Liverpool player who proved Haaland is a lie, left him humiliated

During the first 15 minutes of the game between Manchester City and Liverpool in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, Erling Haaland showed he was still that lethal player inside the box when he put his team 1-0 ahead for the moment, but the striker fell apart as the minutes passed and disappeared completely in the second half when his marker was Nathaniel Phillips, a player who did not let him shine and be that difference maker for the Cityzen club.

Many thought that after the departure of Jamie Milner, Jurgen Klopp's decision to bring on Nathaniel Phillips was a very risky gamble, especially in a knockout game, but the reality is that the English defender, despite not being a regular in the Reds team, has managed to keep up the pace of the competition so as not to be out of step with the rest and rise to the occasion, helping to stop the danger at times, a couple of which, unfortunately for him, did end in a goal.

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Klopp's main concern was to have a man in defence capable of dealing with Haaland and stopping all his attempts on goal, and Phillips managed to stop the Norwegian but not the danger of the opposition, overshadowing the great work of the English defender against what many believe to be the best attacker in the Premier League today.

Despite Nathaniel having a decent night against Manchester City, Klopp will most likely not consider him for future matches for the institution, as with the reintegration of men like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil Van Dijk, things at Anfield will return to the way they were a few weeks ago and the fight for the starting line-up is not at stake in that area, with only Kostas Tsimikas being the only new man that the German tactician seriously considers as a change option.

Nat Phillips humbled Haaland

With the Cityzens having scored a couple of goals in the last 45 minutes of the game, the lack of a competitive bench has left Klopp without the weapons to fight until the last second, with the Merseyside outfit in desperate need of reinforcements in a defensive sector that lacks alternative leaders to those they have become accustomed to on a day-to-day basis. Although Nathaniel Phillips' sparkling performances deserve at least a few more minutes in another game, the Englishman's quality may not be good enough to be a replacement option for Klopp in the not too distant future.