Here are our picks for Liverpool’s 3 best players in their 2-2 draw with Brighton at Anfield. The Reds let a commanding performance slip away.
Sadio Mane
Mane got a little quiet in the second half but his first half was very good after returning to the XI for this one. He scored one, of course, with a neat header and was bitterly unfortunate not to score a second purely through pressing.
The 29-year-old had an impressive all-around game, though. He defended well, threatened fairly consistently and pressed like mad.
On a day when Liverpool fell flat, Mane stood out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain came off the bench in the first half and didn’t take long to make a real impact. It was his cross that found Mane for Liverpool’s second.
And much like Mane, Oxlade-Chamberlain put in a consistently good, all-around performance. He moved well with the ball, while he looked very natural drifting wide and swapping places with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
This is the second impressive substitute appearance in three games from Oxlade-Chamberlain. Keep this up and he’ll get a first-XI chance before long – there’s a case for Atletico Madrid in midweek.
Jordan Henderson
Henderson didn’t have a perfect game and Brighton were able to run at him fairly consistently in the second half as they fought back to 2-2. The captain was the game’s standout in the first, though.
He scored a wonderful finish inside four minutes – a goal that should have set Liverpool on their way to a comfortable win. The rest of his half saw some brilliant possession play and important tackles.
Like the rest of the team, though, things slowed down dramatically after half-time. Despite having his moments here, Henderson will be disappointed a commanding performance slipped away.
He’s far from the only one we can say that about, however.
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