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Player Ratings: Liverpool 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

Sports Mole gives each of the players involved in Liverpool's 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion a rating out of 10.

A goal either side of the break from Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson secured a 2-1 victory for Liverpool over West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

Lallana's first goal for the Merseysiders since his summer move from Southampton broke the deadlock, before Saido Berahino equalised from the penalty spot for the Baggies.

Henderson ensured that the Reds would win in the Premier League for the first time since the end of August, though, when he stroked the ball into the bottom corner of the net from 10 yards out in the 61st minute.

Here, Sports Mole has rated the performances of each of the players that were on show at Anfield.


Liverpool

Adam Lallana of Liverpool is congratulated by team mates on scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on October 4, 2014© Getty Images

Goal

Simon Mignolet: The goalkeeper's technique has been called into question by Gary Neville recently, but he didn't really have a chance to respond, with West Brom struggling to call him into action. (6/10)

Defence

Javier Manquillo: The young Spaniard got forward well and played a role in his side's second goal. He looked a little tired when he was substituted. (6/10)

Martin Skrtel: A relatively solid outing from the Slovakian, who recovered well from receiving an early yellow card. He made a number of important clearances. (7/10)

Dejan Lovren: Replays showed that he was unlucky to concede a penalty, but it doesn't take away the fact that it was a rash challenge on Berahino. Aside from that, Lovren was steady enough. (6/10)

Alberto Moreno: Since Moreno arrived in England, we've been used to seeing some rampaging runs down the left flank, but he was quiet today. (6/10)

Midfield

Steven Gerrard: The captain responded to some of his critics with an energetic display in the middle of the pitch. Then, in the final 10 minutes, he showed his creative side when pushed further forward. (7/10)

Jordan Henderson: It was an all-round performance from Henderson, who was the best player on the pitch. He assisted the first goal for Lallana, before going on to score the winning goal. (8/10)

Adam Lallana: In recent outings, Lallana has shown signs that he is settling in at Liverpool and that continued today. He has quick feet, which he showed when scoring the first goal. (7/10)

Philippe Coutinho: The playmaker is still struggling to recapture the form that he showed for parts of last season. Although he had plenty of the ball, he was relatively ineffective. (5/10)

Raheem Sterling: The 19-year-old still looked a little jaded, but he did seem to benefit from having a hard-working striker like Lambert ahead of him. It created more space for Sterling, although he didn't always use it effectively. (6/10)

Attack

Rickie Lambert: He worked extremely hard, but strikers are judged on the number of goals that they score and Lambert failed to convert three decent openings. (6/10)

Substitutes

Mario Balotelli: The Italian was probably not happy to have been dropped, but he looked lively when introduced during the second half. On a couple of occasions he forced some good stops from Foster. (6/10)

Glen Johnson: Having been sidelined for a while through injury, the England right-back looked composed after being brought on to replace Manquillo. (6/10)

Lucas: Brought on to shore things up in midfield and release Gerrard further up the pitch in the closing stages and Lucas did that well. (6/10)


West Brom

Liverpool's English midfielder Raheem Sterling vies with West Bromwich Albion's Costa Rican defender Cristian Gamboa and West Bromwich Albion's English defender Joleon Lescott during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and West Bro© Getty Images

Goal

Ben Foster: Foster was powerless to prevent either goal, although he did make some good saves to keep his team in the game. (6/10)

Defence

Cristian Gamboa: Brought in to replace the ineligible Andre Wisdom and after this performance, he may be difficult to budge. The Costa Rican got forward ever so well and also put in some good challenges. (7/10)

Joleon Lescott: West Brom were shipping goals earlier in the season, but since Lescott has regained fitness, he's used his experience well and that carried on today. (6/10)

Craig Dawson: Fresh from signing a new contract, Dawson put in another steady showing at the heart of the West Brom defence. (6/10)

Sebastien Pocognoli: A relatively quiet afternoon for the Belgian at full-back, not that he did anything particularly wrong. (6/10)

Midfield

Graham Dorrans: The Scot was in creative mood last weekend when he set up two goals and scored one himself, but it was a real quiet outing from Dorrans, who had little impact before he was replaced. (5/10)

James Morrison: He put in a very good shift in the middle of the pitch, as well as looking to pass the ball forward to start off attacks whenever he could. (6/10)

Craig Gardner: Like the rest of his fellow midfielders, Gardner worked extremely hard, but couldn't get enough of the ball in key areas to have a major impact on proceedings. (6/10)

Chris Brunt: He may get criticism from some West Brom fans at times, but nobody can question his commitment to the cause today. He covered plenty of ground, as well as sending over a couple of dangerous crosses. (7/10)

Stephane Sessegnon: The playmaker was in the team to create chances and perhaps convert some himself, but he was well shackled throughout the 90 minutes. (5/10)

Attack

Saido Berahino: The 21-year-old is currently showing his best form since he broke into senior football. He won and scored a penalty, but aside from that, he barely gave the Liverpool defence a moment to settle. It was the type of performance that you need from a lone striker. (7/10)

Substitutes

Youssouf Mulumbu: A player of Mulumbu's ability is always going to give you plenty of energy and endeavour, and that is exactly what he provided from the bench. (6/10)

Sebastian Blanco: The winger didn't really have enough time to stamp a mark on the match, although he did have one poor shot that he will want to forget. (6/10)

Georgios Samaras: The Greek had even less time on the pitch than Blanco. (6/10)


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Adam Lallana of Liverpool is congratulated by team mates on scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on October 4, 2014
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Match Analysis: Liverpool 2-1 West Brom
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