Liverpool's poor form continued in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening after they were dominated 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven.
The match got off to a quick and chaotic start, as the visitors were awarded a penalty after just five minutes. A corner was swung into the box by the Dutch side, and Virgil van Dijk got up to clear the ball, but he bizarrely had his right hand way up in the air and made clear, unnatural contact with the ball. The referee had no option but to award the visitors a penalty, which Ivan Perisic converted calmly into the bottom corner to put his side 1-0 up.
PSV's lead lasted just 10 minutes, as Dominik Szoboszlai equalised in the 16th minute. Cody Gakpo produced some nice play on the wing, and he eventually cut inside on his right foot and tested Matej Kovar with a low effort. Kovar managed to produce a save, but it landed straight at the feet of Szoboszlai, who passed the ball into a pretty much open net to level up the match.
Almost immediately after Liverpool equalised, PSV had the ball in the back of the net yet again, but this time it was disallowed. Yarek Gasiorowski was the player who put the ball in the back of the net, but his goal was chalked off due to an offside in the build-up.
Van Dijk almost made up for his early error in the 32nd minute as he rose high to meet a fantastic corner from Mohamed Salah, but his header fired off the crossbar.
The first half came to a close with the match level at 1-1.
In the 56th minute, PSV regained their lead, and it was a beautifully crafted goal. Mauro Junior broke from the left back position all the way into an attacking midfield area, and the little Brazilian put a picture-perfect cross into the box to Guus Til, who tapped his smart finish past Giorgi Mamardashvili to put the Dutch side 2-1 up at Anfield.
It went from bad to worse for Liverpool in the 73rd minute, as PSV increased their lead to 3-1. Ibrahima Konate made a huge mistake at the back by miscontrolling the ball, which set Ricardo Pepi through on goal. The American did well to control the ball and eventually got a shot off, which hit the post, but his fellow substitute, Couhaib Driouech, was there to hit home the rebound and put his side into a commanding lead with under 20 minutes left in the match.
In the 92nd minute, PSV scored a fourth, and it was their best goal of the match. The Dutch side unleashed a lethal counter-attack after Liverpool committed plenty of men forward, and after playing some excellent football, the ball fell to Driouech yet again, who guided an accurate but powerful finish right into the bottom corner.
Driouech's goal was the last action of the match, and PSV took all three points at Anfield with a shocking 4-1 victory.
Liverpool 1-4 PSV Eindhoven - Match Statistics
Liverpool
63
27
10
11
2
1
Match Highlights
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alexander Isak in action for Liverpool against PSV
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili - 5.5/10
Hardly had a significant save to make, and there isn't really much he could've done to stop PSV's goals either, as one was from the penalty spot, and the other two were very well worked.
RB: Curtis Jones - 6/10
Saw quite a lot of the ball in the wide right and midfield areas, but didn't really do anything with it. Jones also had a few moments during the match where he didn't look that comfortable defensively.
CB: Ibrahima Konate - 4/10
Made a glaring mistake in the 73rd minute, which led to PSV scoring their third goal. The big defender looked nervy on the ball all evening and was clearly targeted by PSV players.
CB: Virgil van Dijk - 6/10
At fault for giving away a penalty after just five minutes. Van Dijk responded well after his early error and put in a decent defensive display, and also hit the crossbar.
LB: Milos Kerkez - 7.5/10
One of Liverpool's standout performers. The left back defended aggressively and managed to keep Man very quiet throughout the match.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister - 7/10
Was effective at times in getting Liverpool up the pitch, but in the pressing department, he looked like he couldn't really keep up, which hindered his side's performance.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10
Like his midfield partner, Mac Allister, Gravenberch also put in a solid showing, but could've taken more risks to get his side into more attacking areas.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai - 8/10
The most dangerous creative threat on the pitch. Szoboszlai created several really good chances for his teammates, but they just didn't take them. The Hungarian also got on the scoresheet with a very simple finish.
RW: Mohamed Salah - 7/10
Like Szoboszlai, Salah also created some really good chances for his teammates, but they were wasteful with them. In front of goal, Salah didn't really offer much.
ST: Hugo Ekitike - 7/10
A thorn in the side of PSV's defence all evening and pretty much a constant threat. The Frenchman was brought off after just over an hour played after suffering an injury.
LW: Cody Gakpo - 7.5/10
Looked to drive forward every time he was on the ball and had a part to play in Szoboszlai's goal, as it was his shot which rebounded to him.
SUB: Alexander Isak - N/A
Had a shot on target, but outside of that, Isak didn't really do anything after coming on.
SUB: Federico Chiesa - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
PSV Eindhoven Player Ratings
Guus Til celebrating after scoring against Liverpool
GK: Matej Kovar - 8/10
Produced eight really important saves throughout the match, which played a huge part in his side winning by such a margin.
RB: Sergino Dest - 8/10
Had some shaky moments defensively, but offensively, the American was very good and managed to provide an assist in the 92nd minute.
CB: Jerdy Schouten - 8/10
Produced many important defensive actions, such as tackles and clearances and put in a very calm but brilliant defensive display.
CB: Yarek Gasiorowski - 7.5/10
Didn't have much to do with the ball at his feet, but like Schouten, he produced plenty of important defensive actions.
LB: Anass Salah-Eddine - 7.5/10
Put in a very energetic performance. The left back was defensively solid, but also contributed plenty going forward.
CM: Mauro Junior - 8/10
A real livewire in the midfield. The little Brazilian worked his socks off, but also produced several moments of quality, most notably his excellent assist for Til's goal.
CM: Joey Veerman - 7/10
A calm head in the middle of the park who didn't have much to do in possession, but worked his socks off and pressed very well.
AM: Ismael Saibari - 7/10
Caused some problems for the Liverpool defence with his dribbling and direct play, but was kept quiet in the second half.
RW: Dennis Man - 5.5/10
Kept quiet by Kerkez and had little success in the final third.
ST: Guus Til - 7.5/10
Didn't get involved in the match much, but he still managed to come up with an incredibly important goal.
LW: Ivan Perisic - 8/10
Took his spot kick very well and looked like a positive force every time he picked the ball up.
SUB: Ricardo Pepi - 7/10
Put himself about after coming on and made himself very hard to deal with due to his energy and movement.
SUB: Couhaib Driouech - 9.5/10 (Man of the Match)
What an impact. The Moroccan came on in the 69th minute and scored two important goals, which led his side to victory.
SUB: Esmir Bajaraktevic - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.