Burnley Burnley Burnley
You guys and Sean Dyche have always been a tough nut to crack. We still made it comfortable despite that difficulty. And finally playing in front of a Full Anfield Crowd after a full 520+ days of empty stadiums.
GK: Alisson Becker 7.5 / 10
Fairly tested throughout the game and managed to keep his cool despite the valiant attempts by Burnley to get their opening goal. Not exactly the best performance by him but a clean sheet nonetheless.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas - 9 / 10
The man of the match. Kosta was always a constant threat from the left back position and connected well to assist for Jota's opening goal. Defensively he was impressive as well. Frankly he's almost as good as the right sided Trent. But for a boss performance, he does deserve a higher mark than Trent. Robbo, best watch out. Kosta's in town. And he's ready.
RB: Trent Alexander Arnold - 8/10
Imperious playing on the deadly right hand side with Elliott. Connected beautifully to assist Mane's goal following a neat build up from Van Dijk and Harvey Elliott. Game stat wise he may have done more than Kostas but that is to be expected.
RCB: Joel Matip - 8.5 / 10
It's easy to see why Klopp always pairs Matip and Van Dijk together even though Konate should be given an opportunity to start. To be fair to Matip, if it ain't broke, don't fix it because for assurances at the back, he's very effective. Was busier than Van Dijk, 8 freaking aerial duels won is more than any other player on the pitch which is nothing to sneeze at either.
LCB: Van Dijk - 8.5/10
Back to his sharpness and man do we miss his long range distribution. Even though we do have the full backs for it, at least Van Dijk can also provide that artillery from the center back when needed. That 60 yard volley pass to Harvey Elliott which started the build up to Mane's goal was pin-point precision.
CDM: Jordan Henderson - 7.5 / 10
Back on the field since the beginning of 2021 to start over Fabinho who was given compassionate leave. Captained his squad and dictated the midfield. Looked sharp and fit and kept his passes simple and positioned well. Typical performances that you'd expect from him.
LM: Naby Keita - 7 / 10
Quieter of the midfield, but at least now he is finding form when required. It'll take a miracle for him to stay fit because he still has that potential. Promising, but could be tidier.
RAM: Harvey Elliott - 9 / 10
Was handed a surprise start for finally a PL debut and didn't look back. Truth be told though, for some time I've been wanting him as part of the front 4 in a 4231. But 433 will do and it's no problem for him. He performed well as though he was a natural matured senior. So well that the fact he even stayed on for the full 90 minutes shows how much confidence Klopp has in the lad. Dominated the right side of the midfield despite his young age and proved classy and just plainly oozes confidence. Should have gotten the assist when it was ruled out however that didn't affect his confidence. Tricky customer to deal with, winning the Reds quite a few fouls early and later played a part in Mane's 2nd goal after connecting Van Dijk's 60 yard pass with a very nice touch before connecting to TAA which then lead to Mane's goal. An excellent Premier League debut for Harvey that should have gotten off to a flying start with a goal which was a shame. That said, he may very well be significantly more effective a Number 8 than Keita. Give him the number 16 shirt.
ST: Diogo Jota - 8 / 10
2 games, 2 goals. Both scoring first. And the first goal to be scored this season in front of a full Anfield stadium. Was a menace down the center and often plays switcheroo with Mane.
LWF: Sadio Mane - 8 / 10
Got himself on a score sheet and was also a constant menace on the left hand side. Synergises well with Kostas Tsimikas. What a team goal this was.
RWF: Mo Salah - 7.5 / 10
Not the best night for him because of the offside goal. But doesn't take away that he was a threat in front of goal and does gel well with Elliott. Shame.
Bottom Line: Newbies are ready
If there's one thing that's absolutely sure about it, Newby KT and HE are ready, no doubt about it. Both Kostas Tsimikas and Harvey Elliott are gonna have a season of their lives. They already started very well in the preseason and this game just augments the reason even further.
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