Liverpool enjoyed a reasonably good night on their trip to Borussia Dortmund as they go into the return leg at Anfield with the tie still in the balance. Borussia Dortmund will have a tough task at Anfield as they could only manage a draw on the night as Mats Hummels scored the leveler after Divock Origi got the first goal of the game for the Reds,
We take a look at the individual player ratings from the game played at the Westfalenstadion in Germany
Borussia Dortmund:
Roman Weidenfeller – 7/10
Roman Weidenfeller had a decent game and made two fantastic saves off Philippe Coutinho which had they gone in, could’ve changed the result and the complexion of the tie.
Lukasz Piszczek – 5/10
Lukasz Piszczek will be thankful that the game came to an end as he was run ragged by a masterful Philippe Coutinho on the night as Borussia Dortmund struggled to keep the little Brazilian quiet.
Mats Hummels – 9/10
Mats Hummels scored the equaliser with a fantastic header into the net. His leadership at the back kept Borussia Dortmund organised. He was a little slow off his line at times but made some decisive interceptions in the game.
Sven Bender – 6/10
Sven Bender has had better games and was reasonable on the night but often struggled with the pace of Origi.
Marcel Schmelzer – 7/10
Marcel Schmelzer was excellent going forward but lacked the final ball. He was decent defensively as well.
Gonzalo Castro – 6/10
Gonzalo Castro was wasteful in possession and often sloppy. Not one of his better nights but was reasonably decent with his performance overall.
Julian Weigl – 7/10
An excellent performance on the night from Julian Weigl as he played some delightful passes forward. He kept the play ticking for Borussia Dortmund in the middle of the park.
Erik Durm – 6/10
Erik Durm hardly looked comfortable on the night and was average at best. He was substituted after 45 minutes.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 7/10
Henrikh Mkhitaryan seemed to always pose a threat on behalf of Dortmund when in possession. He provided a sublime assist for Hummels’ leveler.
Marco Reus – 6/10
Not a vintage Marco Reus performance this game but did a few good things during the course of the match. You reckon Dortmund would look a different team with him in top gear but it didn’t happen on the night.
Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang– 6/10
Pierre–Emerick Aubameyang was kept stunningly quiet on the night by the Liverpool defence. He was starved of service for most of the night but didn’t do anything outrageous with whatever service he did have.
Substitutes
Nuri Sahin – 6/10
Nuri Sahin brought something different to the Borussia Dortmund midfield after coming on but could hardly impact the game.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 5/10
Sokratis could’ve been sent off for two clumsy challenges. He hardly brought anything different to Bender, who he replaced, in the backline.
Christian Pulisic – N/A
Pulisic hardly saw enough of the ball to feature in the ratings.
Liverpool:
Simon Mignolet – 7/10
Simon Mignolet came up with a calm display on the night, making a few decent saves. He made a big save from Marco Reus at half-time and had a decent game for the Reds.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6/10
Nathaniel Clyne was solid for most of the game with Marcel Schmelzer troubling him on a few occasions but overall the England international kept his own against most of what Dortmund could throw at him.
Dejan Lovren – 8/10
Dejan Lovren continued his bright form under Jurgen Klopp with an impressive display at the heart of the defence. The Croatian International made a number of vital clearances and an important block before the stroke of half-time.
Mamadou Sakho – 9/10
Mamadou Sakho hardly put a foot wrong during the game and was vital in the Liverpool backline’s effort in keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and company quiet. He was calm and had an excellent understanding of the game to deny the Dortmund forward line on a number of occasions.
Alberto Moreno – 6/10
Alberto Moreno can be guilty of a lack of discipline on most occasions but he was decent defensively throughout the game. He did make an unnecessary lunge late in the game but was alright otherwise.
Emre Can – 7/10
Emre Can had a sloppy first half but really came into his own in the second. He was great with his defensive work and looked in command for most of the second half in the heart of midfield.
Jordan Henderson – 5/10
Jordan Henderson continues his alarming drop in form as he saw himself substituted within the first 45 minutes on the night. He was sloppy overall and lacked any mobility.
James Milner – 7/10
James Milner put in his usual industrious performance on the night with some excellent delivery from set pieces. He flicked the ball on and sent Origi into space for the goal.
Philippe Coutinho - 7/10
Philippe Coutinho has been showing some great form of late and put up a fantastic display filled with spark and gusto. He produced a fantastic save off the goalkeeper with a rasping drive after Hummel’s equaliser and kept up the creative threat for Liverpool on the night.
Adam Lallana – 6/10
Adam Lallana worked hard and gave Nathaniel Clyne every bit of support he needed defensively but was hardly influential going forward.
Divock Origi – 9/10
Divock Origi was shown some great faith by Jurgen Klopp, as he started the game ahead of striker Daniel Sturridge this time and vindicated the manager’s belief with a stellar performance up front.
Origi threatened and troubled the Dortmund defence all night and scored the opener. He should have scored another but it was not meant to be. Tireless work rate and physical imposition form the hallmark of the Belgian’s game and it was the same on the night.
Substitutes
Joe Allen – 7/10
Joe Allen came on at half-time for Jordan Henderson and provided much-needed balance to the midfield. He had an impressive game as he brought back Liverpool the control they were missing till half-time in the middle of the park.
Roberto Firmino – N/A
Roberto Firmino hardly had any time on the pitch to make any noticeable impact.
Daniel Sturridge – N/A
Daniel Sturridge came on in the last few minutes of the game and hardly had the time to do anything special.
