Rangers 1-7 Liverpool: Reds' player ratings as Klopp's men decimate Scottish giants | Uefa Champions League 2022-23
They fell behind early in the game, but in the end Liverpool annihilated Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium in their UEFA Champions League clash by an eye-watering margin of 7-1 on Wednesday (October 12.)
A dramatic second half culminated in a Liverpool win so commanding that it could put Rangers coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst's job on the line. Such was the team's abject surrender.
Jurgen Klopp's men, on the other hand, played some breathtaking attacking football, threatening to score even more goals than the seven they managed.
However, in what seems ages ago, it was the home team who had gone ahead against the run of play.
Scott Arfield scored his goal smartly in the 17th minute to put last season's Champions League finalists behind. He latched on to a low cross from the right to place it past Allison.
But Roberto Firmino met a near-post corner with aplomb to power it into the net with his head and level proceedings just seven minutes later.
The two teams went into the break with scores level, with the real carnage beginning in the second half.
Firmino converted a pacey counter-attack from close range off a fine low cross from Joe Gomez in the 55th minute to put Liverpool ahead for the first time.
Darwin Nunez passed it into the net following another classy Liverpool move 11 minutes later to double the advantage.
Then it was Mohamed Salah who grabbed the limelight. The Egyptian scored a lightning-quick hat-trick with a collection of sublime finishes in a devastating six-minute spell that began in the the 75th minute.
Harvey Elliott added a seventh goal in the dying embers of the game following a cross from Salah off the left wing that was met by Diogo Jota, whose shot was parried by the keeper into his path.
It was indeed a statement win for this great Liverpool side who have struggled in the early stages of the season. Klopp's men should be in the right frame of mind heading into their blockbuster clash against Manchester City at the weekend.
As for the Champions League, Liverpool now have nine points from four games in Group A, three behind red-hot Napoli. Rangers have played four and lost four and are bottom of the heap.
Here are the Reds' player ratings from a breathtaking performance.
🤞➡😁 https://t.co/wxUn0CxfCC
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson- 6/10
It was a quiet night for the Brazilian between the sticks, with him having to make just one save as his team ran riot offensively. But he was tidy on the ball and made no errors.
Joe Gomez- 6/10
A player who has had a terrible run of injuries, Gomez acquitted himself well at right-back in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. A shaky back-pass early notwithstanding, he was strong defensively and counter-attacked in typical fashion, picking up a deserving assist.
Ibrahima Konate- 6.5/10
Another player who made the most of a rare start, Konate was a rock at centre-half, making four clearances and blocking two shots. One could find fault with his positioning for the Rangers goal, but that would be nitpicking.
Virgil Van Dijk- 6/10
The star centre-back played the entire 90 minutes, and though he was not at his vintage best, Van Dijk kept things tidy at the back. He made four clearances and won five duels. Also passed accurately on the night to begin attacks from the back.
Konstantinos Tsimikas- 6/10
Tsimikas started at left-back despite Andy Robertson being on the bench and was a typical Klopp full-back during the game. Not very potent defensively, he was marauding down the flank with aplomb and his bullet corner led to Liverpool's first goal.
Fabinho- 6.5/10
Did what he does with dexterity. The Brazilian defensive midfielder sat in front of the backline and had 80 touches of the ball, often recycling possession with class to transition defense into attack.
Fabio Carvalho- 6/10
The young midfielder showed oodles of class while moving forward with his passing and movement. However, was sometimes guilty of turning the ball over to the opposition in risky areas.
Jordan Henderson- 6.5/10
The Liverpool captain brought all his experience to the table to play in a box-to-box role. Made 46 off his 55 passes while also winning duels and putting in tackles.
Harvey Elliott- 7.5/10
This was a sterling performance from the midfield dynamo. His touches and dribbles were a sight to behold and so was his ability to pick the right pass. Though he had a pass accuracy of 73 per cent, that was because Elliott was always trying to go for the the more risque option in an attempt to unlock defenses.
Got a deserved goal on a night in which he also fought for balls and ran all across the pitch.
Roberto Firmino- 8/10
The mercurial Brazilian has been the man in form for Liverpool this season. His intelligent forward play is always a delight to behold when in bloom, and tonight was such a night. Not only did he score two vital goals, he also got an assist in characteristic fashion and made three key passes.
Darwin Nunez- 6/10
It's been a bit of a baptism by fire for Nunez since arriving in a big-money move to Anfield. He wasn't entirely convincing tonight, giving the ball away on a couple of occasions and making the wrong decision in others. But he once again showed that he is a proven finisher in the way he took his goal.
A memorable #UCL night in Glasgow 🤩 https://t.co/h82zfUJHeC
Substitutes
Mohamed Salah- 8.5/10
This is the Salah that we know and he was even better than his potent best during a devastating cameo. He scored three Salah-esque goals while being on the pitch for just 22 minutes, all of them coming in a six-minute spell.
Salah quickly took up his preferred role on the right as Klopp smelled blood and dribbled into the heart of the Rangers defense to finish in sublime fashion with that magical left foot.
Was instrumental in creating the seventh goal as well.
Diogo Jota- 7.5/10
Another great cameo. Jota was an attacking threat from the moment he came on with his vision, passing and drive. Picked up three assists in just 17 minutes on the pitch. Four key passes and a 100 percent passing success rate tell you everything about his performance.
Thiago Alcantara- 7/10
The midfield maestro enjoyed just a brief stint in the middle as Liverpool were at their sublime best in the second half. Passed the ball with class and guile in a way only he can, making 19 of the 21 he attempted, creating one big chance.
Andrew Robertson- 6.5/10
Replaced Tsimikas at left-back and looked to be back in shape after the layoff. Good news for Liverpool before the City game.
James Milner- 6/10
Came on in the 79th minute and kept the engine room going without doing anything special.