MADE 4 LIVERPOOL PLAYER OF THE MONTH – OCTOBER

October was an eventful month for Liverpool, with as many as nine fixtures crammed into the month. The Reds recorded five victories and a single draw, falling to three defeats in all competitions. It all kick-started with a madcap 3-3 draw against Brighton.

Then followed a 9-1 aggregate victory over Rangers in the Champions League, either side of a disappointing 3-2 defeat at Arsenal. The highlight of the month was the gritty 1-0 win over defending champions Manchester City.

West Ham were turned over with a similar scoreline before two pitiful defeats to relegation threatened Nottingham Forest and Leeds United either side of another impressive display in the Champions League against Ajax. Here are the three highest rated players over the course of October:

3. Mohamed Salah – avg. rating (6.6)

The Egyptian entered October on a bit of a downer. He had managed just one goal in his previous five appearances and critics were questioning his quality and even suggesting he may be on a permanent decline. He responded with a prolific month that left a host of broken records in his wake.

He provided an assist at home to Brighton and netted against Rangers but it wasn’t until the trip to Ibrox that he truly roared back into form. A hat trick off the bench (the fastest in Champions League history) set up what was to come.

He impressively put Manchester City to the sword before netting in the last two games of the month. He was the club’s topscorer in October, finishing the month with seven goals and two assists in nine appearances. A switch to a more central role certainly helped him rediscover his mojo.

He has also built up an understanding with summer signing Darwin Nunez as they threaten to form a devastating partnership. Salah is once again top of the goal charts for the club and is in line to finish as Liverpool’s topscorer for a sixth successive campaign.

Mohamed Salah has created the most chances (41), provided the joint most assists (5) and scored the most goals (12) for Liverpool in all competitions this season.

2. Darwin Nunez – avg. rating (6.9)

The 23 year old endured a quiet September as he struggled to get back into the groove after serving suspension for his sending off against Crystal Palace. The international break helped him in that regard. He netted for Uruguay and visibly grew in confidence after that.

Jürgen Klopp handed him his first start of the month at home to Rangers. This came with a change in formation as the manager switched to a 4-4-2 setup. The big man impressed despite failing to get on the scoresheet.

He was rewarded for that display with a start at the Emirates stadium against high flying Arsenal. This was a big test and he once again shone, netting his first Premier League goal since opening day. He found the net in his next game as well as the Reds romped to victory at Ibrox.

A frustrating cameo against City summed him up somewhat as he combined brilliant moments with poor decision making. He went on to net the winning goal against West Ham before scoring again at Ajax. He will look back at the month fondly despite the disappointing defeat to Leeds.

Darwin Nunez is averaging the most shots (5.5) and the joint most shots on target (2.9) per 90 in the Champions League this season. He’s also scored in each of his last three appearances in the competition.

1. Alisson Becker – avg. rating (7.1)

Whilst the goalscorers may have garnered most of the plaudits, they could not outshine the wall that is Alisson Becker. The Brazilian was sensational in October, saving the side on many an occasion. There was a string of eye-catching saves throughout the month.

He may have conceded three in the first game of the month against Brighton but he was the difference between a 3-3 draw and a 3-5 defeat that day, making a brilliant point blank save to keep a Welbeck header out late on.

A clean sheet followed against Rangers before two routine outings against Arsenal and the Gers. Then came his best performance of the month when he denied Erling Haaland and Manchester City before setting up the winning goal for Salah with a spectacular long pass.

More heroics followed as he stopped a Jarrod Bowen penalty against West Ham. He produced a magnificent save in the dying minutes to deny Thomas Soucek and preserve his third clean sheet of the month.

He was the only one to come out of the defeat to Forest with any credit after making six saves against the newly promoted side. A fourth clean sheet followed against Ajax before the poor team display at home to Leeds.

Goals prevented by goalkeepers in the PL this season:

1st: Alisson Becker (6.84)
2nd: Kepa Arrizabalaga (4.68)
3rd: Jordan Pickford (2.88)
4th: Neto (2.77)

Alisson is clearly a world class goalkeeper, and it is all well and good him proving it every week. Going forward though, Jürgen Klopp will want his shotstopper to have less to do. Better protection for him is essential if the Reds are to get back to the heights we know they can hit.

Highest rated individual performance of the month:

° Mohamed Salah vs Rangers (10/10)

° Diogo Jota vs Rangers – (10/10)

° Alisson Becker vs Man City – (10/10)

° Virgil Van Dijk vs Man City – (10/10)

° Joe Gomez vs Man City – (10/10)

Made4Liverpool 22/23 Player of the Month:

August – Harvey Elliott

September – Thiago Alcantara

October – Alisson Becker

*Average ratings are collated from the player ratings posted on this site after every match. Players must have earned a rating in more than half the number of games in the month under review.