Liverpool marked their return to the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 win away at AC Milan on Tuesday night time.
The Reds got here in for heavy criticism after shedding to Nottingham Forest at Anfield over the weekend and have been in dire want of each a outcome and a efficiency to maintain these naysayers at bay.
Happily for Arne Slot, his aspect conjured up each and ran out deserved winners at San Siro.
Right here have been Liverpool’s finest and worst gamers on the night time, as per 90min’s full participant scores.
Cody Gakpo – 8/10
To start his reign, Slot has rigidly caught with a entrance three of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. Regardless of his tremendous performances at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands, Cody Gakpo has seldom been afforded the chance to impress his countryman within the dugout.
Gakpo was named within the beginning lineup to face Milan, and boy did he stake a declare for a extra common spot within the staff shifting ahead.
Milan captain Davide Calabria could not get close to the languid ahead, who sprung in regards to the San Siro turf with the vigour Slot would’ve been hoping to see.
Gakpo’s crowning second got here when he raced away from the retreating Rossoneri defence and delivered a cross for Dominik Szoboszlai that was inconceivable for him to overlook, creating Liverpool’s third objective rounding off the scoring.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 8/10
This spot may’ve gone to Virgil van Dijk or Trent Alexander-Arnold, however they’ve had loads of days within the solar already.
Let’s as a substitute take a second to understand Dominik Szoboszlai’s resurgence in the beginning of this season. After a quick begin to his debut 2023/24 marketing campaign at Anfield, his type dipped because the yr went on and the Hungarian’s hype dissipated.
However with Slot on the helm, Szoboszlai is a younger man reborn and an ideal jack-of-all-trades match for this new system. A robust quantity 10 who works as onerous as he does is a troublesome profile to seek out.
Milan have been affected by Szoboszlai each on and off the ball, and his objective on the finish of Gakpo’s cross was a simply reward for his efficiency on the entire.
Diogo Jota – 6/10
That is actually a matter of splitting hairs contemplating Liverpool have been flawless for 87 of the 90 minutes over in Italy.
If we have been to choose the tiniest of nits, we might concentrate on Jota and his lack of ability to get on the scoresheet regardless of being gifted an excellent opening to take action within the first half.
Darwin Nunez then got here off the bench and did not have a lot of an impression both, however you do wonder if the Uruguayan will, like Gakpo, be given a begin to present Slot what he is really able to within the close to future.
