Liverpool supporters can now relax as another season comes to an end. Perhaps not the year they envisioned back in August, though the 1-1 result against Brentford means they will play in the Champions League next season.
Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah played their final game for the club this afternoon, with the latter being key to the result at Anfield with his magnificent pass finding Curtis Jones in the middle of the box.
Kevin Schade would level the match moments later as a deflected cross found the German unmarked in the area, as he headed the ball low and hard past Alisson, giving them hope they could still qualify for Europe.
The Egyptian, the Scotsman and former Reds captain, Jordan Henderson left the field with standing ovations from the four corners of Anfield after all they have done to build the Merseyside club into a superpower once more.
With the Champions League being under their belt, they will hope they can reach those levels again, as the game showed the good and the bad from the season, as they dropped points on home turf.
Here are the ReadLiverpool match rating against Brentford
Alisson – 6
His return to the matchday squad for the Reds, and he had a quiet afternoon. He was forced into a top save late into the second half, and could do nothing when Schade equalised, as his head was powered past the Brazilian.
Curtis Jones – 7
Playing as a right back has become familiar to the Scouser this season, with injuries to Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley. He was on the scoresheet just before the hour mark, and didn’t allow Schade to have much impact through the 90 minutes.
Ibrahima Konate – 6
Made a bit more to deal with than his partner on the day, as they looked to expose the right-hand side. He made a few clearances when required, though the Bees left it late to put real pressure on Liverpool as they looked to pick up three points.
Virgil Van Dijk – 5
Igor Thiago almost did nothing the entire match, leaving the captain with little to deal with. However, their equaliser came in between him and Robertson, and early in the first half, Schade could have given them a lead after the ball floated over Van Dijk’s head.
Andy Robertson – 6
His final game as a Liverpool player was a bit of a throwback to the man who became the best left back in the world. The style from the opposition saw them sit back, and he was allowed to drive forward and played some dangerous crosses into the box. However, he lost Schade as the Bees drew it level.
Alexis Mac Allister – 5
It’s become very common this season for the Reds to have control in the middle of the park at some point, before getting overran, and that’s what happened today. Mac Allister was at the centre of a few chances for the opponent where they could have took the lead.
Ryan Gravenberch – 6
Similar to his partner, they struggled to stamp out any of the attacks that Keith Andrews’ side were creating, particularly after they made it 1-1. The first half was much better, as he was always on the front foot and almost gave them the lead.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6
He had a strong first half, but as the game went on his ability to create, press or make excellent passes into higher up areas dwindled. The Hungarian has been the man of the moment for Liverpool this season, though this was one of few matches were he couldn’t match his high standards.
Rio Ngumoha – 7
During the initial stages of the game, he didn’t have the best of luck up against Michael Kayode, though as the game advanced, his teammates were looking for him to be the one to unlock the Bees’ backline. As they overloaded to deal with him, it opened space up on the other side, which allowed them to take the lead.
Mohamed Salah – 8
The Egyptian King ended his Liverpool career in style, being instrumental in their victory. He was a creative spark in the first half, and his well timed run in the second half allowed him to set up Curtis Jones for the opener.
Cody Gakpo – 5
It was very much the same for the Dutchman for the entire afternoon, as he found very little space in the attacking areas, meaning he had no impact on how the game went. Outside a header as the first half was coming to a close, it’s a game Gakpo won’t remember.
Subsitutes
Florian Wirtz – 5
Some nice link-up play and defensive work from the German, but he was featured out on the left wing, which hopefully doesn’t continue into next season if supporters want to see the best from their £100 million plus star.
Jeremie Frimpong – 5
Similar to Wirtz, he’s been played out of position regularly in the past few matches, taking place out on the right wing, and just like the German, he was unable to do much out of his favoured place.
Milos Kerkez – 6
The fullback showed a lot of quality both on and off the ball when he was introduced, and his crisp longball into the feet of Frimpong was the best of his actions
Trey Nyoni – 5
Kopites would have liked to see their other academy star play much more this season, rather than small cameos from the bench. A loan next season would be ideal for the talented midfielder.
