PLAYER RATINGS: LIVERPOOL 0 (3)-(2) 0 DERBY COUNTY

Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by a spirited Derby County side in the third round of the Carabao Cup, before more Kelleher heroics saw the Reds triumph on penalties. Here are player ratings from the encounter.

Kelleher – 10

Nothing to do for large parts of the game. Pulled out a save to thwart Dobbin on a late counter. Absolutely loves this tournament. Kept his side in it by saving three penalties in the shootout! The last save was unreal. MOTM.

Ramsay – 7

Started confidently. Sent a left footed effort from range whistling past the post. Wasn’t shy to check back inside when overlapping. Defended well when he had to and sent in some dangerous crosses, one of which was almost turned home by Firmino late on.

Phillips – 7.5

Won his headers, and there were a lot of them. He’s never let anyone down when called upon and didn’t do so tonight. Was impressive actually with some of his diagonal switches out wide. Struggled with McGoldrick late on.

Gomez – 7

Swept up at the back with his pace helping him deal with Derby’s rare attacks. Did well to pull out of a challenge on Collins in the box. Inadvertently passed the ball straight out for a corner under no real pressure. Needs to cut those errors out of his game. Saw a lot of the ball and tried to get us on the front foot with his passing.

Tsimikas – 5.5

Poor. Found so much space down the left flank and he didn’t do much with it. Cross after cross after cross but with no real quality. Couldn’t deal with Mendez-Laing. Not enough energy about him tonight.

Bajcetic – 6.5

Started well enough and passed the ball around with confidence. He struggled in the latter stages of the second half though. Stepped up for the first pen and missed. Bailed out in the end by his ‘keeper.

Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7.5

His first competitive start in ages and he lasted the full 90. Went close early on with a volley following a half cleared corner. Saw the goalkeeper parry one deflected strike. Picked out Elliott for what should have been the winner with a sensational ball over the top. Dropped very deep to help the teenagers in midfield. Tucked away his pen as well. Not more you could ask of him really.

Clark – 7

Showed some very lovely touches. Looked easy on the eye and comfortable on the ball. Nutmegged a few tonight. Could have popped it off quicker at times but all in all an eye-catching display.

Frauendorf – 6.5

Stood on Ramsay’s toes most of the first half. Got his positioning worked on at the break I’m sure as he looked more threatening. Nodded a deep Tsimikas cross back into the danger area and could have notched an assist off that. Finally began taking his man on before being subbed. Worked his socks off in both directions.

Stewart – 5.5

A bit of a thankless task up top. Ran his heart out and could have netted a dream goal when found in the six yard box by Carvalho. He misjudged the bounce of the ball though and skied his effort. Almost played Gomez into trouble with a poor backpass.

Carvalho – 6.5

Showed some excellent bits of control. Went close when his deflected shot was palmed away by the keeper. Didn’t wield enough of an influence though. Tonight was his chance to stake a claim and he couldn’t really take it. He’ll be disappointed.

Substitutes

Elliott – 7

Immediately got involved and demanded the ball. Combined well with Carvalho down the right before he went off. Should have won the game late on when he went for a stab instead of a header, allowing the goalkeeper to parry to safety. Showed a lot of confidence in young Doak as he constantly sought to get the 16 year old on the ball. Netted the winning pen with a perfectly placed effort into the bottom corner.

Firmino – 6

Another who got on the ball immediately and stepped up the tempo. Went close when his near post header was pushed behind. Some of his attempted through balls to Darwin weren’t the best. Skied his penalty and couldn’t quite believe it.

Darwin – 6

Played too wide when he came on and was left on the periphery as a result. Gave the ball away trying to beat his man down the wing. Sent an acrobatic effort over late on. Stepped up to take a crucial penalty and slotted into the bottom corner despite the goalkeeper’s antics.

Doak – 8

Wow, he’s not lacking in self confidence that’s for sure. He breezed past his man a couple of times to force his way down the byline. Got his shot all wrong with his first attempt and decided to put in a few dangerous crosses/cutbacks instead. We need to see more of him. He’s very direct and possesses a bag of tricks that can bamboozle any fullback.

Jürgen Klopp

Made wholesale changes as he changed the entire XI. A pretty youthful side saw up to six players aged 20 and younger named in the starting lineup. He perhaps took a gamble and was lucky not to be punished in the end. Derby defended resolutely and frustrated the Reds for most of the game.

The changes could have come ten minutes earlier. Showed a lot of trust in young Doak and was rewarded with an eye-catching cameo. The order for the shootout was strange as well, with two teenagers taking the first one and last one, arguably the nerviest slots in a shootout. It was an enjoyable night in the end.