Written by George Lewis

Fabianski – Made a good reaction save from a cross, a great fingertip stop from an Alexander-Arnold free kick, and spread himself excellently to deny Salah a tap-in. Completely blameless in any of the goals, and there was nothing to suggest he shouldn’t be the number one goalkeeper. 7/10

Fredericks – A difficult debut for the right back, being tasked with containing the sensational Mane. Showed flashes of his attacking intent and pace, but was caught a little too narrow for the opening goal. Irrespective of that, he was the best performer in an admittedly poor backline. 4/10

Balbuena – Looked marginally more comfortable than his defensive partner, but that’s damning with faint praise. Was unfortunate with the third goal being so far offside, but a mightily tough debut for the Paraguayan international.  3/10

Ogbonna – Both he and Balbuena maintained a high defensive line when defending crosses, which worked for approximately five minutes before Liverpool quickly adapted. Seemed perplexed by the movement of the opposition and was totally exposed when coming forward or retreating. As the senior figure in the defence, it’s surely his duty to act as the commander; given the chaos that ensued, he must have been voiceless. 2/10

Masuaku – Nothing short of a defensive liability. The left-back was caught out of position repeatedly, with his lack of concentration being compounded by his laziness when he should be trying to rectify his mistakes. Held on the ball for too long when in possession, and distribution was, as we’ve been accustomed to, incredibly poor. On a performance like this, and with past displays in mind, it’s hard to see how he can continue to operate in a back four. 1/10

Rice – A baptism of fire if there ever was one – the youngster struggled immensely in his new central defensive midfield role. Was regularly bypassed by the sheer pace of Liverpool’s superb midfield trio, and, much like the rest of the team, seemed pedestrian in possession. A steep learning curve, but he’ll undoubtedly have better days. 3/10

Noble – Much like Rice, was chasing shadows throughout the whole game. Will undoubtedly be more effective when the team have more possession, but his lack of pace can be exposed horrifically in the middle of the park, and Pellegrini must find a way to counteract this. 2/10

Wilshere – Extremely difficult to judge the debutant’s performance when the team were starved of the possession he craves. There was some neat interchanging passes and one lovely lofted ball to Antonio, and he showed the tenacity in the tackle that this midfield needs. Like Noble, he’ll come into his own when the team has more of the ball. 5/10

Antonio – Seemed to lack a yard of pace at the beginning of the game, but he grew into the contest as it wore on. A couple of his trademark, lung-busting runs were showcased, but he ultimately lacked the support he required. Even with this, there was enough evidence to suggest he can be an effective player under Pellegrini. 5/10

Anderson – Easily the best outfield player on show today for the visitors. Showed some neat touches, tracked back diligently and prevented an almost-certain goal from a counter-attack. Looked lively when running at defenders but was crowded out by the Reds’ persistent pressing style, which led to him fading in the second half. A promising debut, and plenty of reasons for Hammers fans to be optimistic. 6/10

Arnautovic – Missed a couple of half-chances on his weaker foot but was largely starved of service, with his ineffectiveness being a consequence of the ineptitude of his teammates. 4/10

SUBS

Snodgrass – Delivered a beautiful corner that resulted in a tough chance for Antonio, and seemed pretty comfortable in tight positions when on the ball. Despite many doubts, there is definitely a place for him in this squad whilst Lanzini is out injured. 5/10

Yarmolenko – Some nice feints and tricks on the wing, but by the time he was summoned the game was lost. His slackness in tracking back could be a worry though. 4/10

Hernandez – His task was so thankless that it would be accurate to say he wasn’t even feeding off scraps. Judging him on this would be totally unfair.