Liverpool player ratings vs Arsenal as Elliott and three more brilliant (2024)

LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD, PHILADELPHIA // Liverpool made it two wins out of two in the United States as it laid down a marker ahead of the new season with a 2-1 win over Arsenal in Philadelphia.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with hopefully his first of many goals under Arne Slot. The Egyptian latched onto Harvey Elliott's superb through ball and still had plenty of ground to cover, but did so with aplomb before supplying a composed finish under pressure from a strong Arsenal defense.

Elliott was once again involved when the Reds doubled their lead, with the England U21 international chipping the ball to his former Fulham teammate Fabio Carvalho, who made no mistake as he slotted the ball home.

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Arsenal pulled a goal back before the break through Kai Havertz, and the Gunners continued to pile on the pressure in the second half, although the Reds managed to hold firm. Here's how we rated the players in their latest pre-season outing.

Winners

Harvey Elliott might well be nailing down his place in the midfield for that opener against Ipswich. Two absolutely superb assists made him the standout player in the first half.

Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho provided the finishes to those chances, and both looked a real threat throughout the first half. Hopefully a sign of things to come for the Egyptian king.

Losers

It was a nervy opening to the game for Caoimhin Kelleher. His distribution looked very ropey at times, although he did play a big hand in the opener, so hopefully it's just a case of a bit of pre-season rustiness.

Wataru Endo was once again named on the bench. After the rejected bid from Marseille earlier in the week, it is perhaps telling that Curtis Jones is starting ahead of him in the No.6 role at the moment. There will be a decision to make if a higher bid comes in.

Player ratings

Caoimhin Kelleher (6). Got away with it early on after being closed down by Gabriel Jesus having spent too long on the ball.

Conor Bradley (6). Plenty of effort down the right, although he was given a tough time by Martinelli.

Jarell Quansah (8). Outstanding defending to deny Arsenal what looked a certain tap-in.

Sepp van den Berg (7). Good early reading snuffed out a dangerous Arsenal attack. Did his chances of game time next season no harm, whether it's with the Reds or away from Anfield.

Kostas Tsimikas (6). Got up and down the left well when attacking, but was given a difficult time by a strong Arsenal attack. Should have done better for Havertz's goal.

Curtis Jones (6). Worked hard in midfield as he was handed the responsibility again of shielding the back four. Liverpool though needs a proper No.6 there.

Dominik Szoboszlai (6). Helped his defense out as he put his body on the line to cut the ball out before Arsenal could turn it home.

Harvey Elliott (8). Superb ball to play in Salah for the opener, and maybe even better to set up Carvalho for the second. He's making a strong case for a starting berth in the new season.

Mohamed Salah (8). New haircut, same old Mo. Was never in doubt that he would finish off the chance after being played in by Elliott, even with a lot of ground still to cover.

Diogo Jota (6). A first run-out of pre-season. Caught offside a couple of times, and really should have scored after having a chance laid on a plate for him by Elliott.

Fabio Carvalho (8). Showed lovely feet to skip away and break down the left in the first few minutes. Great link-up with Elliott for the second goal, and supplied a confident finish.

Substitutes

Wataru Endo (6). Didn't look the most comfortable on the ball, but put his body on the line late on Doesn't look as though Slot has him in his immediate thoughts as the season approaches.

Luca Stephenson (6). Given a tough time as Arsenal looked the more dangerous side after the break but stood up to the challenge.

Trey Nyoni (6). After his outstanding showing against Real Betis, he didn't have as much joy on this occasion. Almost grabbed a goal on the counter late on.

Ben Doak (6). Didn't have too much joy as Liverpool found itself defending for a lot of the second half.

Stefan Bajcetic (6). Perhaps not his toughest challenge as the game meandered a bit after changes were made.

Harvey Blair (6). Looked bright on the few occasions he managed to break away.

Nat Phillips (6). Always gives his all for the cause. Will likely be on his way this summer, but there's never been any doubting his efforts for the Reds.

Owen Beck (6). Did well on the left. It will be interesting to see what the new season holds for him.

Tyler Morton (6). Kept things tight in midfield, and showed some experience in what was a very young side by the end of the game.

Amara Nallo (6). A good runout for the young defender, and he certainly held his own.

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