Liverpool vs Southampton player ratings: James Milner pays the penalty as Fraser Forster impresses

Who impressed in the stalemate at Anfield?

Sunday 07 May 2017 16:01 BST

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

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Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Simon Mignolet – 5 out of 10

He was only forced to make a small number of saves, so it was an easy afternoon for the keeper.

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Nathaniel Clyne – 6 out of 10

He was charging up and down the channels, but at times he was leaving Liverpool vulnerable the back when he was struggling to track back.

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Dejan Lovren – 5 out of 10

Was clumsy in his challenges which gave away a cluster of unnecessary fouls. However, he held the line well at the back and used possession well.

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Joel Matip – 6 out of 10

It was a relatively straight forward afternoon for the defender due to a lack of attacks from the Saints, but he did his job when he was called upon.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

James Milner – 4 out of 10

He missed from the penalty spot, which denied Liverpool the chance to take the lead. Despite an impressive record from the spot, Forster came out on top this time.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Emre Can – 5 out of 10

Appeared to run out of ideas in possession – when he was on the edge of the box he was just giving the ball away.

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Lucas – 6 out of 10

He was pumping balls up to the strikers, but his efforts went unrewarded. He looked energetic, but he came out second best in a number of 50/50 challenges.

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Georgino Wijnaldum – 6 out of 10

A textbook display from Wijnaldum in the middle, but sometimes he needs to use the simple option as opposed to always going for the long ball.

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Roberto Firmino – 7 out of 10

Was Liverpool’s best player in the first half – he appeared to have no end of energy and his movement off the ball was creating chances.

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Philippe Coutinho – 4 out of 10

His movement was good, but when he was on the ball he failed to take any of his chances. He looked as though he needed an injection of confidence.

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Divock Origi – 6 out of 10

He looked menacing when he was charging at the Southampton defence, but he was just lacking the final product.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Fraser Forster – 9 out of 10

His exquisite penalty save kept the scores level and he made a collection of crucial stops throughout.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Cedric Soares – 7 out of 10

His repeated interceptions and clearances stopped a handful of Liverpool moves. He also used possession well from the back.

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Jack Stephens – 5 out of 10

His moment of inanity for the handball was rescued by Forsters excellent save. Aside from that he defended well today.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Maya Yoshida – 5 out of 10

He was playing very deep, which was allowing the Liverpool to have a lot of space going forward.

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Ryan Bertrand – 6 out of 10

He was crashing into challenges, holding his position well and looked more than capable of maintaining the Liverpool forwards.

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Dusan Tadic – 6 out of 10

He was finding himself in all of the right places, but just lacked service throughout.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Steven Davis – 6 out of 10

Was highly influential in the Southampton side today and he started a handful of promising moves for the visitors.

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Oriol Romeu – 7 out of 10

His bruising challenge on Origi marked his authority in the early stages of the game. He battled hard and tackled well.

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James Ward-Prowse – 6 out of 10

His deliveries into the area were menacing, but the Saints lacked an aerial threat so his crosses were never converted.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Sofiane Boufal – 4 out of 10

Aside from the occasional pass, Boufal had no input to the game today. He was constantly marked and did not seem to want the ball.

Liverpool 0 Southampton 0 player ratings

Manolo Gabbiadini – 4 out of 10

The striker went missing at times today and he failed to make any real impact when in possession.

Liverpool surrendered their advantage in the race for Champions League football once again after failing to score in a goalless draw against bogey side Southampton for the fourth time this season.

James Milner's first penalty failure in more than seven years proved decisive as the Saints proved adept at denying their opponents - as they had done in the reverse league encounter and the two-legged EFL Cup semi-final in January.

Liverpool's goal drought against the south-coast club now stands at 428 minutes since Daniel Sturridge scored in the 22nd minute of a 3-2 defeat at St Mary's in March last year.

A point may have lifted them back into third, above Manchester City, but it left the door open for fifth-placed Manchester United and Arsenal, who both have matches in hand.

Only two weeks ago Jurgen Klopp's side were in a similar position against Crystal Palace, knowing a win would strengthen their grip on a top-four spot with games running out, but contrived to lose.

They regained the initiative with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Watford on Monday, after their chasing rivals dropped points, thanks to a goal-of-the-season contender from Emre Can, but there was to be no magical moment this time around.

How did we rate the players in the 0-0 stalemate at Anfield? Take a look at the gallery above to find out.

Who was your man of the match? Let us know in the comments.

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