Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Ian Doyle

Everybody loves Liverpool's Sadio Mane as unfortunate Virgil van Dijk fact emerges

Liverpool have been racking up the records during their remarkable Premier League season.

But lately they've been acquiring some landmarks they'd rather not.

Such was the case at the Emirates on Wednesday, when Arsenal had the fewest shots of any side victorious in a top-flight match since such records began in 2003.

It helped, of course, that Liverpool gifted the Gunners their two goals in the Londoners' 2-1 victory.

Your truly was in the big smoke on ratings duty and didn't find it too hard to point the finger at the reason for the loss.

Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk both scored five after their individual errors, while there were a whole bunch of 6s.

Joe Gomez was given the man of the match award as the only player on 8, although in retrospect the view on Sadio Mane was a bit harsh, the Senegalese having dropped to a 6 on the basis of his miss when Liverpool were seeking an equaliser in the second half.

Back up to a 7 for you, Sadio. He'll no doubt be delighted at that news.

What they said

Of course, other ratings are available. And the national media didn't exactly have a tough job determining who was to blame for Liverpool's defeat.

The Mirror thought Mane was best with 8 while Van Dijk struggled with 4.

The Express gave Mane, Fabinho, Robertson and Gomez top score of 7, while Salah and Alisson were lowest with 5.

The Independent handed Mane and Robertson top marks with 8 while Wijnaldum, Van Dijk and Alisson scored 5.

Making a special guest appearance, Sky Sports had Salah, Mane and Robertson leading the way with 7. Alisson and Van Dijk were last with 4.

Meanwhile, The Times considered Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Fabinho and Mane best with 7 while Alisson and Van Dijk scored 4.

Finally, the number-crunchers at WhoScored.com calculated Mane best with 8.06. Last were Van Dijk on 5.71 and Alisson on 4.86 - their worst-ever ratings in a Premier League game. Blimey.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.