Ratings: Nunez 5/10, Diaz scores as Liverpool draw at Luton

Liverpool lost momentum in the Premier League title hunt on Sunday when they drew 1-1 with Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez had notable chances for the visitors in the first half, with Jota’s the better of the two, and he should have done better after trying to catch the goalkeeper at the near post.

The Hatters provided a constant threat on the counter-attack throughout the match, with Chiedozie Ogbene the star performer for the home side, and he almost punished Liverpool after getting past Ibrahima Konaté and Trent Alexander-Arnold before getting a key intervention from Alisson. Jurgen Klopp’s side then squandered their best chance of the second half when Mohamed Salah’s effort – which might have been a pass – found Nunez from close range, with the Uruguayan international firing his effort over the bar.

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Minutes later, Liverpool were punished when they suffered a dangerous counter-attack amid calls for a handball from Virgil van Dijk’s header from a corner, and it was Tahith Chong who was on hand to give Luton a one-goal lead. However, the home side could not hold on as the Reds salvaged a late point when Harvey Elliott found another second-half substitute in Luis Díaz, who equalized with a well-placed header.

Positives

Despite falling short of the three points, Liverpool created plenty of chances to win the match, with Ryan Gravenberch also putting in one of his best performances since joining the club in the summer.

Negatives

Liverpool’s finishing was generally wasteful in a match, ultimately allowing Luton to get something out of the match. All in all, these are games where the Reds cannot drop any points if they want to compete with Manchester City in the title race.

Manager rating

Jurgen Klopp, 7 — The Liverpool manager’s system seemed sufficient to create the chances needed to win the match, but his side squandered their best chances. The Reds also looked better after the triple substitution, with Luis Diaz, another late substitute, scoring the equalizer.

Player Ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes will not be rated)

GK Alisson, 6 — Alisson didn’t have much to do in the first half. He saved a shot from distance, after which Ross Barkley’s effort was skied over the crossbar. Yet he was crucial in the second half, after Chiedozie Ogbene drove past Alexander-Arnold and Konate and just beat the goalkeeper. He could do little in the opener after the home team’s impressive counter-attack.

DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 6 — Two dangerous balls early on saw England international Jota come close to finding a late intervention, and the Liverpool vice-captain was involved again shortly afterwards with a pass for Nunez, who deflected his effort onto the crossbar. He was forced to work hard in the defensive phases, with Luton concentrating the majority of their attacks along his side.

DF Ibrahima Konate, 5 — In one of his best moments in the first half he burst out of the defense with the ball and took it into Luton territory, although he had a few mistakes where he could have been cleaner with his tackles.

DF Virgil van Dijk, 7 — Another promising performance in which he was flawless in his duels and led with his composure and confidence when needed to deal with defensive situations.

DF Joe Gomez, 7 — A confident performance from a player making his first start at left back since 2015. He moved the ball well with both feet and didn’t allow anything dangerous down his flank.

MF Dominik Szoboszlai, 5 — Things didn’t go all well for the Hungary international that day as he was unable to make an impact, and he was eventually substituted in the second half.

MF Alexis Mac Allister, 6 — The Argentina star helped Liverpool set the tone when it came to maintaining their dominance in possession, often making the right decision with his passing to move the ball into more positive areas.

MF Ryan Gravenberch, 7 — The 21-year-old was a regular contributor to Liverpool’s best attacking display and was unlucky not to get an assist as he created his side’s best chance of the first half with an intelligent run and a well-timed pass to Diogo . Jota. Gravenberch’s performance at Kenilworth Road deserved more than a draw.

FW Mohamed Salah, 5– Liverpool’s star winger wasn’t as involved as he would have liked in the first half, with his only meaningful chance skiing over the crossbar. An unusually quiet day overall, looking better after Elliott’s introduction but left generally frustrated.

F. W. Darwin Nunez, 5 — He had made six of Liverpool’s 11 shots in the first half, coming closest with his effort that was clipped off the crossbar by Alexander-Arnold’s pass. The Liverpool forward then missed a big chance from close range in the second half – a moment that would have been the turning point with a more composed finish.

FW Diogo Jota, 6 — The Portugal international was bright in attack for Liverpool, trying to catch the goalkeeper with a snap towards the near post from the best chance of the first half, but it looked like an effort in the opposite direction would have been unstoppable .

Substitutes

MF Harvey Elliott, 7 (on for Szoboszlai, 67″) — Elliott added energy to Liverpool’s side and almost immediately got an assist with an impressive ball into the penalty area. He then got the assist for Diaz’s equalizer.

FW Cody Gakpo, 6 (on for Jota, 67″) — Gakpo was unable to get the required power to his attack from Elliott’s cross within minutes of being introduced.

DF Kostas Tsimikas, 6 (on for Gomez, 67″) — I stepped forward and tried to get crosses into the box but couldn’t make an impact.

FW Luis Diaz, N/R (on for Gravenberch, 83″) — Introduced for Gravenberch in the 83rd minute and scored the equalizer in extra time.