Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Champions League as they cruised to a 2-0 win against Bologna at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister put the Reds ahead, poking home Mohamed Salah’s inch-perfect cross shortly after Thijs Dallinga thought he had fired the visitors into a shock early lead.
Having withstood a period of pressure before the break, Arne Slot’s side took control of the second half, maintaining possession well before Salah’s superb curling effort put the result beyond doubt.
Here is how rated the performances of each Liverpool player.
Alisson – 7
Made a smart save to deny Kacper Urbanski when Bologna enjoyed a good spell of possession in the first half.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7
A constant threat in combination with Salah down the right. Produced a unselfish overlapping run to create space for the Egyptian’s second-half strike. Wasd outmuscled at one point in the second half which allowed for another Urbanski opportunity.
Ibrahima Konate – 7
Not troubled too much by Bologna’s forward line but did well when faced with a brief spell of pressure in the first half.
Virgil van Dijk – 7
Another composed display from Liverpool’s captain. Held his positioning well to play Thijs Dallinga offside when the Dutchman thought he had opened the scoring for Bologna in the first half.
Andy Robertson – 6
Got forward with purpose and combined well with Diaz but failed to complete any of his four crosses throughout the match.
Ryan Gravenberch – 8
Continues to thrive at the base of midfield under Slot. Fantastic all-round display from the Dutchman who bossed the middle of park.
Alexis Mac Allister – 8
Timed his run to perfection for the opening goal. Could not miss from a matter of yards out. Typically metronomoc display otherwise.
Mohamed Salah – 9
A wonderful clipped cross into the area to set up Mac Allister’s goal preceded a spectacular curling effort to score Liverpool’s second. Not always involved but the architect of the home side’s two match-winning moments.
Dominik Szobozlai – 6
Not the Hungarian’s best display in a red shirt. Wasted a couple of good opportunities in the first half and afforded Bolgona a good opportunity when he gifted the ball away cheaply. Must improve upon his end product, especially when operating in this advanced role.
Luis Diaz – 6
Has started the season in superb form but one of his quite evenings tonight. Failed to register a shot on ball and lost possession on a number of occasions in advanced positions.
Darwin Nunez – 5
Not the kind of performance that is going to help the Uruguayan’s case for more starting berths. Had a goal ruled out and fired straight at the keeper with a good shooting opportunity midway through the first half. Generally struggled to impact the game before being brought off after 60 minutes.
Substitutions
(Nunez, 60′) – 6
(Robertson, 72′) – 6
(Diaz, 72′) – 6
(Alexander-Arnold, 85′) – N/A
(Szoboszlai, 86′) – N/A
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