Sevilla retained their Europa League crown by defeating Liverpool in a come-from-behind 3-1 win in Basel.
After Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring on 35 minutes, his side spectacularly collapsed after the break allowing Unai Emery’s side to take full control and win the trophy for a third successive year.
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet – 6: Little to do before picking the ball out of the net. Great save on Gameiro before Coke put Sevilla ahead.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6: Capitalised on Sevilla’s narrow set up by roaming forward unchecked. Nullified in the second half.
Dejan Lovren – 5: Imperious in the first half, careless in the second.
Kolo Touré – 4: Showed desire, but is not good enough at the elite level anymore.
Alberto Moreno – 3: Shocking second half performance. Not good enough at this level.
Adam Lallana – 6: Bright first half, but was substituted in place of Allen on 73 minutes.
Emre Can – 5: Did not impose himself as he usually does.
James Milner – 5: Worked hard but contributed to the slump that eventually cost his side.
Roberto Firmino – 6: Wasteful at times but contributed to Sturridge’s opener. Substituted on 69 minutes for Origi.
Phillipe Coutinho – 2: Utterly anonymous.
Daniel Sturridge – 5: Showed all his class with a brilliant curling finish to open the scoring, horribly quiet second half.
Substitutes
Joe Allen – 6: Could not impact the game with Liverpool chasing the result.
Divock Origi – 5: Barely touched it after coming on.
Christian Benteke – 5: Dropped deep to pick up possession after coming on when his side needed a goal.
Sevilla
David Soria – 5: Made a great early save but lacked assurance thereafter.
Mariano – 6: Improved along with his team after a poor first half.
Adil Rami – 7: Lost Sturridge a few times in the first period, but improved with his team thereafter.
Daniel Carrico – 8: Looked comfortable as a penalty box defender once Sevilla were able to sit deeper.
Sergio Escudero – 8: Won the battle with Clyne after the break, bombing forward with aplomb.
Gregorz Krychowiak – 7: Careful in possession – his midfield hustle allowed those further forward to flourish.
Steven N’Zonzi – 7: Imposed his physicality when it mattered. A nice foil for the more technical players in attack
Coke – 9: Changed the game after the break with two goals and an all-round attacking threat.
Ever Banega – 8: Impressive performance from the veteran in his last game for the club.
Vitolo – 8: A different player after half time. Incisiveness, work-rate and quality. Liverpool could not deal with him.
Kevin Gameiro – 8: Began the Sevilla revival with a tap-in. His movement troubled Lovren and Toure throughout.
Substitutes
Vicente Iborra – 6: Ran the channels after coming on to stretch Liverpool.
Thimothée Kolodzieczak – 7: The defender dealt with the threat of substitutes Origi and Benteke well.
Sebastian Christoforo – N/A: Brought on in stoppage time.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
