**Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest in their second Premier League game of the season, repeating the exact flow of their stalemate against Newcastle United.**
At St. James’ Park, Newcastle scored first before being pegged back to 1-1. The Magpies then went 2-1 up before a late equaliser from Liverpool.
The same thing happened at Anfield on Saturday in the lunchtime kickoff as Forest came close to winning, but Victor Munoz proved hero for the second week in a row. Last week, he won a penalty in the 94th minute, and this week, he scored the equaliser himself.
However, there are still a host of issues for Liverpool across the park.
Let’s look at how each player performed.
Alisson – 7/10
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The Brazilian was fantastic for Liverpool as per usual. He made a couple of saves that other goalies wouldn’t have. I am flat-out refusing to deduct any points for the penalty he conceded. Alisson has to be the first goalkeeper in recent seasons to be penalised for a ‘foul’ on a player who got his shot off. While it would normally be the case that a goalkeeper gets a lower rating for conceding a penalty, I don’t believe it should have been given.
Jeremie Frimpong – 5/10
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Where to start with Frimpong… I mean no disrespect to him – he’s a lovely fella – but he simply isn’t good enough to be playing at right back for Liverpool, and I have my doubts if he’s good enough for the Premier League in general. When he’s on the ball, his only recourse is to hit and run. When he’s off the ball, his decision-making is amateurish. Without his unbelievable pace, it’s scary to imagine how he would struggle.
Jeremy Jacquet – 6.5/10
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The French defender had a decent game, but was caught on the ball several times. For the first time, Jacquet looked as though the level of Premier League football caught him by surprise. There are no alarm bells ringing, however. There were still a number of moments that showed how high his potential is.
Virgil van Dijk – 7.5/10
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Mr Consistent. There’s not much to say about his performance except for the fact that those around him keep letting him down…
Milos Kerkez – 5/10
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For the second week running, Kerkez looked to be all over the place. His chaotic energy is not helping the imbalance of the Liverpool midfield, as he seems to rush every decision. If he just takes a moment to slow down, he would unlock a new level. His performance was so poor that Iraola took him off for Tsimikas.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6/10
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I’d split Szoboszlai’s rating in two. He was shocking in midfield, but when Iraola moved him to right back, he looked way better.
Szoboszlai won’t want to hear it, but Liverpool are drastically better when he is at right back. [I recently wrote about how Iraola should try him at right wing a la Steven Gerrard 2005/06](https://live4liverpool.com/iraola-should-draw-from-gerrards-2005-06-season-to-solve-his-right-wing-dilemma/), but in the current makeup of this squad, his best position is right back.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6/10
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A decent if forgettable performance from the Argentine. He was better than Ryan Gravenberch was last week, which isn’t that difficult, but there were a number of errant passes which brought his score down.
Florian Wirtz – 8/10
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A fantastic game from the German. His passing in the first half was a bit poor, but he scored a brilliant goal which was unfortunately disallowed for a Frimpong offside. His assist, however, for Munoz’s goal was fantastic.
Victor Munoz – 8/10
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The Spaniard is the archetype Liverpool forward. Hard-working and passionate. It doesn’t factor into his rating but I even liked it when he swore at the ref and earned a yellow card. Since the start of last seaosn, the Reds have become too soft and we’ve needed a madman to get that back. His goal was brilliantly taken too, I guess.
Cody Gakpo – 8.5/10 (Man of the Match)
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For the second week in a row, and much to my surprise, Cody Gakpo is my Man of the Match. I thought it a bit weird for Iraola to start him at right wing, but my word, he was so effective there. Liverpool need to keep him this season, especially with the right wing market so dire this year.
Alexander Isak – 7/10
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His goal from Gakpo’s cross saved his entire rating. The Swede looks a shadow of the player that Liverpool paid £125m to sign. Where has the ego and swagger gone from the player who went on strike to get his marquee move? Where is his movement? Where is his in-game IQ?
I only have questions. Hopefully the goal will give him a reminder of the player he is and results in a steady uptick in performance moving forward.
Rio Ngumoha – 5.5/10
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Not his fault. The 17-year-old simply isn’t a right winger and it’s shown in his last two appearances there. As soon as he moved to the left wing in the second half he looked much better.
Ronald Araujo – 7/10
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I loved when he simply stonewalled Liam Delap when the forward was breaking through on goal, earning a yellow card. Araujo is under no illusions as to the type of player he is, and takes no prisoners. He’s going to be very valuable this season and I can already see his move becoming permanent if he’s okay with fighting with Jacquet for a starting role beyond this season.
Kostas Tsimikas – 6/10
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Better than Kerkez. Not that it was hard.
Ryan Gravenberch – 6/10
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Better than last week. Not that it was hard. The Dutchman has a lot to prove if he is going to be a regular starter under Iraola.
Trey Nyoni – 6/10
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Decent cameo, but Nyoni is going to need to bulk up if he’s going to start games for Liverpool in the Premier League. But that will come with age and time in the gym, but the 19-year-old is an intelligent player and helped Liverpool keep the ball in tight areas and force Forest back into their own box.