Blackburn vs Liverpool Player Ratings

Blackburn

Mark Bunn - 7.5

Hardly had to do much but made a superb save from Steven Gerrard when called upon action.

Christopher Samba - 8

Put his recent turmoil behind him to command the Rovers backline effectively. Was a rock against David Ngog and Fernando Torres.

Ryan Nelsen - 8

Contained the Reds attack well and was an assured presence alongside defensive partner Samba.

Gael Givet - 7

Easily got the better of the woeful Maxi Rodriguez and had no problems all night.

Michel Salgado - 6.5

Rolled back the times from his Real Madrid years with some rampaging runs but his silly foul nearly saw the Reds score a second from the penalty spot.

Morten Gamst Pedersen - 7

Put in a hardworking shift in midfield and added some guile and flair to the Blackburn midfield.

David Dunn (Off 75') - 7.5

Got the better of Lucas and Gerrard and dominated proceedings in the centre of the park.

Martin Olsson (Off 73')  - 8.5

Personified his composed and steady finishing when he slotted past Pepe Reina to open his side's account.

David Hoilett - 8

The youngster terrorized Reds' fullback Paul Konchesky all night long with his pace and direct running. A bright prospect indeed.

Mame Biram Diouf - 8

Held up play wonderfully well and set up Benjani for his goal. The Liverpool defenders could not live with his physical approach.

Benjani Mwaruwari (Off 84') - 10

The former Portsmouth striker displayed his predatory instincts with a brilliant double. Showed great strength and finesse to bang home his team's second before adding a third to embarass the Reds.

Substitutes

El-Hadji Diouf (On 73') - 6

Did not make much headway upon entering the pitch as a sub.

Josh Morris (On 75') - 6

A little too late to stamp his authority on the encounter.

Herold Goulon (On 84') - 6

Came on with Blackburn hanging on for the victory.

Liverpool

Pepe Reina - 6

A terrible night for the Reds' custodian and was let down constantly by a shambolic Liverpool backline.

Martin Skrtel -6

Struggled all night long against Biram Diouf and Benjani and made to look rather ordinary.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Off 51') - 5

The way he allowed Benjani to turn and brush him with ease was absolutely shocking. A horrible performance saw him subbed just after the break.

Paul Konchesky - 5

What more to say of the former Fulham defender? Looked clueless and out of confidence. A disastrous buy for the Reds.

Glen Johnson - 5

An England defender such as Johnson should never have afforded David Hoilett the time and space to turn and feed Benjani to score Blackburn's third. Once again highlighted his poor positional sense.

Lucas - 5

Constantly gave the ball away and offered nothing in attack and in defence. Why is he still allowed to wear a Red jersey?

Steven Gerrard - 6

Pulled a brilliant goal back but catastrophically send his penalty over the bar to condemn the Reds to a bad day at the office.

Joe Cole - 6

Showed desire and eagerness to get things going in the second half but faded away as the match wore on. A far cry from his days as a flamboyant and silky Chelsea player.

Maxi Rodríguez (Off 58') - 5

Produced a pathetic and lazy performance and was hauled off just minutes into the break. A poor and uninterested display by the Argentine.

Fernando Torres - 5.5

Does he still want to stay at Liverpool? His body language says no and the way he cheaply gave away the ball for Blackburn's second goal simply showed his sloppy nature. Fast becoming a liability for the club,

David Ngog (On 78')  - 6

Huffed and puffed but got nothing against the physically imposing Blackburn rearguard.

Substitutes

Daniel Agger (On 51') - 6

Could not prevent Blackburn from scoring the third goal and his introduction should not have come from the bench.

Dirk Kuyt (On 58') - 6

Added some much needed urgency but the quality of his final balls left much to be desired.

Ryan Babel (On 78') - 5

The Dutchman made his usual cameo late appearance but he could do nothing to revive a sorry Liverpool outfit.