Nigerian duo Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella earned poor ratings in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool who maintained their flawless Champions League record by overpowering the German champions on Tuesday at Anfield.
The pair who were handed starting roles in the encounter which marked Xabi Alonso’s emotional return to Anfield played for 81 minutes.
While Boniface was rated 5.10 by the BBC, Tella who was making his first start in the competition this season earned an average rating of 4.70.
Luis Diaz broke the deadlock after 61 minutes with a deft lofted finish over keeper Lukas Hradecky from Curtis Jones’ pass, Cody Gakpo adding the second two minutes later from Mohamed Salah’s cross – the goal initially ruled out for offside before being given after a Video Assistant Referee review.
Boniface passed up a big opportunity to halve the deficit when he headed over from close range – a chance he was left to rue as Diaz put away his second of the contest to all but wrap up the points.
Kelleher poured water on Leverkusen’s attempts at a late comeback with three quick-fire saves, before Diaz completed his hat-trick at the death.
And there was still time for the Colombian to smash home a rebound to take home the match ball after substitute Darwin Nunez had his effort blocked, completing his first hat-trick for Liverpool.
The win means Liverpool stay at the top of the new Champions League format standings with a maximum 12 points from four games while Leverkusen have seven points after four games.
