Liverpool went down 2-1 to a strong Roma side containing the majority of their first team players. Roma have also played more preseason games so came in the stronger team. Michael Bradley opened the scoring for Roma before Florenzi added a second but Liverpool fought back and when Charlie Adam got put a good left footed shot into the back of the net Liverpool were on the up. Unfortunately Liverpool could not find the equaliser but there will be plenty of positives for Brendan Rodgers to take away from the game. Will do player ratings on the best player in each position due to the magnitude of players who took part.
Peter Gulacsi 6.5/10
The young keeper had a good half between the sticks and made a few very good saves to send Liverpool in level at the break. His best save came after a poor pass from Jay Spearing allowed a Roma player a clear run in on goal, Gulacsi brilliantly saved the following shot and will have done his future prospects no harm.
Ryan McLaughlin 7/10
It is hard to believe that this kid is only 17 with the performance he put in against Roma. Bombed up and down the right flank to provide some very good attacking support to Joe Cole while at the same time always attending to his defensive duties. On his debut performance tonight, McLaughlin has a bright future ahead of him which may come at Flannagan's expense.
Martin Skrtel 6.5/10
Another no fuss performance from our enforcer in which he did everything that was required of him. In both preseason games now the opposition have attacked his defensive partner, giving Skrtel a wide birth. Carragher may have had a nightmare half of football but Skrtel stood firm and is looking sharp for the season ahead.
Danny Wilson 4.5/10
Despite putting in a less than assured display Wilson was still the best left back on show for us tonight, Jose Enrique had a shocker by his standards and things are looking good for Jack Robinson who missed the game due to a minor injury. Although it is not his natural position Wilson was found out of position on more than one occasion and struggled against the Roma attack. He is fast running out of opportunities to keep his Liverpool career alive.
Jonjo Shelvey 7.5/10 (MOTM)
Despite having a poor start to the game in which he over hit a few passes Shelvey really grew into the game and became a dominant force in the Liverpool side, he almost scored on three occasions with some great footwork and also set up his teammates on a few occasions. He may still need a year out on loan but Jonjo is really showing the manager what he can do.
Charlie Adam 6/10
It may be glaringly obvious that Adam is not suited to playing under Rodgers but the Scottish midfielder put in a decent attacking display with some good long range passes and a well taken goal. On the other hand though, his defensive display was diabolical as per usual, his positioning was terrible and still had time to mistime his customary clumsy challenges. Adam was a big factor in our midfield being overun in the second half.
Lucas Leiva 6.5/10
Despite only playing for 30 minutes it was great to see Lucas throwing himself into challenges again and giving everything for the team. His short passing on shielding helped limit the damage in the second half and he can only go from strength to strength from this point on.
Joe Cole 7.5/10
May have taken him almost two years to do but Cole put in an impressive performance tonight with some great close control and clever passing. He was very unlucky to see a great piece of skill rebound off the crossbar and many fans will be hoping he can use this performance as a launching pad to seeing the old Joe Cole back in action.
Pacheco 7/10
On preseason form so far it will be an injustice if Pacheco is forced out of the club. Followed up his impressive performance against Toronto with another eye catching display. His attacking skills are impressive and he skinned his full-back on more than one occasion, combine that with his willingness to track back and his excellent movement and Pacheco is making a statement.
Raheem Sterling 7/10
He has all the potential in the world but when you saw him sprinting 60m back towards his own goal to win the ball back you just know that Raheem Sterling is going to make it. Sterling put in another classy display with some good attacking player, even better ball retention and sublime skill. Brendan Rodgers will find it hard not to be impressed by Raheem who continues to grow into a first team player.
Noteble Substitutes:
Suso 6.5/10
Morgan 6/10
Aquilani 5.5/10
Agger 6/10
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