Another game and another victory for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool as the Reds outsmart Derby County 3-0 in the third round of the EFL Cup. Derby were never allowed to come back in the game as Ragnar Klavan scored his first goal in a Red shirt and gave Liverpool the lead in the first half. Philippe Coutinho completed a delightful move and scored the second with Divock Origi scoring the third goal.
Also read: EFL Cup 2016-17: Derby County 0-3 Liverpool - 5 talking points
Nigel Pearson praised this Liverpool side as the Rams were the second best side on the day. Derby sit 20th in the Championship table and have to play out of their skin to reach near the playoff spots. Let's take a look at the player ratings from the clash.
Derby County
Jonathan Mitchell: 7/10
If it was not for the youngster, Derby would easily have conceded 5-6 goals. The goalkeeper could not do anything else in anyone Liverpool's well-executed goals.
Chris Baird: 5.5/10
Baird featured just in the first half and looked relatively solid than other Rams defenders. He was taken off for a more attack minded player.
Richard Keogh: 5/10
It was a tough night for the Derby captain as he was given a torrid time by the Reds attackers.
Alex Pearce: 5.5/10
Pearce was better than his centre-back partner Keogh but could not stop the free flowing attacks from the Premier League club. The defender also had a night to forget as his side were dumped out.
Marcus Olsson: 6/10
The Derby defender took some exciting runs forward but could not beat the ever present and reliable Nathaniel Clyne.
Cyrus Christie: 5/10
Christie was pretty disappointing for Nigel Pearson's side as he was completely dominated by Liverpool’s Coutinho throughout the game.
Will Hughes: 6/10
The youngster looked comfortable when he is on the ball and showed why the English top clubs are interested in the midfielder.
Jacob Butterfield: 4.5/10
The midfielder was unable to shield his defence as Liverpool ran past him far too easily.
Bradley Johnson: 6.5
Johnson caused some problems because of his aerial threat as he put in a great shift yesterday but it was not enough to trouble the Liverpool team.
Andreas Weimann: 5/10
The Austrian had a quiet game as he could not get the service to do some damage to the Reds.
Darren Bent: 6/10
Bent tried his best to make an impact but was left isolated for the majority of the game. It was no surprise that Derby only managed four shots in the entirety of the game with only two going on target.
Substitutions:
Max Lowe: 6/10
The youngster replaced Olsson and he too tried his best by taking some surge forward to provide some decent service.
Tom Ince: 5/10
Ince came in the second half but was disappointing for his entire period in the game.
Timi Elsnick: 6.5/10
Elsnick played some slick passes and was one of Derby's best player in the second half.
Liverpool
Loris Karius: 7/10
Karius made his first start for Liverpool and kept a clean sheet on his debut. He was quick off his line but struggled at times in set pieces.
Nathaniel Clyne: 6.5/10
A typical Clyne performance as he was ever present in defense and attack as he played yet another good game in a Red shirt.
Joel Matip: 7.5/10
Matip has established himself as Liverpool's main centre back after yet another convincing display against Derby. He was good on the ball and defended resolutely when needed.
Ragnar Klavan: 7/10
Klavan too had a solid game and rounded it off with his first goal for Liverpool. He is now Liverpool's third choice centre back in the pecking order getting ahead of Mamadou Sakho.
Alberto Moreno: 6/10
Moreno had a decent game as he got ahead and played some delightful passes but his performance was marred by a yellow card in the second half.
Lucas Leiva: 6.5/10
The Brazilian kept the play ticking at all times and had a pretty decent game for the Reds.
Jordan Henderson : 6/10
The captain looked tired at times but dictated the tempo of the game from a slightly further position on the pitch rather than his new defensive midfielder position this season.
Marko Grujic: 6/10
Grujic made his first start for Liverpool and played a decent game as he showed immense work rate and some delightful passing range.
Roberto Firmino: 8/10
Firmino wrecked havoc on Derby as he showed some slick moves and his movement and passing made him unstoppable at times. The only thing lacking in his performance was a goal.
Philippe Coutinho: 9/10
One goal and two assists were the order of the night for the Brazilian as he completely toyed with Derby's defence. The Brazilian was the best player on the pitch by a mile.
Divock Origi: 7/10
The young Belgian has impressed whenever he has been given the opportunity and he didn't disappoint as he scored yet another goal for the Reds in a cup competition.
Substitutions:
Emre Can: 6.5/10
Returning from an injury, Can had a decent game as he looks to regain match fitness to start for Liverpool in the coming weeks.
Danny Ings: 6/10
Ings played a half hour cameo and made some smart runs as he should have received a penalty late in the second half.
Ovie Ejaria: N/A
The youngster made his debut for Liverpool as he played for the last 10 minutes and will look to add more minutes under his belt in the coming cup games.
