UCL 2017/18, Spartak Moscow 1-1 Liverpool: Player Ratings

Liverpool dropped points in the UEFA Champions League for the second match in a row as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Spartak Moscow.

The Russian outfit took the lead through Fernando in the 23rd minute, but Jurgen Klopp's charges hit back via a Philippe Coutinho strike soon after.

Both sides had chances to win the game thereafter, but neither was able to land a decisive blow.

Here's a quick look at the player ratings for both sides:

Spartak Moscow

Artyom Rebrov 9/10

Spartak were always going to need Rebrov to be at his best if they were to take anything from Tuesday’s clash – and the goalkeeper certainly was, pulling off some fantastic stops.

Ilya Kutepov 7/10

Kutepov generally defended the right-hand channel well, while his reading of the game was excellent. No Spartak player made more tackles than his five.

Spartak Moskva v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League

Serdar Tasci 6/10

Fielded in the centre of the hosts’ back three, Tasci looked a little slow whenever Liverpool combined in tight areas. Some of his defending was good, though, particularly when it came to clearing crosses.

Salvatore Bocchetti 7/10

Bocchetti made six clearances and four interceptions, both team-highs. The Italian, who once played nine league games for Milan on loan, was often in the right place at the right time.

Giorgi Jikia 5/10

The left wing-back was wasteful in possession, completing less than 70 percent of his passes. He was overrun at times, meanwhile, but was strong in both the air and the tackle.

Andrey Eshchenko 7/10

Eschenko had an eventful evening for the Russian outfit, shuttling up and down the flank and looking to contribute on both sides of the ball. The majority of his work was defensive, though, with the 33-year-old making four tackles.

Fernando 7/10

Fernando opened the scoring for Spartak, bending home an excellent free-kick midway through the first half. The midfielder made 43 passes on Tuesday, more than any of his team-mates.

Aleksandr Samedov 6/10

Samedov won the free-kick from which Fernando broke the deadlock, but most of his evening was spent tracking Liverpool runs back into his own half of the field.

Mario Pasalic 6/10

The central midfielder, who is on loan from Chelsea, put himself about in the engine room but had little impact in an attacking sense.

Ivelin Popov 7/10

Popov was a bright spark for Spartak and put in some dangerous crosses from out wide, although he did overhit a pass to Pasalic in a promising position, though.

Luiz Adriano 6/10

The striker was isolated for much of the game, but he nevertheless put himself about with some effective movement. Adriano, however, only managed to get a single shot off all night.

Substitutes:

Alexander Selikhov 7/10

Spartak’s backup goalkeeper was introduced when Rebrov sustained an injury in the second half and continued his good work between the sticks, most notably with a great save from Salah.

Lorenzo Melgarejo N/A

Was introduced too late in the match to be accurately judged.

Pedro Rocha N/A

Only entered the fray in second-half stoppage time.

Loris Karius 5/10

The German should have done better with Spartak’s free-kick, which was eminently saveable. He has yet to convince that he is good enough to keep goal for Liverpool.

Trent Alexander-Arnold 7/10

Alexander-Arnold’s delivery from wide areas is one of his leading attributes, as the youngster once again demonstrated here. Some of his passing and decision-making was questionable, though.

Dejan Lovren 7/10

Lovren was solid for much of Tuesday’s encounter, with his concentration remaining high throughout. He also completed 96 per cent of his passes – comfortably the highest figure of any outfield starter.

Joel Matip 6/10

The ex-Schalke centre-half looked nervous whenever long balls were fired towards him and never really settled after a shaky start to the match.

Alberto Moreno 8/10

This was another excellent performance from a player who has fought his way back into the first-team picture at Anfield. Moreno provided speed and thrust in an attacking sense and was not caught out defensively – previously a major weakness. No player on the pitch completed more passes than the former Sevilla man.

Emre Can 4/10

This was a rather subdued display from the Germany international, perhaps because of the early yellow card he received. Can was guilty of giving the ball away sloppily on a handful of occasions.

Jordan Henderson 8/10

The Liverpool captain was arguably his team’s best player in Moscow. Henderson proved a steadying influence in the centre of the park and contributed both with and without possession.

Philippe Coutinho 7/10

Coutinho’s goal was beautifully taken and he showed some fine touches at times, but he was also responsible for giving away the free-kick from which Spartak scored.

Sadio Mane 7/10

Returning to the side after his recent absence from Premier League matches, Mane showed flashes of his quality and provided the assist for Coutinho’s striker. It was a surprise to see him taken off for Daniel Sturridge with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Roberto Firmino 4/10

Firmino is normally the perfect central attacker for Klopp’s side, but his touch and link-up play were far below his usual standard on Tuesday night. This was, in truth, a poor performance from the Brazilian.

Mohamed Salah 6/10

Salah’s speed means he will always be a threat on the counter-attack, but question marks remain about his efficiency in the final third. The Egyptian, who took six shots on Tuesday, should have scored at least once.

Substitutes:

Daniel Sturridge 5/10

The substitute was guilty of spurning an excellent opportunity to win the game for Liverpool late on.

Georginio Wijnaldum 6/10

Wijnaldum replaced Can in the 73rd minute and had an uneventful cameo in the closing stages.