Player Ratings: F.C. Rubin Kazan vs. Liverpool F.C. - 0-1

 

Jürgen Klopp's men travelled to Russia for their Europa League match against Rubin Kazan. An eleven hour jaunt across Europe. Historically, English teams come home empty handed from Europe's east, where wins have proven hard to come by.

Klopp left no stone unturned, it seems. Rather than leaving key personnel behind at Melwood, the plane east consisted of a full squad. This says a lot of Liverpool's new manager, in my opinion. Every game and every competition this club competes in is important. I believe this notion has been lost over the last couple of years. Liverpool exist to win trophies and to do that the club needs its best players on the pitch.  

In yet another act of defying the odds, Liverpool came away with a victory and although it may not have been pretty at times, as they say, the only important thing in football is the result. A 1-0 victory away from home will be very much welcomed, not to mention another clean sheet; the third under Klopp, thus far. Three wins on the spin and although 1-1 draws can be a nasty habit, so can winning, and it seems the Reds are starting to realise this. The win now puts Liverpool in a good position to qualify for the Europa League group stages. It's also a nice shot in the arm ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday in the Premier League.

Player ratings as follows:

Simon Mignolet - 6: A very quiet night for the Belgian, who probably needed a blanket at times due to the cold weather. 

Nathaniel Clyne - 7: Once again dependable and got forward well throughout.

Dejan Lovren - 6: Not a lot to do, but dealt well with what came his way. Strong in the challenge and looked good next Sakho.

Mamadou Sakho - 7: Once again imperious. Didn't lose a challenge all night and made a brilliant last ditch tackle during Rubin Kazan's most dangerous moment in attack.

Alberto Moreno- 6: A steady performance from the Spaniard. Provided nice width in attack whilst largely untroubled in defence.

Emre Can - 7: Along with Joe Allen, controlled the midfield. Once again, a tireless effort from the German.

Joe Allen - 7: A very tidy performance from little Welshman. Kept the ball moving and helped keep the shape when Liverpool found it hard to break down their opposition in the final third.

Jordan Ibe - 8 (Man of the Match): The young Englishman was Liverpool's most dangerous player and capped off his impressive display with his first Liverpool goal. An intelligent run and a very well taken goal. Very much looking like the player we saw last year.

James Milner (C) - 6: Almost opened the scoring within the first three minutes; his effort clipping the crossbar. Was also denied a goal in the second half. Tried hard but you feel he has a lot more to give this team.

Roberto Firmino - 6: Appeared frustrated throughout large parts of the match, however played a very clever ball to Ibe in the lead-up to Liverpool's match winning goal. The class is certainly there. With more game time, he will improve.

Christian Benteke - 6: Like Firmino, found it hard to break down Rubin Kazan's defence. Looked far more threatening once Liverpool went a goal up.

Substitutes:

Adam Lallana - 6:  A second half introduction. Looked dangerous on the counter attack.

Lucas - N/R: Introduced in the last ten minutes to help hold onto the lead.

Martin Skrtel - N/R: Liverpool's last substitution. Came on in injury time to run the clock down.

By Simon K.