on the pitch. His pace and dribbling created problems for Liverpool's troubled defence and made life difficult for Jon Flanagan. He had the chance to score but saw his effort saved by Ward.

Islam Slimani - 7/10

Slimani couldn't get involved in the game enough during the first half but had a much better second half. He kept Klavan occupied and won few headers before sealing the game with a well-taken goal.

Leonardo Ulloa - 5/10

Like Slimani, Ulloa also had a subdued first half but won few first headers against Klavan and Gomez. He was taken off early in the second half due to an injury and was replaced with Okazaki

Substitutes

Shinji Okazaki - 8/10

Okazaki came off the bench because of an injury to Ulloa and changed the game. He pressed the Liverpool players high up the pitch and started creating problems with his running. He scored the first goal 12 minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Hamza Choudhury - N/A

Came on in the 84th minute as a direct replacement for Ndidi but didn’t have enough time to influence the game.

Liverpool

Coutinho was a livewire in the first half

Danny Ward - 6/10

Was rarely called into action in the first half but made a couple of good catches and clearances when called upon. He could have done nothing about the two goals Liverpool conceded but made a brilliant save to deny Gray and Leicester their third.

Jon Flanagan - 4/10

Flanagan showed why he is the fourth choice right-back as he struggled to cope with the pace and trickery of Gray throughout the game and looked completely out of sorts. He also offered nothing going forward.

Joe Gomez - 5/10

Gomez had a decent first half where he helped recover the ball whenever Leicester won the first header from a long ball but he was at fault for Leicester’s opening goal. The entire team pushed up after a free kick was cleared but Gomez languished behind and played several Leicester players onside.

Ragnar Klavan - 4/10

Klavan had another game where he showed why he shouldn’t be starting for Liverpool. The Estonian had his good moments in the first half but constantly lost headers against Leicester’s strikers and then easily let go of Slimani from the throw in that led to the second goal.

Andrew Robertson - 6/10

Was one of the best players on the pitch in the first half and gave Leicester a real headache with his brilliant crosses. Liverpool could have scored at least twice from his crosses alone in the first half. He couldn’t influence the game as much in the second half.

Jordan Henderson - 5/10

Henderson passed the ball around, pressed and made a few good recoveries but in a game like this, more was expected from the captain. There wasn't enough drive from him to try and create chances. Underwhelming performance.

Marko Grujic - 5/10

Grujic played a more advanced midfield role in the game and won some headers up front which helped create spaces in the first half. However, he made some awful tackles and was a shown a yellow for one such tackle.

Georginio Wijnaldum - 6/10

Wijnaldum was surprisingly effective in an away game and it might be due to the rest he received in the previous game. The Dutchman shielded the ball well and kept finding space in tight areas. He was taken off for Danny Ings in the 73rd minute.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 5/10

Chamberlain made some direct runs, played some neat one-touch passes and pressed well at times but he still seems to be struggling in his new surroundings. He lost the ball with some awful passes and let the team down with poor crosses when there were players in the box. He still needs time to get up to speed.

Philippe Coutinho - 7/10

Coutinho was a live wire and was showing more signs of getting back to his best. His quick turning, dribbling and passing were a treat to watch. He was taken off for Ben Woodburn in the second half, probably keeping the next game in mind.

Dominic Solanke - 5/10

Solanke found himself in goalscoring positions on numerous occasions but failed to get a telling touch. He linked up play with the likes of Coutinho, Grujic and Chamberlain but he too didn’t do enough.

Substitutes

Ben Woodburn - 6/10

Woodburn was one of Liverpool’s best players in the second half but couldn’t replicate the impact Coutinho made. The Welshman displayed his ball control, dribbling and agility, and came close to scoring with a well-taken effort.

Danny Ings - 6/10

Ings made a long-awaited return to the first team after a series of injuries. He found himself at the end of a deflected free kick and almost managed to flick it goalwards.