Leicester 2-0 Liverpool Player Ratings: Okazaki key

Shinji Okazaki – mirror.co.uk

Leicester moved into the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a 2-0 win over Liverpool, thanks to an improved second half performance and goals from key substitute Shinji Okazaki and Islam Slimani. Here’s our player ratings for both teams.

Leicester City

Ben Hamer – denied Oxlade-Chamberlain early on and only faced two other shots on target all evening. A solid performance, but Schmeichel is likely to remain number one. 7

Daniel Amartey – could have got out more in the first half but never let his opponents get in behind and made some timely interceptions. A good defensive display. 6
Wes Morgan – his lack of pace was exposed on occassions in the first half. He improved markedly after the break though, blocking Solanke’s effort early on. 7
Aleksander Dragovic – a commanding performance. Looked more likely to attack balls early than Morgan. 8
Ben Chilwell – didn’t catch the eye in an attacking sense as much as he did in the previous round, but still played his part. Made a good block to deny Chamberlain early on. 6

Marc Albrighton – didn’t get close enough to Robertson in the first half, perhaps wanting to deny Coutinho space in central areas. Always got back when needed, but sometimes this led to a lack of pressure on the ball and no attacking outlet on the right. 4
Wilfred Ndidi – With the front men needing support but the back-line too deep, he was unfairly caught between a rock and a hard place in the first half. When the system looked better, so did he. 7
Vincent Iborra – his passing was poor, especially in the first half and one miskick midway through the second led to a chance for Chamberlain. He at least tried to put a foot in, however. 4
Demarai Gray – a poor first half in which he didn’t track back, his two quick runs leading only to a tame shot and a poor cross. Got more involved in the second half though, when he had the freedom to cut into central areas, forcing a good save from Ward late on. 6

Islam Slimani – in the first half, the team didn’t play to his strengths, which weren’t running in behind or pressing defences. When they did in the second half, we could see that they were his physical presence with men around him and his shooting, with a superbly taken second goal. 6
Leanardo Ulloa – too similar in style to Slimani for the duo to work, with neither forward providing mobility. It wasn’t necessarily his fault that Leicester were better without him, just that another forward’s qualities complimented Slimani. 4

Shinji Okazaki (on 53) – stole the ball within seconds of coming on, epitomizing his impact. Forced sideways passes when before Liverpool had played out with ease. 10
Hamza Choudhry (on 84) – looked like one of the best defensive midfielders in League One at Burton and deserved his big moment – a first appearance for his hometown club. 6

Liverpool

Danny Ward – looked comfortable coming for crosses and commanded his area well. Could not have done too much about Okazaki’s opener and was beaten by a super Slimani strike. 6

Jon Flanagan – didn’t need to get involved in an attacking sense. Not at fault for either goal but his place in the squad looks largely down to a lack of investment and the political importance of having an academy graduate in the squad. 4
Joe Gomez – decent in the first half, some good short passes without being tested too much in his defensive third. Completely lost his confidence after the first goal. 4
Ragnar Klavan – some good interceptions in the first half, but grew frustrated in the second as he lost his positional sense and was booked for a bad challenge on Okazaki. 3
Andrew Robertson – got into some excellent positions, especially in the first half and his attacking play was key to Liverpool’s better openings. 7

Jordan Henderson – ran the show in the first half but had less time on the ball in the second and thus struggled to impose himself. Left Okazaki unmarked for the first goal. 5
Marko Grujic – tidy enough first half but looked leggy in the second. Needs more minutes, but he’ll have to play better than this to get them. 4
Georginio Wijnaldum – an excellent counter-attacking run early on led to one of Liverpool’s better chances for Oxlade-Chamberlain. That proved just one flash in an otherwise uninspiring night from the ex-Newcastle man, who was taken off with over a quarter of an hour to play. 3

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – looked bright in the first half but his shooting could have been better. Faded in the latter stages. 4
Dominic Solanke – his movement was good but his finishing was a touch wasteful. Denied by a strong block by Morgan early in the second half. 5
Phillipe Coutinho – key to Liverpool’s attacking play, attracting men towards him. His half-time withdrawal affected the second half performances. 8

Ben Woodburn (on 45) – curled wide on 71 minutes after cutting in from the left. No lack of desire but doesn’t provide the same aura as Coutinho. 4
Danny Ings (on 72) – got to the near post for Woodburn’s cross but couldn’t make the right contact with his header. Tried hard after a long spell on the sidelines. 5