Liverpool FC 0 West Ham United 0: Player Ratings

The FA Cup game ended in a stalemate; a result which would not have pleased Klopp at all, as it means they have one more additional fixture to play in an already congested season. This is how the players did on a cold night at Liverpool.

Simon Mignolet (5.5) – Mignolet had a relatively idle first-half with no major action happening at the Liverpool end to affect him. He, as usual, reverted to deliberating too much on the ball and indulged in some wayward distribution. Was found wanting late in the second-half as he made a hash of an attempt to come out and gather a cross.

Nathaniel Clyne (6.5) – Clyne was back in his ever present position of right-back after a small break. Dealt suitably with both Payet and Moses. Clyne started the second-half brightly with a good attempt on goal after cutting in-field. Was sound defensively in the second-half, staying close to his marker.

Steve Caulker (6) – A long awaited debut for Caulker in his actual position. Was very tidy in dealing with aerial duels and passed the ball tidily. Could have been penalized for a double hand ball in the box in the second half, but got away with it.

Dejan Lovren (5.5) – Dejan Lovren came back into the team after an injury spell which came at the wrong time for him. Made a major positional gaffe when he was beaten aerially which was not capitalized upon by West Ham. Otherwise, was tidy in defense. Made a daft foul on Moses to pick up a booking in the second-half.

Brad Smith (7) – Brad Smith was rewarded with another start and did pretty well in the offensive zone with some very good overlapping runs and quick movement/release of the ball. Determined performance in the second-half as he stayed high and tried to win the ball back at the earliest oppurtunity to transition into attack. Another solid performance.

Kevin Stewart (6.5) – A very tidy first-half from Stewart whose role was to ‘get the ball, give the ball’ which was performed admirably in the first-half. Another solid second-half rounded off a tidy performance from Stewart.

Cameron Brannagan (7.5) – Standout player in the first-half with his surge from midfield. It was also refreshing to see some decent set-piece delivery from a Liverpool player. Brannagan looked the closest to scoring in the first-half with a well taken effort turned away by Randolph. Ran the midfield admirably in the second-half before being substituted later. A bright future awaits.

Joe Allen (6.5) – Joe Allen has come back to life with him reverting to his Swansea days. Used the ball very well and drove into the box often without the ball. Skied a very attractive chance in the second-half when he was under no pressure. Made some very good late runs into the box beyond Benteke in the second-half which could have caused more danger if Liverpool were more efficient in using the ball.

Joao Texeira (7) – Texeira was very good with his close control and first touch, especially as he received the ball in tight areas more often than not in the first-half. A couple of decent attempts on goal in the second-half were turned out by Randolph on the near post. Was taken off late in the second-half to a standing ovation from the Liverpool supporters.

Jordon Ibe (5.5) – Ibe reverted to his frustrating self of not being able to deliver one decent final ball after making all the efforts to get into a good position. This is something which has been seen quite often this season and is a cause of concern. Ibe was marked out of large parts of the second-half by Cresswell and Payet.

Christian Benteke (5)- Nothing new from Benteke in the first-half which would not have surprised the Liverpool fans. The same frustration of lack of movement from the Belgian continued in this game. Had an attempt on goal cleared off the line in the first-half. The lack of awareness of the near-post has been particularly irritating. Benteke often tried to get into the wider areas to affect the game, but did not put enough effort in getting back into the box on those occasions.