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Player Ratings: Swansea City 0-1 Liverpool

Sports Mole rates the best and worst players in the Premier League match between Swansea City and Liverpool at the Liberty Stadium.

Liverpool claimed their fifth successive victory in the Premier League by beating Swansea City 1-0 this evening.

Bafetimbi Gomis and Gylfi Sigurdsson both saw efforts saved by Simon Mignolet as the Swans made a bright start.

The Reds gradually took control of the match and they sealed the points when Jordi Amat's attempted clearance hit Jordan Henderson and looped over the stranded Lukasz Fabianski.

Here, Sports Mole rates the best and worst performances from the Liberty Stadium.



Bafetimbi Gomis of Swansea City is closed down by Martin Skrtel and Emre Can of Liverpool during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Liverpool at Liberty Stadium on March 16, 2015© Getty Images

SWANSEA

Goal

Lukasz Fabianski: Looked shaky from the opening minutes and was lucky that a poor mistake early on wasn't punished by Sturridge. He did make a couple of decent saves, but he may be criticised for his positioning for Henderson's goal. (5/10)

Defence

Kyle Naughton: Struggled to get forward down the right and was given a tough time by Lallana throughout the evening. (6/10)

Jordi Amat: Did a good job at keeping Sturridge quiet for most of the game and made some vital tackles. However, his well-timed sliding challenge inadvertently deflected off Henderson and led to the only goal. (6/10)

Ashley Williams: Solid display from the captain who was never beaten in the air and made some vital interceptions to stop Liverpool from extending their lead. (7/10)

Neil Taylor: Had a very good first half and constantly got in down the left. Like most of his teammates, he faded after the break and was forced to defend deep as the Reds offered more of a threat. (6/10)

Midfield

Ki Sung-yueng: Helped the Swans to dominate proceedings in the opening half and used possession well. Was overrun after the break though, and replaced in the final minutes by Dyer. (6/10)

Jack Cork: Another of the Swansea players who enjoyed a decent opening to the match, but was eventually crowded out in the midfield. (6/10)

Jonjo Shelvey: Almost gave Swansea the lead in the first half with a fine effort from a corner that narrowly deflected over the bar. Looked good in possession, but did not see enough of the ball in the second half to make a difference. (6/10)

Gylfi Sigurdsson: Got into some great shooting positions and saw a powerful effort saved by Mignolet in the first half, but his impact faded as the evening wore on. (6/10)

Attack

Bafetimbi Gomis: Good opening to the game and gave the Liverpool defenders some real problems. Had a decent effort saved by the keeper, but he was left stranded after the break. (6/10)

Wayne Routledge: Delivered some great crosses in a very impressive first half. He failed to cause as much threat after the restart and was eventually replaced by Montero. (7/10)

Substitutes

Jefferson Montero: Struggled to get involved and barely had a touch of the ball. (5/10)

Nathan Dyer: Came on for the final 10 minutes and had little chance to impress. (6/10)

Marvin Emnes: Entered the game in the last minute and did not get any chances to score. (6/10)


Jordan Henderson of Liverpool celebrates the opening goal with team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Liverpool at Liberty Stadium on March 16, 2015© Getty Images

LIVERPOOL

Goal

Simon Mignolet: The Belgian was the best player on the pitch this evening. Made two great saves in the first half and looked solid throughout. (8/10)

Defence

Martin Skrtel: Solid at the back and made some crucial tackles in the first half. He kept Gomis quiet for the majority of the game and played the vital pass for Henderson's goal. (7/10)

Mamadou Sakho: Another good outing for the Frenchman, who didn't put a foot wrong all evening. His reading of the game was fantastic and he never looked like getting beaten for pace. (7/10)

Emre Can: Another good showing from a Liverpool defender. He was reliable in possession and used the ball well throughout. (6/10)

Midfield

Jordan Henderson: Scored the winning goal thanks to the help of a very fortunate deflection. Put in some crunching tackles in the early stages and led his team well all evening. (7/10)

Alberto Moreno: Played in a slightly more advanced position than he is used to and looked a threat down the left. Was not as effective after the break and was replaced by Gerrard. (7/10)

Adam Lallana: Put in a good shift and looked lively throughout, but was unable to make any defining contributions in the final third. (6/10)

Philippe Coutinho: Wasn't as impressive as he has been in recent weeks, but still came close to scoring with a couple of spectacular long-range efforts that only just missed the top corner. (6/10)

Attack

Raheem Sterling: Struggled to make an impact in the first half, but got into far better positions after the break. Caused plenty of problems for his full-back and created a decent chance for Sturridge, as well as lifting a strike narrowly over the bar. (6/10)

Daniel Sturridge: Not at his prolific best, but still a danger to the Swansea defence. He linked up well with the midfield and almost grabbed a goal late on with a strike that came back off the post. (6/10)

Substitutes

Steven Gerrard: Came on for Moreno and helped to consolidate Liverpool's dominance of the midfield. Was as neat and reliable in possession as ever. (6/10)

Glen Johnson: Was brought on for the final two minutes and helped his side to see out the match. (7/10)


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Liverpool player Steven Gerrard challenges Nathan Dyer of Swansea during the Barclays Premiership match between Swansea City and Liverpool at Liberty Stadium on March 16, 2015
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