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It was a drab affair at Anfield as the clash between Liverpool and Napoli in Group E of the Champions League ended in a 1-1 draw. The home side did not seem like their usual, confident self, and the visitors got the point they needed away from home. The refereeing was questionable and the performance from the home team left much to be desired.
Liverpool seemed uninspired and lacking in the first half as they did not have an answer to how Napoli had set up. Dries Mertens finished beautifully in front of the Kop in the 21st minute to give the visitors lead; although the goal was not without controversy. Mertens seemed to have fouled Virgil Van Dijk in the build-up, but the goal stood.
Dejan Lovren's powerful header in the 65th minute was the final important moment of the game, as the teams shared one point each. Liverpool is all but assured of qualification into the round of 16, whereas Napoli needs to get a positive result against Genk in the final game.
Here are the hits and the flops from this game -
#5 Hit - Kalidou Koulibaly
Barring an unnecessary challenge on Mohamed Salah, Kalidou Koulibaly had a good game at Anfield in front of a raucous crowd. The Napoli captain got yellow-carded at the end of the game because of his altercation with the referee, but he put up a solid performance otherwise.
The Senegalese international completed one dribble, won three aerial duels and cleared the ball a game-high eight times. He also had one successful tackle and a goal-line clearance from Roberto Firmino's shot which would have resulted in much more pressure on his team. Overall, it was quite a good showing from the centre-back who once again proved why he is one of the best in the world.
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#4 Flop - Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has not been at his best during Liverpool's past few games. The forward was limited to just 45 touches of the ball today and his decision making was poor. Although he completed 88% of his passes, the Egyptian King was lacking in the final third and he carelessly lost possession on a few occasions.
Salah was held to only two shots in the entire game, and neither of them troubled the goalkeeper. Although the entire Liverpool ooffencewas off today, the prolific forward was unusually quiet and will be looking to put this game behind him. He just came back from a minor injury and the Reds will be hoping Salah is back to his best this weekend.
#3 Hit - Dejan Lovren
Dejan Lovren has stepped up his game in the absence of regular first-choice centre-back Joel Matip. The Croatian international has been putting in some decent shifts as of late, and today was one of them.
Although Lovren was at fault for playing Mertens onside for the first goal, he was solid for the rest of the game and made amends when he scored the equaliser for Liverpool. He blocked one shot and made two tackles and clearances each, and largely kept the Napoli attack at bay. Jurgen Klopp will be glad that the centre-back is in good form, as Matip is expected to be out till at least early 2020.
#2 Flop - Joe Gomez
It has not been the best of seasons for Joe Gomez so far. Matip has effectively taken over as the first-choice centre-back which has limited Gomez's minutes in the first team, and he has failed to perform well when given the chance.
The English defender was poor against Napoli away, and he had a bad game today too. He looked sluggish and uncertain of himself, and he had some trouble coping with the tricky Napoli front three.
Gomez committed two fouls and was subbed off by Klopp before the hour mark. The defender is talented, and at the moment just seems to be lacking in confidence. The fans will hope he gets back to his best soon.
#1 Hit - Dries Mertens
Dries Mertens was arguably tonight's man of the match. The forward beat the offside trap and hit a wonderful shot past Alisson Becker to give his team the lead in the 21st minute. He completed one dribble and was fouled twice as the Liverpool defence came undone through his pace.
Although Mertens' time on the ball was limited, he made the best use of it and completed most of his passes. He also attempted three crosses and a successful long ball and was a menace for the home team with his speed and trickery. The Belgian international needs to repeat this performance in the last game of the group stages in order for Napoli to qualify for the round of 16.
