A late James Milner penalty earned Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool all three points and their fourth straight Premier League win with a 2-1 victory at Swansea. Francesco Guidolin was under plenty of pressure before this game, but the hosts showed they are still playing for him; they pressed Liverpool effectively in the first half after nicking an early goal through Leroy Fer, and defended for their lives in the second.
Roberto Firmino nodded the visitors back on level terms after Swansea failed to clear the box, as Liverpool poured forward in relentless fashion to have the Swans creaking. Mo Barrow and Angel Rangel combined with a pair of bad errors to foul Firmino and gift Klopp’s side a late penalty. Milner tucked it away with aplomb, as Liverpool maintained their early-season momentum.
Swansea now sit just one point above the relegation places, and their manager’s future lies in the balance. We have rated how the host’s players against The Reds. Have a read and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on Twitter @TBRFootball.
Lukas Fabianski – 6
The Pole had very little work today in the first 45 minutes, but made some decent saves during Swansea’s second half rearguard. Possibly dived a little early on the penalty, but that would be harsh.
Angel Rangel – 6
All of Swansea’s back four had their work cut out in a difficult second half, but Rangel stuck to his task as well as anyone. A great tackle on Milner from a seated position was the highlight of his day. However, gave away the penalty after fouling Firmino clumsily.
Jordi Amat – 6
Produced a fantastic block to deny Liverpool in the first half, but prone to lapses in concentration. Not much to write home about overall.
Mike van der Hoorn – 7
Quite solid in general, and cuts an imposing presence at the heart of Swansea’s defence. Teams will try to play on his lack of pace – that much is clear. Missed a golden opportunity to equalise late when he skewed a side-foot volley wide from six yards out.
Kyle Naughton – 6
Not the first left-back to be given a tough time by The Reds this season, and he will certainly not be the last. Opposition sides will have to come up with a solution for dealing with Liverpool’s Clyne-Mane axis on their right flank. Mane takes up narrow positions, and that frees up plenty of space for Clyne to gallop into. A tough day for Naughton who was preferred to Neil Taylor.
Jack Cork – 8
Was very impressive in the first-half and is a very underrated performer in general. Reads the game well when Swansea sit deep, and made some timely interceptions and tackles. Uses the ball intelligently and can even break into the box. Some teams further up the league will look at him.
Leon Britton – 6
The fulcrum of Swansea’s possession football for so many years, Britton returned today and didn’t do much wrong prior to being replaced just after the hour mark. Had some difficult defensive moments in the first half when Firmino dropped off.
Leroy Fer – 7
Got on the score-sheet today following his strike against Chelsea last month, taking his season’s tally to four. Fer has all of the attributes to be a good Premier League performer. He was always looked at as an underachiever at QPR and Norwich, but Swansea need him to produce if they are to get out of trouble. Has good technique and the ability to cover lots of ground.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7
A class apart from his team-mates, the Icelandic international had an interesting task today by starting on the left flank when Swansea had the ball. Ideally, you wouldn’t want to shackle him with this defensive responsibility. He drifted into central areas when the hosts had the ball, and looked classy as always.
Wayne Routledge – 6
Was sharp and inventive when Swansea had their best spell at the start for the match, but found things more of a struggle as the game wore on. Replaced by Mo Barrow just after the hour mark.
Borja Baston – 5
A first league start for Swansea’s big money summer signing, and it is difficult to judge him. On one hand, he showed some good movement to fashion two good headed chances in the first half. On the other hand, he missed them. A lively enough display, but Guidolin needs him to start converting those opportunities.
Substitutes
Jay Fulton – 5
The 22-year-old Scot replaced Fer and showed plenty of endeavour, but it wasn’t the ideal game to enter with Swansea so firmly on the back foot.
Ki Sung Yung – 6
Came on with half an hour remaining, and gave the hosts some energy in the middle of the pitch. Surprising that he didn’t start; the South Korean is a very wily player and uses the ball tidily.
Mo Barrow – 4
Did very little going forward and his horribly skewed clearance led to Liverpool’s penalty. An afternoon to forget.
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