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Liverpool had too much for Arsenal as they condemned their visitors to a 4-0 defeat at Anfield thanks to goals from each member of their starting front three and one man who replaced one of them.

Liverpool took the lead after 39 minutes when Sadio Mane headed home after a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold. They made it 2-0 via Diogo Jota early in the second half, capitalising on an Arsenal mistake.

A third goal came when Mane set up Mohamed Salah for a close-range finish. Then, the fourth came when Alexander-Arnold picked out substitute Takumi Minamino for a tap-in.

Liverpool

Alisson Becker: Not tested much as he strolled to keeping a clean sheet. 6/10

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Created the opening goal with a brilliant cross as he has become accustomed to displaying. Played it along the ground for his second assist of the game, for Minamino. Always a creative force. 8

Joel Matip: Sometimes a bit loose when playing the ball, but made up for it with defensive interventions. 6

Virgil van Dijk: Alert to danger, proved to be an obstacle in the way of Arsenal’s attackers with his reading of the play. Tough to get past. 8

Kostas Tsimikas: Got himself forward frequently and looked to deliver from different angles. 7

Fabinho: Made some big tackles, sometimes last-ditch, to avoid things flowing in the wrong direction. 7

Thiago Alcantara: Involved plenty in the first half with his passing and tackling, as well as a decent volley. Displayed a good range of qualities. 8

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: A little bit off the pace in the opening exchanges of both halves, but focused on the basics to work his way into the game. 6

Mohamed Salah: Lively throughout, picking out some decent passes that caused problems. Naturally got on the scoresheet himself to make it 3-0 and showed intelligence by inspiring the fourth goal too. 8

Diogo Jota: After a quiet first half, took his goal well by picking his moment and leaving opponents on the floor helpless. 7

Sadio Mane: Sometimes appeared not to be quite on the same wavelength as his teammates early on, but let his frustrations out with a well-placed header for the opening goal. Backed it up with a well-placed assist for Salah’s goal. 7

Substitutes:

Takumi Minamino (on for Jota, 76 mins): Made the most of his cameo by arriving in the right place at the right time to finish Liverpool’s fourth goal. 6

Jordan Henderson (on for Oxlade-Chamberlain, 76): Quickly got up to the rhythm by playing a direct pass that helped the buildup to the fourth goal. 6

Tyler Morton (on for Thiago, 84): Made his Premier League debut by coming on for the final stages. N/A

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Arsenal

Aaron Ramsdale: Made a couple of heroic saves to keep Liverpool out before their opener. Reactions were impressive and he was unlucky to concede as many as he did. 8

Takehiro Tomiyasu: Showed some crossing ability in the first half but wasn’t his usual self defensively. Didn’t always win his duels in his own third. 6

Ben White: Occasionally over-confident when venturing away from his own goal, but generally combative and strong in challenges. Caught out of position sometimes though. 5

Gabriel Magalhaes: Made a few blocks to try and keep Liverpool at bay, but it wasn’t enough. 6

Nuno Tavares: Careless when giving the ball away in the buildup to Liverpool’s second goal. It wasn’t the last time he ran into trouble. 4

Bukayo Saka: Tried to drive into spaces behind the Liverpool defence, but was often blocked. 6

Albert Sambi Lokonga: Sometimes sloppy on the ball on the rare occasions he saw much of it. 4

Thomas Partey: Struggled to see much of the ball in a game in which possession was dominated by the hosts. Tried to take the initiative on occasion but with little reward. 5

Emile Smith Rowe: Very much on the fringes in the opening half an hour before starting to get a bit more involved when he came more central. 5

Alexandre Lacazette: Somewhat off the pace and starved of involvement in the first half, but tried to link up more after the break until he was taken off. 5

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Saw little of the ball in a tough evening. 4

Substitutes:

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (on for Lokonga, 53): Provided a bit more stability in the midfield. 6

Martin Odegaard (on for Lacazette, 67): Couldn’t change much of the flow of the game. 5

Mohamed Elneny (on for Partey, 84): Came on too late to receive a rating. N/A

The post Liverpool stars prove too much despite best efforts of one Arsenal man in four-goal feast at Anfield – Player Ratings appeared first on TEAMtalk.