Liverpool and Hull City took one point apiece this afternoon following a goalless draw at Anfield.

Mario Balotelli came close to grabbing his first Premier League goal in a Reds shirt, but once again, the 24-year-old could not get off the mark as he squandered late chances.

Steve Bruce's side were sturdy in defence and were able to stifle the Reds, and while Liverpool improved following the introductions of Philippe Coutinho and Rickie Lambert, the Merseyside outfit failed to find that killer edge in the final third

Below, Sports Mole analyses the individual performances of those players involved.

© Getty Images

LIVERPOOL

Goal

Simon Mignolet: The Belgian has had his critics of late, but had very little to do during the match. When his services were called upon, he made comfortable saves and made the right decisions. (6/10)

Defence

Alberto Moreno: Moreno has posed an attacking threat in the majority of his games for Liverpool, but was relatively quiet this afternoon. He made some good defensive tackles in the early stages of the contest, but struggled to link up with his teammates in attacking areas. (5/10)

Dejan Lovren: Lovren came close to opening the scoring in the first half with a header which was cleared off the line by Ahmed Elmohamady. However, the Croatian still seems less than comfortable in defence and made a few bad decisions in terms of passing from the back. (5/10)

Martin Skrtel: Skrtel seemed relatively comfortable throughout the match and was rarely tested by Hull's attack. He also kept the ball well when playing out from the back. (6/10)

Javier Manquillo: The Spaniard took the place of Glen Johnson this afternoon, but struggled to make an impact in an attacking sense. The Liverpool man was largely kept quiet by Mohamed Diame. (4/10)

Midfield

Joe Allen: Allen has been missed during his stint on the sidelines with injury, but today, the Welshman was unable to control the middle of the park and he was rather lacklustre, which resulted in his second-half substitution. (4/10)

Steven Gerrard: The former England captain created some goalscoring chances and delivered a number of threatening balls into the box from midfield, but failed to take commanding control of the midfield as he has shown before. (6/10)

Emre Can: The German Under-21 international showed glimpses of what Liverpool can expect from the midfielder in the future. Despite spending a number of weeks on the sidelines, Can looked relatively comfortable in his position and showed bursts of energy. (7/10)

Adam Lallana: The former Southampton man made some impressive runs down the left-hand side, but his final cross let him down on occasions. The England international also struggled to make an impact by cutting inside and narrowing some attacking play. (6/10)

Attack

Raheem Sterling: The youngster displayed some impressive pace in the early stages of the first half and got into dangerous positions, but his final touch was lacking and he showed some signs of fatigue as the match went on. (6/10)

Mario Balotelli: The Italian was relatively quiet until he had a shot saved by Eldin Jakupovic in the first half. He had two chances that he should have converted to open up his league account for the Reds, and should be doing more as Liverpool's current main striker. He improved when Rickie Lambert was brought on to play alongside him. (6/10)

Substitutes

Rickie Lambert: Lambert has not had many chances at Anfield following his summer arrival, but he did well to hold up the ball when he was brought on in the second half. (6/10)

Philippe Coutinho: Rodgers made the right decision to bring on Coutinho in the second half because he ramped up the attacking play with his presence. The Brazilian helped set up his teammates for goalscoring opportunities and also created some for himself. (7/10)

Jordan Henderson: The midfielder did not contribute much when he came on in the second half, btu did display plenty of energy. However, he needlessly dived in the penalty area and picked up a booking for doing so. (5/10)

© Getty Images

HULL CITY

Goal

Eldin Jakupovic: For someone only making his second league start, the third-choice goalkeeper impressed by making a number of saves to deny Liverpool all three points. He also timed his runs well when coming off the line to deal with danger. (7/10)

Defence

James Chester: Chester was part of a strong defence this afternoon and made some good headers in his own area, but at times, gave the ball away cheaply. (6/10)

Curtis Davies: Davies has been solid over the last few seasons and he did well again by tracking a number of runs from Sterling. However, he did struggle with the teenager's pace. (6/10)

Alex Bruce: The defender's clearances were suspect at times, but he remained calm in his own half and helped thwart Liverpool's attack. (6/10)

Midfield

Robbie Brady: Brady was called in at wing-back this afternoon and he grew into the game as it progressed. He put in some crucial tackles, while also stopping Sterling in his tracks numerous times. (6/10)

Ahmed Elmohamady: Elmohamady saved Hull from going a goal down early in the first half by clearing Lovren's header off the line. He also posed a threat on the right-hand side during counter-attacks. (6/10)

Jake Livermore: Livermore looked comfortable throughout and was able to stop Liverpool's Allen from dominating the midfield. (6/10)

Mohamed Diame: Diame was Hull's best player by running himself ragged all over the pitch. He created some good chances at goal, while also dropping back to help defend. (8/10)

Tom Huddlestone: The midfielder did his job well by putting in some vital tackles and preventing Liverpool from creating a fluid attack. He was used more as a defensive player at Anfield. (6/10)

Hatem Ben Arfa: Ben Arfa showed some impressive pace in attacking areas for the visitors, but struggled to make a huge impact or take advantage of Liverpool's frailties at the back. 5/10

Attack

Abel Hernandez: Hernandez came into the fold to replace Nikica Jelavic, and while he did test Mignolet with an effort on goal in the second half, he failed to seriously trouble the hosts. (4/10)

Substitutes

Gaston Ramirez: The Argentine entered the pitch in the final 20 minutes of the game, but struggled to impose himself. (4/10)

Sone Aluko: The forward tried to make an impact after coming on and got himself into some decent areas, but was rarely used. (5/10)

David Meyler: Meyler was brought on with just three minutes of normal time remaining to run down the clock (5/10)