Stoke City 0, Liverpool 1: Man of the Match

Liverpool fans hoping for a resounding statement to kick off the year against the team that beat them soundly to end the previous season came a way with a less than impressive result as Liverpool eked out a last minute win against Stoke City on Sunday. The Reds looked lifeless in attack, with many of last season's problems still present, until Emre Can came on in the second half and changed the tenor of the match. Philippe Coutinho got the game's only goal, which was enough to take all three points and the all important win on the first day of the season.

Now let us know how you saw things. Clicking the thumbs up button is a vote to move the player up the list-or to help keep them on top. Hitting thumbs down is a vote to push that player closer to the bottom. It's half Man of the Match poll and half player rankings, and we want to use it to find out who you think played well after each Liverpool match and, at the other end, who you'd maybe like to see given the next game off.

At the end of the month we'll go back through the results of that month's Ranker polls to hold a Player of the Month vote. Then, at the end of the season, the monthly results will help to determine The Liverpool Offside's Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season.