Reina 6 - Someone like De Gea would have almost certainly parried Benteke's shot. Parly redeemed himself by a big save from Agbonlahor shot from point-blank range (to be fair, he was fortunate the shot was straight at him - but props for standing his ground and "making himself big").
Johnson 7 - Back to "good" Johnson - sharp and creative throughout. Excellent no-look pass for an early Suarez chance in the 1st half and a similar pass that led to the penalty. Unlucky to hit the post.
Carra 6.5 - Struggled with Benteke and Agbolahor's pace at times, but you can see how crucial experience is for a defender. He knew how to place his body in front of a much pacer forward and how strong and how long to pull on somebody's shirt before ref has a chance to notice.
Agger 8 - OK in the 1st half, excellent in the 2nd. I don't know what adjustments he made at half time, but he made Benteke look very ordinary after the break and won every challenge and physical battle. I'm impressed.
Enrique 6.5 - Good defending in the 1st half and generally a good performance. But he seemed to get tired towards to the end and should have been subbed if we had a decent LB option on the bench, which we don't.
Lucas 6 - I thought his passing was OK and he made a few good tackles. But like others have noted, behind the play a lot of the time and gave away unnecessary free-kicks.
Henderson 7 - He was running harder than any other player on the pitch today. Cool-headed finish for the goal - also need to give him credit for the ambitious run that led to the goal in the first place.
Gerrard 8.5 - Yeah, captain's performance.
Coutinho 8 - He is becoming the creative fulcrum of the team. Undroppable on this form. Every pass is filled with purpose and I also loved his movement before the 1 on 1 chance - very smart to stay onside (Villa defender was completely fooled).
Downing 6 - I'm afraid Stewie is just not a mentally strong player. A little extra pressure in the form of playing against his former team and being gently booed for home fans and he loses all edge and creativity.
Suarez 7 - When Luis is tired, it shows not in diminished effort on the pitch (because he always gives 110%, he can't play any other way), but in missed chances. So it was yesterday, but he never let his head drop. Sublimely timed through ball for Coutinho and won a stonewall penalty by fooling a defender with his quick turn. You gotta love Luis, even on days like these.
Sterling n/a - Hope cameo appearances like these will help him rebuild his confidence.
Johnson 7 - Back to "good" Johnson - sharp and creative throughout. Excellent no-look pass for an early Suarez chance in the 1st half and a similar pass that led to the penalty. Unlucky to hit the post.
Carra 6.5 - Struggled with Benteke and Agbolahor's pace at times, but you can see how crucial experience is for a defender. He knew how to place his body in front of a much pacer forward and how strong and how long to pull on somebody's shirt before ref has a chance to notice.
Agger 8 - OK in the 1st half, excellent in the 2nd. I don't know what adjustments he made at half time, but he made Benteke look very ordinary after the break and won every challenge and physical battle. I'm impressed.
Enrique 6.5 - Good defending in the 1st half and generally a good performance. But he seemed to get tired towards to the end and should have been subbed if we had a decent LB option on the bench, which we don't.
Lucas 6 - I thought his passing was OK and he made a few good tackles. But like others have noted, behind the play a lot of the time and gave away unnecessary free-kicks.
Henderson 7 - He was running harder than any other player on the pitch today. Cool-headed finish for the goal - also need to give him credit for the ambitious run that led to the goal in the first place.
Gerrard 8.5 - Yeah, captain's performance.
Coutinho 8 - He is becoming the creative fulcrum of the team. Undroppable on this form. Every pass is filled with purpose and I also loved his movement before the 1 on 1 chance - very smart to stay onside (Villa defender was completely fooled).
Downing 6 - I'm afraid Stewie is just not a mentally strong player. A little extra pressure in the form of playing against his former team and being gently booed for home fans and he loses all edge and creativity.
Suarez 7 - When Luis is tired, it shows not in diminished effort on the pitch (because he always gives 110%, he can't play any other way), but in missed chances. So it was yesterday, but he never let his head drop. Sublimely timed through ball for Coutinho and won a stonewall penalty by fooling a defender with his quick turn. You gotta love Luis, even on days like these.
Sterling n/a - Hope cameo appearances like these will help him rebuild his confidence.
