2/10 Elliott has shocker, 9/10 shines – Liverpool player ratings v Plymouth
Harvey Elliott will be the scapegoat after his costly mistake knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup in a 1-0 loss against Plymouth Argyle.
The 21-year-old, who has struggled for minutes under Slot this season, may find himself cast out into the cold at Anfield again after his costly error cost the Reds the match.
He handled the ball in the penalty area during the second half before Ryan Hardie calmly converted the match-winning goal.
Here, Liverpool News have given their player ratings for the match, with stats provided by Sofascore.
Liverpool beaten 1-0 by Plymouth
Caiomhin Kelleher – 5
The goalkeeper was sent the wrong way by Ryan Hardie for the penalty but had no other danger to deal with at Home Park.
James McConnell – 5
He was moved to right-back after Gomez went off injured inside the opening 10 minutes and went under the radar in a competent display. McConnell won 50 per cent of his contested duels in a hostile atmosphere.
Jarell Quansah – 6
Quansah did himself justice in the FA Cup, winning 66 per cent of his duels contested and completing 94 per cent of his passes on the day.
Joe Gomez [off for Isaac Mabaya 11′] – N/A
The Reds captain for the afternoon lasted only eight minutes of action at Home Park. Gomez hit the floor after sustaining another injury setback for Liverpool and was removed for youth defender Mabaya.
Kostas Tsimikas – 5
Tsimikas, like the rest of the Liverpool defence, went untroubled throughout the 90 minutes barring the penalty. However, he failed to exert his usual attacking influence against the Championship side.
Trey Nyoni [off for Trent Kone Doherty 76′] – 8
The 17-year-old put the senior players to shame with his mature performance against Plymouth. Nyoni completed 95 per cent of his passes, 100 per cent of his long balls and won 62 per cent of his ground duels in a statement display.
Wataru Endo can hold his head high after Plymouth display
Wataru Endo – 9
The Japan midfielder is the only senior Reds player who can leave Home Park with his head held high. Endo won 100 per cent of his ground duels, 50 per cent of his aerial duels and completed 90 per cent of his passes.
Federico Chiesa – 4
Really disappointing afternoon for the Italian who mustered only one off-target shot against Plymouth. He lost possession 14 times as he struggled to make any impact in the FA Cup.
Harvey Elliott – 2
The Englishman had a shocker on the South Coast, giving away the match-winning penalty in the second half. He also completed only 33 per cent of his long balls, lost possession 20 times and won only 50 per cent of his duels contested.
Luis Diaz – 4
Another Reds attacker who will undoubtedly be scolded by Slot after the full-time whistle. Diaz also failed to get a shot on goal.
Diogo Jota – 3
Jota was non-existent at Home Park and left Liverpool without a killer edge in front of goal throughout the 90 minutes. He failed to record a single shot on goal, completed only 40 per cent of his passes and lost 85 per cent of his duels contested.
Substitutions:
Isaac Mabaya [off for Darwin Nunez 58′] – 6
The 20-year-old can hold his head high after being granted his first team debut in the most difficult of circumstances. He was replaced for Nunez following the Plymouth goal.
Darwin Nunez – 5
The Uruguayan was introduced moments after the Reds conceded the only goal of the game and couldn’t help his teammates finds the equaliser.
Trent Kane Doherty – N/A