Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs. Crystal Palace as Virgil van Dijk has off-day

3 days ago 50

The Reds took the lead early as summer signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike combined and the latter fired his effort into the bottom corner. But parity was restored after Ismaila Sarr was tripped by Virgil van Dijk in the box and Jean-Philippe Mateta netted from the spot.

Jeremie Frimpong restored the Reds' lead with a chip over Dean Henderson that appeared to be a cross, but it took until the 77th minute for Palace to force penalties, when Sarr capitalized on some lax defending from Van Dijk and fired beyond Alisson.

That forced penalties,

Winners

Florian Wirtz sparkled on his competitive debut for the Reds and again demonstrated his balletic qualities in a no.10 role. The summer signings in general had good days at Wembley, with Ekitike and Frimpong scoring and Milos Kerkez impressing.

Ryan Gravenberch missed the game altogether as he recently became a father, and his importance was underlined by the Reds' weak defensive display at times.

Losers

Not often he falls into this category, but Van Dijk was well below his best against Palace and made errors for both both goals. Another reliable talismanic figure of this side, Mohamed Salah, also looked far from his best and missed his penalty in the shootout.

Player ratings

Alisson (7). Made an excellent sliding tackle on Mateta just seconds before he was upended by Van Dijk in the box. He also flew out of his goal to win the ball in the 59th minute and soon after made a brilliant stop to keep out Eberechi Eze.

Jeremie Frimping (7). An excellent first competitive start for the Reds, with several important contributions at both ends, including a goal in the 20th minute. Frimpong linked well with Salah on the right flank, and routinely pushed down the right flank in possession.

Ibrahima Konate (6). The better of Liverpool's two center-backs and made some vital interceptions and tackles to deny Palace. He also marshalled Mateta well for long spells.

Virgil van Dijk (4). A bit of an off day for the Dutchman, who uncharacteristically gave away a first-half penalty. He also had an unwanted habit of pushing higher up and allowing space for Palace to attack in behind, which led to the the first-half goal.

Milos Kerkez (6). Like Frimpong, pushed forward with regularity to cause Palace problems, but often his runs came from advancing down the line and inside. Kerkez's excellent cross to the back post should have been converted by Ekitike early in the second half. He also blocked a late chance from Sarr which could well have been a goal otherwise.

Curtis Jones (6). Controlled play well and was solid in possession, but lacks the defensive capabilities of Ryan Gravenberch from a deeper role.

Dominik Szoboszlai (5). Provided lots of driving runs - a common theme for Liverpool at Wembley - but at times could have provided more defensive support. As always, his energy off the ball proved insatiable. He misplaced a few passes, setting up an Eze scoring opportunity at one stage.

Florian Wirtz (8). Set up Ekitike's opener and oozed quality throughout. He linked the play well against Palace, gliding across the pitch and picking out team-mates in his vicinity with short, sharp passes. An absolute delight to watch and a player Liverpool fans will come to adore.

Mohamed Salah (4). Not quite firing on all cylinders but still looked lively. Salah caused problems with his driving runs inside but didn't come close to scoring. He also fired his penalty high over the crossbar in the shootout.

Hugo Ekitike (7). Took his goal brilliantly with some excellent center-forward play as he laid the ball off, collected it again and fired low and hard past Dean Henderson. It was a hugely encouraging performance and the Frenchman already looks at home. That said, he spurned two gilt-edge chances in the second period and should have taken at least one.

Cody Gakpo (7). Appears back up to speed already and was sharp on the ball. Gakpo's best moments came when he was flying towards an opposition defender and he typically chose the right option when bursting into the final third.