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Best Liverpool Player - Alberto Moreno
Moreno showed a lot of promise in his debut, but it was spoiled by a crucial error on City's first goal. He redeemed himself with a marvelous second game. There was some doubt about his inclusion in the starting lineup because of an ankle injury he suffered near the end of the City game, but he didn't show any lingering effects whatsoever. The perfect summing up of his performance was his goal (more on that later). However, the goal was just the icing on the cake that was Moreno's day. His runs forward were dangerous, his defending was excellent, and holy hell is he fast. He was well worth all the trouble it took for the club to finally sign him.
Worst Liverpool Player - Raheem Sterling
I'm fully aware this is probably a very unpopular opinion, but I'll explain. While Sterling actually wasn't the worst player compared to everyone else, I'm giving him worst player because of how wasteful he was. Yes, he caused all kinds of problems for Tottenham's defense, just like he did against City and Southampton, but there were many times I found myself scratching my head over the end result of one of his dribbles or attempted passes. Now, I still think Raheem played well, I just think that he's shown enough by now for us to expect him to do better than he did at times yesterday. The fact that no one really played poorly is the main reason Sterling was even considered for this.
Best Goal - Alberto Moreno (60')
It was easy to pick best goal this week. Moreno did all the work and scored a beauty. He put pressure on Andros Townsend and forced a turnover in his own half. Then he turned on the jets with a beautiful run forward, and once he got into the box, he unleashed an unstoppable left footed shot into the far corner. This goal made it 3-0 and effectively ended the game.
Worst Miss - Raheem Sterling (70')
I'm still in shock Sterling didn't put this one away. He dribbled around 4 Spurs defenders in their box, and then from just a few feet out, got absolutely nothing on the shot. While it would have taken a good shot to put it away, he should have at least tested Lloris. He couldn't have made it much easier to save than he did.
Best Managerial Decision - Starting Mario Balotelli
I wasn't sure how Balotelli was going to fit in to the side, but Rodger's did what he always does and found the perfect way to integrate him. He removed Coutinho, who had been rather disappointing in the first two games, and moved Sterling to the point of a narrow diamond midfield. This allowed Liverpool to play with two strikers without sacrificing a midfielder, which was crucial. Our dominance of the midfield is what resulted in such a dominating performance overall.
Best Surprise - Mario Balotelli's Effort
I won't lie, I worried that Balotelli would struggle to fit into Rodger's system of high pressure and tracking back defensively, but Mario put those worries to rest in his debut. His average position wasn't much further upfield than Sterling and Joe Allen, and was much closer to midfield than Sturridge. While it's entirely possible The old Balotelli could rear his head, I'm very pleased that he already seems to be buying into BR's system.
Best Stat - Steven Gerrard is the first Liverpool player to score in 16 consecutive seasons
Our captain is a beast. Was there really any doubt he would convert that penalty? No, there wasn't.
Don't forget to vote for you man of the match.
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