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Sevilla FC and Liverpool played out an interesting draw as the hosts came back from behind to level the score, and earned themselves a point to keep their UEFA Champions League knockout stages hopes alive. The first half saw Liverpool race away to a three-goal advantage, courtesy some shoddy defending from Sevilla, and their own clinical edge in front of the goal.
However, the second half was contrastingly different. Now it was time for Liverpool to be on the receiving end as Wissam Ben Yedder pulled Sevilla back into the game courtesy a brace. However, the last goal of the match did not come until the stoppage minute when Guido Pizzaro scored from a corner, and the match subsequently ended 3-3.
Here, let’s take a look at how the players fared for both the teams:
Sevilla FC
Sergio Rico: 6.5/10
Quite an amazing outing just like his opposite number. Pulled off a few saves, including a fantastic stop off a late Salah shot after being exposed one-v-one vs him late in the first half. however, he could have done very little about any of the goals he conceded.
Gabriel Mercado: 6/10
The fullback had a decent outing and defended reasonably well barring the opening half an hour minutes of the game. He stayed narrow and didn't really give much in attack. However, he did not contribute much to the attack, barring a few forays into Liverpool's half in the second half.
Johannes Geis: 5.5/10
Geis had a game to forget tonight. He was shoddy in the first half and always struggled against the pace of Liverpool's front three. However, he did not have much to do in the second half, he did improve and never gave Liverpool enough space to finish off the game.
Clement Lenglet: 6.5/10
Lenglet put in a good performance as he was constantly in the way of Firmino and company, keeping them at bay for the majority of the game. He made a string of important interceptions and tackles to keep Sevilla in the game.
Sergio Escudero: 7.5/10
He was one of Sevilla's better player throughout the match. he never allowed Salah to come into his own on Sevilla's left while also fulfilling his attacking duties on the other side of the pitch. This was a complete performance on his part.
Steven N'Zonzi: 4.5/10
One of many Sevilla players who could not perform to their full potential. He struggled to screen Sevilla's defence as Liverpool looked quite threatening in the first half. He did not contribute much in attack either, and gave away the ball cheaply on a number of occasions.
Ever Banega: 7/10
The Argentine was the catalyst of Sevilla's resurgence. once he was shifted to a deeper role the Andalusians played a lot better and this was reflected by the final result as well. However, his first-half performance was a bit off the mark.
Guido Pizarro: 7/10
Pizzaro had a bizarre game. In the first half, he was overrun in the midfield. In the second half, he ran the show with his accurate passing from deeper areas of the pitch. He capped off the game with a fine goal deep in injury time to level it up for Sevilla.
Pablo Sarabia: 6.5/10
The Sevilla captain had a horrible first half. He was all over the place without contributing much to the attack. However, the second half saw him grow in stature. He was a thorn in Liverpool's defence as they struggled to deal with his movement and vision.
Wissam Ben Yedder: 8/10
The young striker's brace early in the second half brought his team back in the match. Both his goals were taken with fine finishes. However, the first half saw him being left a bit isolated up top as his team struggled to put together some decent attacking moves.
Nolito: 4/10
This was again a game to forget for Nolito, who has not been one of the Sevilla's better player this season. He struggled to cause too many problems and his final passes were poor. He failed to provide any end product as Sevilla struggled to score.
Substitutes:
Franco Vazquez: 7.5/10
Brought on for N'Zonzi at the halftime, he, along with Banega, changed the course of the game into Sevilla's favour, Given a free role, he was the centre of almost everything interesting in Sevilla's attacks.
Luis Muriel: 6/10
Brought on with just quarter of an hour to play, he could not muster up enough challenge for Liverpool's defence. however, his movement was sharp and he linked well with his teams mates.
Joaquin Correa: N/A
Brought on late in the game as the last throw of the dice from the Andulasian club, he had little time to affect the game. He did show some promise and held onto the ball well in tighter areas.
Liverpool
Loris Karius: 6/10
If you were being harsh, it could be argued that Karius could have done slightly better against the shots that found the back of the net. He was, however, not to blame for this loss, and he did make three good saves.
Joseph Gomez: 6/10
Gomez did not have to deal with Sarabia's runs in the first half and looked much assured against an ineffective Nolito. However, he allowed Sevilla's wide men too much space and time on the ball, which could have been dangerous.
Dejan Lovren: 8/10
This was an extremely accomplished performance from the defender, who was one of the most impressive players on the pitch. He showed great intelligence on the cover and was confident in possession too.
Ragnar Klavan: 7/10
Klavan had a good game as he dominated and won everything that came his way in the air. He won headers, made blocks and clearances and was a calm head in the heart of the Barca defence. However, he was partially at fault for the goal conceded as his poor clearance fell for Pizzaro.
Alberto Moreno: 3/10
Moreno had a shocker. He looked nervy in the first half however, he was lucky that Sevilla underperformed. However, the start of the second half saw him go from bad to worse. Quite at fault for the first two Sevilla goals. He was lucky to have stayed on the pitch after a series of serious tackles, any of which could have been a second yellow and a subsequent red.
Jordan Henderson: 7/10
Henderson showed good awareness and passing ability, which gave Liverpool control in the first half. He was also important after the break, making some key interceptions.
Georginio Wijnaldum: 6/10
The midfielder was industrious and covered a lot of ground for his team. He was solid defensively for most parts of the game and did not give Sevilla players much space to pass the ball through the middle. It was his flick that ended up in the back of the net via a Mane header.
Philippe Coutinho: 7/10
The nimble-footed Brazilian was absolutely unplayable in the first half. he created quite a few chances including an intelligent through ball for Salah late in the first half which he missed. However, he did go missing in the second half and was subsequently replaced.
Mohamed Salah: 5/10
Though he started well, he faded as the match wore on. He did not trouble Escudero much and did not quite track the runs of Escudero, who looked dangerous. He should be disappointed as to how things turned out.
Sadio Mane: 7/10
Mane's pace seemed to terrify Sevilla's defence whenever he picked up the ball with space in front of him. The speedy forward was his team's brightest spark for long periods. He did fade out in the second half, just like his teammates.
Roberto Firmino: 7/10
Like his teammates, he had an amazing first half. He scored a brace and looked dangerous on the ball. He linked up well with his teammates. However, he was left isolated most of the time up top in the second half.
Substitutes:
James Milner: 6/10
Brought on for Moreno to steady the defence, he did that with nonchalance. He could not change Liverpool's fortune in the attack, but he did make their backline look much more stable and it was.
Emre Can: 5.5/10
Brought on for Coutinho, he added muscles in the middle of the ground and disrupted Sevilla's attacks a fair number of times. However, he spurned a great opportunity late in the game to win it for the travelling side when the score was still 3-2 in their favour.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: N/A
Was a very late substitution, and the Englishman didn't have sufficient time to influence the game
