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Diogo Jota was always going to be the man of the moment at Molineux on Monday evening. But isn’t it great when the players in the spotlight actually deliver?

For long spells in the first half it seemed like Liverpool’s trip to the West Midlands was going to be another damaging one. The early part of their performance was dotted with moments of shakey defending, while the profligacy that had seen them convert just 3% of their last 70 shots was apparent once again as Sadio Mane spurned two good chances before the break.

But this time they actually found a breakthrough, and it came in style. Rui Patricio had plenty to answer for with his role, but the build-up was Liverpool at their best, sweeping across from the right with each of the front three involved.

Naturally, it was Jota who got the killer touch, taking advantage of the space vacated by Mane’s inverted run to score for the first time since getting injured in December.

Who did he pick that injury up against? Wolves. The narrative thickens.

Roberto Firmino’s injury, which has sidelined the out-of-form Brazilian for three games now, has been a blow to Liverpool. But his absence has dovetailed perfectly with Jota’s return to prominence.

Just as he did after his arrival in the summer, the Portuguese has slotted seamlessly into the forward line, injecting it with an energy and dexterity that it otherwise lacks.

On Monday he was notably flexible with his position, leading the line for the most part but switching places with Mohamed Salah and Mane on the regular. That left the Wolves back three snatching at thin air, with Roman Saiss in particular unsure who to mark for the best.

We should be under no illusions that it was not a vintage performance from anyone in a red shirt. The goal was one of a handful of moments of real quality in a pretty poor game, but it was nonetheless a relief for Jurgen Klopp to see his team grind out a result at one of the more menacing venues in the Premier League.

With the international break on the horizon, it was a satisfying way for Liverpool to put a full stop on three months of abject misery.

The fact that it came through the returning Jota, in such a poetic manner at his old haunt, makes it just a little bit sweeter.

Jose Mourinho has accused some of his Tottenham players of ‘hiding’ during their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday.

Strikes from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette ensured the Gunners took all three points from the clash at the Emirates Stadium after Erik Lamela’s unbelievable rabona had opened the scoring.

Despite taking the lead against their fierce rivals, Mourinho blasted his side’s first-half display, claiming they didn’t deserve to head into the break on level terms and accused some of his senior players of failing to rise to the occasion.

“I think we played really bad in the first half,” Mourinho told Sky Sports (via the Evening Standard). “The 1-1 was not a fair reflection of the first half. We were poor.

“Defending bad, no intensity, no pressing, even in terms of creating attacking football, some important players hiding. First half, really bad.”

When asked to expand on his comment, Mourinho replied: “I am not even going in the direction of individuals because the team is a team, I belong to the team. I am guilty of that first half as [much as] the players. The good thing in that we really improved in the second half. Even before the changes.”

Arsenal’s winning goal on the afternoon came via the penalty spot after Davinson Sanchez was penalised for a challenge on Lacazette and the Frenchman dusted himself to convert the resulting spot kick.

Mourinho was clearly unhappy with the awarding of the penalty which ultimately cost Spurs a point, though he was pleased with the reaction of his team following their poor first-half showing.

“In the second half we had space to improve, which we did,” he added. “And then it is a question, but an impossible question because they do not speak, for Michael [Oliver, the referee] to answer.

“Probably Paul Tierney too, because he was the VAR. According to Kevin Friend [the fourth official], the referee said he had a clear vision and the VAR did not want to go against him.

“In the second half, we recovered control of the game, made changes to try to win, and then the penalty. And then a second yellow card for Lamela. But in the last 20-25 minutes, the team tried to get a different result.”

Atletico Madrid endured another frustrating night as they drew 0-0 with Getafe – but they did extend their run of failing to concede against their opponents to an incredible 19 games.

The first half told the story of the evening for the visitors, who knocked on the door but couldn’t find a way through a stubborn Getafe backline. Yannick Carrasco was presented with an early chance for Los Rojiblancos, but his effort was parried away by David Soria.

Atleti were much improved in the second half, once Joao Felix was brought on in place of Saul Niguez, and the Portuguese wonderkid added some much-needed guile and urgency to his side’s play. But it was Marcos Llorente who had the next opportunity for the league leaders, although he scuffed his shot at goal.

Felix then thought he had opened the scoring just past the hour mark, but his joy was short-lived as the referee decided to rule it out – noticing that the ball had already gone out of play in the buildup to the goal.

Diego Simeone’s men were given further hope on 70 minutes, when after a VAR review, Allan Nyom received his marching orders for a horrific stamp on Renan Lodi, handing Los Colchoneros 20 minutes to throw everything at their hosts.

Getafe goalkeeper Soria then pulled off a string of fantastic saves to deny Moussa Dembele, Felix and Lodi, increasing Simeone’s frustration with each impressive stop. Luis Suarez thought he’d finally got the better of the shot-stopper, but his cheeky chip clipped the post, and bounced away from goal, rather than over the line.

Atleti huffed and puffed in the final 15 minutes, with Dembele spurning another chance, this time through a poorly-executed header, and the league leaders were forced to settle for a point at Getafe – leaving the title race wide open.

From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – European nights in N17 just aren’t the same without fans, and with the prospect of a deep run on the cards, Tottenham could perhaps have done with that extra 10% a buoyant crowd brings in their last 16 first leg win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Spurs will take a healthy 2-0 lead to Croatia next Thursday courtesy of two close-range strikes from Harry Kane, and they were made to work for such an advantage by the Blues.

Dinamo – who arrived in north London on an eight match winning run – wanted to get at Spurs from the off, attacking immediately from kick-off and aggressively pressing their hosts. Clear cut chances for the visitors were few and far between, but they were always nipping at Tottenham’s heels (physically and metaphorically).

Jose Mourinho’s team selection was proof that he wasn’t taking the threat of Dinamo lightly, starting Kane and Son Heung-min just three days before their trip to Arsenal on Sunday.

It’s rare to see a ‘weakened’ team from Mourinho anyway – he’s desperate to win every trophy and he’ll let you know about it. But he’s acknowledged a number of times Spurs’ gruelling schedule and noted the thousands of miles that his players have clocked this season. He’s been trying to find the right balance in a fiercely competitive squad.

Managing Gareth Bale’s minutes has been one of Mourinho’s priorities, but it’s clear he also wanted to keep Tottenham’s recent momentum flowing, and try to kill this tie before it ever really lived.

But Dinamo were here to hassle and harry Spurs, and make their life difficult. West Brom, Wolfsberger, Burnley and Crystal Palace all sat off Tottenham in their recent home drubbings, and perhaps a sterner test is what they needed to keep them in check ahead of the north London derby.

While Spurs have been in cruise control at times on this winning run, you wouldn’t say they’ve been complacent, but maybe a drubbing wouldn’t have been the best preparations for a game of Sunday’s magnitude.

Arsenal have been in decent form since their pathetic loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, and won’t just be toyed and manipulated with again so easily – they are no longer relegation candidates.

If Spurs had the week off, there’s every chance Mourinho would have sent his squad on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas in search of the abominable snowman, but a bruising Europa League win will suffice.

Erik Lamela, Tanguy Ndombele and Eric Dier were all in the wars, maintaining Spurs’ tempo on and off the ball, keeping a manic and dogged Dinamo largely at arm’s length.

Son continued his recent performances as a tricky touchline winger rather than the inside forward who’s been so prolific this season, and Kane put in another vintage display. His brace was the top line of every match report, but his passing and general footballing IQ elevated him above every other player on the pitch.

The Europa League is definitely a winnable competition for Spurs, and while they’ve played their way back into top four contention domestically, their exploits on the continent may still represent their best chance of a return to the Champions League – they have one foot in the quarter-finals and one of the biggest games of their season on the horizon.

Listen, it’s not the hottest take you’ll read this season, but didn’t Liverpool look so much better when they had defenders playing in defence and their first choice defensive midfielder playing in defensive midfield?

The Reds ended a run of two straight defeats and two games without a goal to book their place in the Champions League quarter finals with a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening.

After a torrid run of Premier League form, the Reds looked sharp, fluid, dynamic and exciting going forward as they eased past their Bundesliga opponents – and they could have been home and dry by half time.

Key to Liverpool’s impressive display was Fabinho. The Brazilian, who has spent much of the season deputising at centre half following the Reds’ spate of defensive injuries, was given a start in his natural defensive midfield role for the first time since October’s Merseyside derby, and Jurgen Klopp’s side looked all the better for it.

Fabinho shielded the back four effectively, broke up play and crunched into tackles, and his assured defensive presence appeared to free up Georginio Wijnaldum and Thiago Alcantara ahead of him in Liverpool’s midfield three.

The increased freedom and fluidity that the pair seemed to be playing with was evident from the off, with Thiago racing through on goal in the opening exchanges, and Wijnaldum picking passes to carve out opportunities for both his midfield partner and Sadio Mane.

Allowing Fabinho to move further up the pitch was possible thanks to the trust Jurgen Klopp put in the young central defensive partnership of Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak. The pair looked robust and totally at ease with the occasion, Phillips throwing his head onto absolutely everything and anything that came within a 20m radius of his fetching black headband.

The strong performance from the duo, plus the appearance of Ben Davies on the Liverpool bench, will give hope that Fabinho will be able to be utilised in midfield more frequently as the season concludes.

Liverpool created opening after opening in the first half, and their wastefulness could have been a cause for concern given they have drawn blanks in three of their last four outings. However, the important thing was Jurgen Klopp’s side were creating chances – the five first half shots that they had on target was more than they had mustered across the full 90 minutes in each of their recent Premier League defeats to Fulham, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester, Manchester City and Brighton.

It looked as if the Reds could have had a touch of the Brightons about them as for all their good football they saw chance after chance go begging, but Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane applied the finishing touches to a pair of slick Liverpool moves to ensure their ultimately comfortable progression into the Champions League last eight.

Ten-man Porto edged past Juventus on away goals to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night, with an incredible 115th-minute free kick seeing them through the bout of the competition.

For a side chasing the game from the whistle having been behind on aggregate, Juventus looked shaky and out of ideas from the off. The visitors took the lead through a penalty when Merih Demiral dived in on Mehdi Taremi, with Sergio Oliveira converting to make it 1-0. Porto were then happy to sit back and frustrate a clueless Juve, who stumbled into half-time looking out of ideas.

Juve picked it up massively after the break and responded almost instantly when Federico Chiesa finished from a Cristiano Ronaldo lay-off to make it 1-1.

Taremi was sent off for Porto after 54 minutes to add fuel to the fire and the Portuguese side were almost instantly punished if it wasn’t for Pepe stopping Chiesa after he rounded the goalkeeper.

Chiesa made up for the miss after 63 minutes when he headed home an inch-perfect cross from Juan Cuadrado to square the score on aggregate. Juve came as close as an offside Alvaro Morata goal and a long-range strike that hit the crossbar from Juan Cuadrado in the closing moments, but the game headed to extra-time.

Porto perked up once again having made it so far with ten men and came close through Moussa Marega. Ronaldo felt he had been fouled inside the box by Porto goalkeeper Augustin Marchesin at the other end, but it wasn’t given and the first 15 minutes ended goalless.

Oliveira sparked pandemonium when he powered a free kick beneath the wall and through Wojciech Szczesny after 115 minutes, but Juve responded literally moments later when Adrien Rabiot headed into the back of the net from a corner to keep hopes alive for Andrea Pirlo’s men.

However, it was too little, too late, as Porto snuck through to the Champions League quarter-finals in a game that was nothing short of spectacular.

In a heartbreaking but equally concerning defeat, here’s how Juve’s players rated…

Wojciech Szczesny (GK) – 4/10 – Was called into action far too many times for Pirlo’s liking in the first half, but did what he could to keep Juve in the tie. Will be disappointed not to have kept out Oliveira’s free kick having got a strong palm to it.

Juan Cuadrado (RB) – 8/10 – The Colombian never stopped trying for his side and was pinging in crosses from every angle on the pitch. Put it on a plate for Chiesa to grab his second. Nearly bagged a spectacular and deserved winner in injury time, but was denied by the bar.

Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – 6/10 – Made an important block early on in the game to stop a worrying effort from Taremi. Played some nice passes out from the back, but was replaced after 75 minutes for a returning Matthijs de Ligt.

Merih Demiral (CB) – 4/10 – His rash and clumsy challenge early on in the game made it an even higher mountain for his side to climb if they wanted to win.

Alex Sandro (LB) – 5/10 – With Cuadrado running the show with the overlaps and crossing from the right flank, the game passed Sandro by somewhat.

Aaron Ramsey (RM) – 5/10 – Moved inside to free up the right flank for Cuadrado, but was stood still too often and didn’t force Porto out onto him.

Arthur (CM) – 5/10 – The less effective of Juve’s two midfielders, Arthur was static in possession too frequently and slowed down proceedings.

Adrien Rabiot (CM) – 6/10 – Way too many sideways passes with nobody moving ahead of him. Displayed a fine range of long passing as his side loosened up, and was unfortunate not to sneak a long-range effort past the keeper after 69 minutes. Fine late header, but not enough.

Federico Chiesa (LM) – 8/10 – Well-timed run and a brilliant finish at an important time to give his side hope after a quiet and subpar first half. Timed his run perfectly yet again for his second, and headed into the net with a similar level of deadliness.

Alvaro Morata (ST) – 4/10 – Spurned Juve’s two best chances, including a free header after three minutes that he had to score. Quiet after that, which meant a poor performance in a big game.

Cristiano Ronaldo (ST) – 6/10 – Barely saw the ball in the first half and couldn’t work his magic as a result. Picked up his movement after the break to test the defenders and notched a clever assist in doing so, but his influence waned once again afterwards.

Matthijs de Ligt – 6/10 – Recycled the ball competently and finished with 100% pass accuracy on his return from injury.

Weston McKennie – 3/10 – Conceded the free kick that resulted in Porto winning the tie. Tough one for the young man to take – he’ll learn from it.

Dejan Kulusevski – 5/10 – The game passed Kulusevski by.

Federico Bernardeschi – 5/10 – Booked in his first action with the ball from coming off the bench.

Since David Moyes returned to the club for a second spell, no-one in the Premier League has done transfers quite as well as West Ham.

Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal have proved to be inspired additions since arriving from Slavia Prague, and even Craig Dawson – signed on loan from Watford as a reserve defender – has gone on to become a vital presence at the heart of Moyes’ back four.

But while the Irons’ transfer business has been consistent across the board, it’s hard to compare anything to the impact that Jesse Lingard and Said Benrahma are currently making in the final third.

Moyes’ side weren’t at their fluid best in their victory over Leeds, but everything they did went down the left hand side of their attack.

With Aaron Cresswell spraying the balls forward from deep, Benrahma’s inverted runs kept Leeds guessing. As he would be quick to tell you, though, that was only possible because of the movement ahead of him.

Lingard is the perfect attacking midfielder for West Ham’s 4-2-3-1 system, and it plays to his strengths to have an inverted winger coming off the left. On countless occasions in the first half he kept a central defender occupied with his positioning, allowing Benrahma to float past him with the ball and engineer an effort at goal.

The two would swap positions frequently too. From their respective heat maps, it’s difficult to tell who played off the left and who took up the ‘ten’ – it was only clearly evident off the ball, when Benrahma got back to cover for Cresswell.

They may have only started together on three occasions but seem to have an innate understanding of one another’s game.

Lingard is the one who is grabbing the headlines – he netted his fourth goal in seven appearances and his direct running was the eye-catching part of yet another positive West Ham performance – but on Monday evening at least, he seemed to benefit from Benrahma’s willingness to charge infield and share the joy.

It’s still a partnership in the making, but on Monday’s showing, it’s one that looks as if it could take West Ham up another gear. An intoxicating thought from a Hammers’ perspective, considering they are already knocking on the door of the top four.

Whether or not they have the longevity to get there in the final ten games of the season remains to be seen. But it will be fun to watch them try – especially if Lingard and Benrahma are given license to cause carnage.

Harry Kane’s second strike in Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday night means that he and Heung-min Son have now combined for more goals than any other duo in a single Premier League season.

The deadly pairing have always had a good understanding, but they have ascended to another level this term. Prior to the visit of Crystal Palace, Son and Kane had combined to score 13 goals during the 2020/2021 campaign.

As per Opta, that put them ahead of Alan Shearer and Mike Newell in the 1995/1996 campaign, as well as Les Ferdinand and Kevin Gallen for QPR back in 1994/1995, who both teamed up for 11 goals. In addition, their tally was already better than the 12 goals that Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson combined for during the 2018/2019 term, when they were both playing for Bournemouth.

Most importantly, it also put them level with Shearer and Chris Sutton for Blackburn during the title-winning 1994/1995 season.

With the score already 3-1, the pair then broke the record against the Eagles with Son assisting Kane for Spurs’ fourth goal. The strike itself was emblematic of their understanding. It started with Erik Lamela floating a ball to the back post for the onrushing Son. The South Korean somehow managed to fly through the air and cushion it delicately into the path of Kane, who helped himself to the easiest of headed finishes.

This was not the only record that the England captain set against Palace either. By creating both of Gareth Bale’s goals, he also became the first Spurs player since Jurgen Klinsmann in May 1998 to score twice and provide two assists in a single Premier League game.

Leicester City fought back from a goal down to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night, with Daniel Amartey proving to be the unlikely hero for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

The Seagulls broke the deadlock on 10 minutes, when Neal Maupay muscled his way through the Leicester defence and slipped a clever pass into Adam Lallana, who finished without a second’s hesitation.

The Foxes came close to an equaliser through Sidnei Tavares, but his half-volley was acrobatically tipped around the post by Robert Sanchez. Lallana then had a great chance to double the hosts’ advantage, but his header rebounded off the post.

Leicester improved in the second half, and they got their reward on 62 minutes, when Kelechi Iheanacho dinked a beautiful finish into the top corner, after being played clean through on goal.

And the visitors completed their dramatic turnaround on 88 minutes, when Sanchez came and flapped at a corner, and Daniel Amartey was on hand to stoop and head home the winning goal, sinking Brighton to another gut-wrenching defeat.

Right, let’s get on with the player ratings.

Robert Sanchez (GK) – 4/10 – Showed tonnes of bravery to throw himself at Pereira’s feet to stop his burst into the box. Did brilliantly to tip Tavares’ blistering strike around the post. Threw it all away by making the all-decisive mistake for the winner, completely flapping at a straight-forward corner. Shocking and costly.

Joel Veltman (RB) – 6/10 – Struggled against the determination of persistent attacking movement of Castagne. Pinned back in the second half as the Seagulls dug deep.

Ben White (CB) – 7/10 – Defended in an exemplary manner in the first half, marshalling Vardy intelligently and never getting caught out of position by the wily striker. Unfortunate to be on the losing side.

Lewis Dunk (CB) – 5/10 – Took a couple of hefty whacks as he put his body on the line. Completely lost Iheanacho for the equaliser though, allowing the forward to peel off and clip the ball home. Poor.

Dan Burn (LB) – 6/10 – Started off strong, but began to get run ragged as Leicester poured forward. Never a left-back, and his lack of pace was an issue. Not his fault, really.

Yves Bissouma (CM) – 7/10 – The metronome in the midfield. Moved the ball quickly and never dallied in possession. Constantly made the right decisions. Invaluable to Brighton’s play. Made an insane recovery challenge to deny Tavares when through on goal. Deserves better.

Pascal Gross (CM) – 6/10 – Whipped in a lovely free-kick which Lallana could only turn onto the post. A busy presence in the midfield, but lost control of the game in the second half as the visitors flooded forward.

Adam Lallana (AM) – 8/10 – Brighton needed a man on the pitch to put the ball away, and that’s exactly what Lallana did. Great run in behind the defence and an equally confident finish to match. Almost doubled the lead with a neat header, but was denied by the woodwork.

Leandro Trossard (RW) – 6/10 – Relentlessly peeled off his marker and ran in behind to take on the backline. Just couldn’t quite get his team over the line.

Neal Maupay (ST) – 7/10 – Showed freakish strength and composure to bully the Leicester backline and then slip a pass through to Lallana. Thankfully this buildup went rewarded. Had a smart clipped finish ruled out for offside just before half-time. Faded in the second half.

Alexis Mac Allister (LW) – 6/10 – A talented player who, in flashes, looks seriously impressive. Just needs to become a little bit more consistent.

Steven Alzate (CM) – 5/10

Danny Welbeck (ST) – 6/10

Alireza Jahanbakhsh (CM) – N/A

Kasper Schmeichel (GK) – 6/10 – No chance in stopping Lallana’s neat finish, having been left completely exposed by his defence. Not too much else to do in terms of shot-stopping, but stayed calm throughout.

Wesley Fofana (CB) – 7/10 – Almost turned the ball into his own net with a sliding interception, but just missed the post. Another generally impressive display from the young defender. One of the best in the league.

Caglar Soyuncu (CB) – 6/10 – Nutmegged for Brighton’s opener, allowing Maupay’s pass to filter straight through him. Doesn’t seem to be able to hit the heights he managed last year.

Daniel Amartey (CB) – 8/10 – Solid, uncompromising display. An important utility player for Rodgers, and a dominant figure in both boxes. Popped up with the winner right at the end. Man of the hour.

Ricardo Pereira (RWB) – 8/10 – A top display. Stopped Brighton from attacking down his flank, while supporting his offensive teammates with precision and dangerous intent.

Wilfred Ndidi (CM) – 7/10 – There was a gripping battle between him and Bissouma. Both looked to take the game by the scruff of its neck and put their team on top. A dynamic and elegant player.

Youri Tielemans (CM) – 7/10 – Completely muscled off the ball by Maupay for the opening goal. Not the ideal defensive cover there. Made up for it by slipping a mad no-look ball through to Iheanacho, who did the rest.

Sidnei Tavares (CM) – 6/10 – Thought he’d equalised with a superb strike, but Sanchez somehow kept it out. Great technique. Almost burst in on goal, but was stopped expertly before he could get a shot away.

Timothy Castagne (LWB) – 6/10 – Always looked to whip in some crosses or overlap for his forward players. The ideal wing-back for his team.

Jamie Vardy (ST) – 6/10 – Lovely knockdown to supply Tavares. Couldn’t get much joy against Brighton’s combination of pace and strength at the heart of the defence.

Kelechi Iheanacho (ST) – 7/10 – Flashed a powerful first-time strike into the side netting. Such a frustrating, hot and cold player. Showed his real quality with a stunning finish to level the scores.

Marc Albrighton (RW) – 6/10

Hamza Choudhury (CM) – N/A

Liverpool slumped to a fifth consecutive home defeat for the first time in the club’s history, with Mason Mount’s strike securing a 1-0 win for Chelsea at Anfield on Thursday night.

Timo Werner was unfortunate to have his early goal ruled out following a marginal offside, but the visitors didn’t have to wait long to take the lead, with Mount cutting inside before wrapping his foot around the ball and curling a superb effort into the far corner.

Liverpool started the second half much the brighter, but with the Chelsea backline standing strong, the Reds’ frustration started to show as they began to take speculative potshots from range.

Diogo Jota’s introduction did little to spark Jurgen Klopp’s side into life, as they suffered yet another damaging defeat in their quest for Champions League qualification.

That’s the match highlights done with, now to those all important Liverpool and Chelsea player ratings.

Alisson Becker (GK) – 6/10 – Lucky not to concede early on when he charged out of his goal and missed the ball, only for Werner to be adjudged offside. Produced some big saves, from Werner in particular, to keep his side in the game.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB) – 5/10 – Was pushed back by Ben Chilwell and seemed nervous to step forward having been caught out of position for the Mount’s goal.

Ozan Kabak (CB) – 6/10 – Was the better of the two Liverpool centre backs, though that’s hardly a compliment. Did look steadier than some of his previous displays in fairness to the recent arrival.

Fabinho (CB) – 4/10 – Struggled with the pace of Werner and the German constantly looked to isolate the makeshift centre back. Allowed Mount to cut inside too easily as the youngster opened the scoring.

Andy Robertson (LB) – 6/10 – Did his best to bomb down the Liverpool left but couldn’t find any real quality whenever he got into the final third.

Curtis Jones (CM) – 4/10 – Retained his place in the midfield having scored his first Premier League goal of the season last time out. Struggled throughout and was guilty of conceding possession on a number of occasions.

Georginio Wijnaldum (CM) – 4/10 – Looked lively early on as he tried to carry the ball through midfield but his influence on the game began to wane. Just seemed to let the match pass him by, failing to track runners and showing no desire.

Thiago Alcantara (CM) – 6/10 – His pass completion stats for the evening will no doubt be impressive, but he did little to suggest he could forge an opening for his side.

Mohamed Salah (RW) – 4/10 – Evidently desperate to influence play as he dropped deeper and deeper in a bid to get on the ball. Found himself shooting on sight which, erm, didn’t go well. Withdrawn midway through the second half.

Roberto Firmino (ST) – 5/10 – Just seemed to be swamped by the Chelsea backline and couldn’t get hold of the ball. With N’Golo Kante also marshalling him it proved to be a frustrating night.

Sadio Mane (LW) – 5/10 – Had a glorious opportunity in the opening 25 minutes but showed a lack of composure as he missed his kick. Clearly suffering from a lack of confidence and was on the fringes of the action for much of the game.

Diogo Jota – 6/10

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5/10

James Milner – N/A

Edouard Mendy (GK) – 6/10 – Given very little to do throughout the game but hshowed superb composure and skill to deal with a tricky back-pass in the first half which could have caused him problems.

Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) – 7/10 – Offered an outlet on the right of the Chelsea back three and tucked inside to good effect whenever Liverpool were in possession.

Antonio Rudiger (CB) – 7/10 – Used his pace well whenever Mohamed Salah looked to run in behind. Repelled the majority of the crosses Liverpool swung into the box as the game wore on.

Andreas Christensen (CB) – 8/10 – Showed defensive nous in covering his fellow centre backs whenever they were caught out of position. Took the responsibility of collecting the ball and playing out of Liverpool’s press – a role he performed brilliantly.

Reece James (RWB) – 7/10 – Looked off the pace early on and was lucky to avoid a booking for a poor challenge on Sadio Mane. Grew into the game and looked a threat going forward as well as being solid defensively.

N’Golo Kante (CM) – 8/10 – Picked out Werner on a number of occasions with some brilliant long balls over the Liverpool backline. Grabbed himself an assist with one of said balls over the top for Mount.

Jorginho (CM) – 6/10 – *Copy and paste every Jorginho performance you’ve ever seen*. Was neat and tidy in possession and kept things moving without doing anything that got you off your seat.

Ben Chilwell (LWB) – 7/10 – Tasked with hugging the touchline and pushing back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Didn’t neglect his defensive duties and tracked back well whenever he was needed.

Hakim Ziyech (RW) – 5/10 – Looked lost at times with even his trusty left foot letting him down on occasions. Unfortunate to see a second-half effort cleared off the line, but his all-round performance wasn’t good enough.

Mason Mount (ST) – 8/10 – Played as part of a fluid front three, filling in at centre forward but dropping back into midfield at times. Made Fabinho look foolish by skipping past him and opening the scoring with a great effort.

Timo Werner (LW) – 7/10 – Could have had two in the opening 15 minutes and was unlucky to have a goal chalked off after finally finding the net. Didn’t get himself on the scoresheet but his constant runs terrorised the Liverpool defence all game.

Christian Pulisic – 6/10

Mateo Kovacic – N/A

Kai Havertz – N/A