PLAYER RATINGS | Liverpool 2-1 Lille: Hosts consign ten-man Les Dogues to first defeat in 21
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UEFA Champions League, Round 7, 21/01/25
Undefeated in 21 games, Lille OSC were set to face perhaps their toughest challenge in this historic run with a visit to Anfield to face a Liverpool side that had won all their Champions League games so far. It would be a game too far for Bruno Génésio's side as they fell to their first defeat since the 17th of September.
The Match
Lille tested their luck in the first minute when left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson shot from distance. It wouldn't be a sign of what was to come, and the game settled into a slow cagey pace. Both teams were patient with the ball, trying to work their way through their opposition.
Liverpool pressed high up the pitch, causing their visitors to make rushed passes. Lille looked at their best when they attacked in transition. They were able to find promising positions but they were never able to pull the trigger and test Alisson.
The hosts would claim the lead in the 34th minute from a Mohamed Salah strike. Jonathan David was ponderous on the ball and dispossessed cleanly by Konstantinos Tsimikas, kickstarting a quick counter as Liverpool found Salah in space behind Gudmundsson.
Salah should have made it two before half-time when he once again found joy attacking the Lille left-back. The winger latched onto a long ball and then fended off Gudmundsson's attempts to slow him down, but his shot could only dribble wide of the post.
It looked as if it would be a long night for Lille when Aïssa Mandi already on a yellow card cynically brought Luis Díaz down. It was an easy decision for the referee and the right-back was sent off in the 59th minute. Three minutes later and Les Dogues would be level.
Gudmundsson slipped a low cross into the box finding Haraldsson unmarked. The Icelandic winger fired towards the goal but couldn't beat Tsimikas. The ball deflected kindly for David who took his chance to level the scores. This wouldn't last as the substitute Harvey Elliott found the net when his shot took a wicked deflection of Ngal’ayel Mukau.
Lille pushed until the final whistle but couldn’t find their second.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson Becker – 5
Conor Bradley – 7
A very impressive performance in the second half. The full-back created a lot of danger and was unlucky not to find himself on the scoresheet or to assist his teammates.
Jarell Quansah – 6
Virgil van Dijk – 6
Konstantinos Tsimikas – 7
Ryan Gravenberch – 5
Replaced by Harvey Elliott (7) at half-time.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 7
Curtis Jones – 7
Replaced by Alexis Mac Allister(5) at half time.
Mohamed Salah – 8
The clear man of the match. He was the best player on the pitch and probably should have had more than one goal by the end of the first half. Lille like many other teams struggled to contain him for the full 90 minutes.
Darwin Nuñez – 6
The striker was unable to repeat his feat against Brentford at the weekend. However, he showed why he’s an important player for the team. He works hard off the ball and provides space for his teammates.
Luis Díaz – 7
Lille Player Ratings
Lucas Chevalier – 4
Gabriel Gudmundsson – 5
This was an exceptionally difficult game to judge the left back. He was maybe the best threat going forward for Lille and his attacking thrust was partly why Lille could level the scores after going down to 10 men. However, this game was always going to be about how well he contained Salah… a thankless task. He’s hardly the first defender to be embarrassed by the winger. However, he was dragged out of position far too frequently.
Alexsandro – 5
Bafodé Diakité – 5
Aïssa Mandi – 2
The right-back was sent off at 1-0 down. It was a stupid decision from Mandi and put his team under intense pressure. It meant that even when his teammates scored, there was a sense that Liverpool could easily find their way back into the game.
Benjamin André – 5
Ngal’ayel Mukau – 7
A very good performance from the midfielder even if he was indirectly responsible for the second Liverpool goal. He was very comfortable on the ball and played out of pressure a number of times. He and Ayyoub Bouaddi are giving Bruno Génésio a really pleasant headache.
Mitchel Bakker – 4
Hákon Haraldsson – 7
Rémy Cabella – 5
Jonathan David – 5
