Liverpool leapfrogged Swansea City in the Premier League table courtesy of a 4-1 victory over the Welsh outfit at Anfield this evening.

Alberto Moreno gave the hosts the lead in the first half before Adam Lallana scored either side of a Gylfi Sigurdsson reply in an action-packed second period.

Jonjo Shelvey nodded into his own net to cap off the scoring and ensure that Liverpool ended an up-and-down 2014 on a high note.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who stood out during an entertaining encounter.

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LIVERPOOL

Goal

Simon Mignolet: Made his return to the starting lineup but still doesn't exactly inspire confidence. His kicking was dodgy throughout, although he did make a number of decent stops. (6/10)

Defence

Emre Can: Slotted into an unfamiliar role seamlessly, exuding a calmness at the back that has been lacking all too often this season. May have played well enough to be seen as a long-term option in defence. (7/10)

Martin Skrtel: Did a good job of keeping Bony quiet and posed a danger in the opposition penalty box too. Solid performance from the centre-back. (6/10)

Mamadou Sakho: Was at fault for the Swansea goal with a header straight into the path of Sigurdsson, and almost gifted the visitors an equaliser seconds later. (5/10)

Midfield

Javi Manquillo: Always happy to get forward, but his main contribution came in limiting Swansea's threat down the wings. (7/10)

Lucas Leiva: Went about his business quietly in midfield, but was an effective presence. Limited the service to Bony as well as stunting Sigurdsson's influence on the game. (7/10)

Jordan Henderson: Back in his midfield role having played as a right wing-back a few times recently, and looked much better as a result. Picked up the assist for the opener with a dangerous cross into the box. (7/10)

Philippe Coutinho: A creative hub in midfield. Was always testing the Swansea defence and came close to getting his own name on the scoresheet a few times. Set up the third goal with a clever flick to release Lallana.(9/10)

Adam Lallana: Finally starting to show why Liverpool paid so much money for him. His first was a freak goal, but the second was very well taken. Looked dangerous all the time and, along with Coutinho, was the best player on the park. (9/10)

Alberto Moreno: Scored the opening goal and was Liverpool's most effective player in the first half as they continued to get joy down the left flank. (8/10)

Attack

Raheem Sterling: Caused problems with his pace and almost got a goal of his own when he struck the post. Lashed out at Fernandez late on, though, and was fortunate not to be sent off. (7/10)

Substitutes

Lazar Markovic: Had a couple of nice touches having replaced Lallana, most notably a one-two with Balotelli to set up a chance. (6/10)

Mario Balotelli: Had a couple of half-chances to end his Premier League goal drought during a seven-minute cameo, but all in all failed to have an impact. (6/10)

Fabio Borini: Replaced Coutinho in the dying embers of the game and didn't have time to make an impact. (6/10)

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SWANSEA

Goal

Lukasz Fabianski: Produced a shocker for Lallana's goal as he hit the ball straight into the Liverpool man. Perhaps could have done better with the opener too, although that was a tough one. (4/10)

Defence

Ashley Richards: Struggled to contain Moreno in the first half and was taken off at the interval as a result. (4/10)

Federico Fernandez: Involved in a running battle with Sterling all game and coped fairly well considering the difference in attributes. (6/10)

Ashley Williams: Relied on his physical superiority over Liverpool's attackers, but that didn't always save him. Not the easiest match he will have this season. (5/10)

Neil Taylor: Barely got forward at all with Manquillo as his opposite wing-back, and also struggled to shackle Lallana and Coutinho when they drifted onto his side. (5/10)

Midfield

Leon Britton: Usually keeps things ticking over in midfield, but needed to do more than that tonight and failed to offer adequate protection to his back four. (5/10)

Jonjo Shelvey: Always seems to have an eventful match against his former employers. Fortunate to get away with an elbow on Can in the first half and then scored an own goal to end the game as a contest. (3/10)

Wayne Routledge: Provided the cross that led to Sigurdsson's goal, but was wasteful more often than not on the rare occasions that he got into good positions. (5/10)

Gylfi Sigurdsson: Did not have his usual influence on the game. Was anonymous for the vast majority of the night, apart from when he popped up to get the goal. (6/10)

Nathan Dyer: Got very little joy against Liverpool's wing-backs, and should have done more defensively to counteract that. (5/10)

Attack

Wilfried Bony: Barely involved apart from a couple of incidents early in the second half. Was replaced immediately after Liverpool's third goal. (5/10)

Substitutes

Angel Rangel: Came on for Richards at half time and, if anything, had an even tougher time against Liverpool's attackers. (4/10)

Bafetimbi Gomis: Replaced Bony and provided more of a threat up front. Hit the bar with a fine effort late on. (6/10)

Ki Sung-yeung: Introduced with just over 20 minutes remaining but had little influence on proceedings. (6/10)