Trent Alexander-Arnold 8, Divock Origi 3, Mohamed Salah 7: Liverpool player ratings v Midtjylland

Reds struggle for victory and more injury problems for Jurgen Klopp

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6: Had little work to do after blocking Anders Dreyer's attempt in the third minute but makes team-mates feel secure. Always offers an outlet ball for a defender under pressure. Getty

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8: The main source of Liverpool’s threat. Consistently superb delivery. Crucial role in creating the opening goal and provided the defence-splitting pass that allowed Salah to earn the penalty. EPA

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  Joe Gomez - 6: Was comfortable for much of the game, although rather wasteful in possession. Impressive in the air early on. The last 10 minutes were a concern because Midtjylland’s late charge exposed his uncertainties. Reuters

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  Fabinho - 5: Pulled up with a hamstring injury after 27 minutes. Was composed until that point. Replaced by Rhys Williams as Liverpool’s problems in the centre of defence escalated. AP

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  Andrew Robertson - 4: The Scot had a bad start when he allowed Anders Dreyer to run in behind the defence. Did not improve significantly. Worst performance for some time. AFP

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  Jordan Henderson - 5: Dropped a little deeper to help protect Williams when the 19-year-old came on. Withdrawn at the break for Wijnaldum in a planned switch as Jurgen Klopp shared the workload around the midfield, which was a surprising substitution in the circumstances. EPA

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  James Milner - 5: Showed his experience – and earned a yellow card - when bringing down Pione Sisto to stop a first-half Midtjylland break. Worked hard but had little creative input. EPA

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  Xherdan Shaqiri - 6: Anonymous until his splendid threaded ball to Alexander-Arnold helped set up the opening goal. Grew in confidence afterwards. AFP

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  Diogo Jota - 5: Struggled against the massed Midtjylland defence. Was in the perfect position to slot home Alexander-Arnold’s cross for the opening goal but it was the only memorable moment for the Portuguese. Taken off for Firmino in the closing stages. EPA

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  Takumi Minamino - 4: Had the best of Liverpool’s first-half chances. Control let him down in the box and then was unable to connect with a tempting Alexander-Arnold cross. Still has plenty to prove. AFP

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  Divock Origi – 3: Slows things down up front and the problem is exacerbated when the Belgian drops deep looking for the ball. A blunt instrument who is useful on occasion. This was not the occasion. Withdrawn on the hour for Mane. AP

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  SUBS: Rhys Williams - 6: On for Fabinho at the half-hour mark. The 19-year-old showed confidence, did the simple things well and was aware enough to cut out a dangerous through ball in the second half. AP

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  Georginio Wijnaldum - 5: Provided energy in midfield after replacing Henderson at the break. Steady rather than spectacular display. EPA

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  Mohamed Salah - 7: Was an immediate threat after coming on for Minamino on the hour. Earned and scored the late penalty that made the game safe. The Egyptian’s mere presence terrifies defenders. Was limping afterwards, which is a worry for Klopp. EPA

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  Sadio Mane - 6: Quicker in thought and movement than Origi, who the Senegalese replaced in the 60th minute. Increased Liverpool’s level of threat. AP

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  Roberto Firmino - 4: Replaced Jota for the last nine minutes. Blazed the ball over the bar in the waning moments, wasting a straightforward opportunity to score. AP

Lacklustre Liverpool beat Midtjylland 2-0 to make it two wins out of two in the Champions League but their defensive problems mounted as Fabinho limped off injured.

The Premier League champions were toothless in the first half but finally clicked 10 minutes after the break when the impressive Trent Alexander-Arnold set up Diogo Jota for a tap-in.

A late penalty lashed home by substitute Mohamed Salah gave the scoreline unwarranted gloss as Liverpool went to the top of Group D.

"It was a tough night," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport. "It's a bit like in a marriage, there are good and bad times. It's not a bad time but it's a tricky time. A hundred per cent we have to stick together and fight harder and that's what the boys did tonight."

The German boss said Fabinho's injury was "exactly the last thing we needed".

"He felt his hamstring so that's not good," said Klopp. "He didn't feel it that much - he said he could've played on - but not sprinting so that doesn't help. We will see, we will have to do a scan and see but clearly it's not good."

Klopp left his first-choice attack of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino on the bench against the Danes, giving his second string a chance to shine.

To see our Liverpool player ratings from the match swipe through the picture gallery above or click on the arrows.