Liverpool faced Everton on Monday night in a Premier League clash at Anfield that saw the Reds come out on top in a comfortable 2-0 win, thanks to a frightening counter-attack finished by Mohamed Salah and a first goal for Cody Gakpo on Merseyside.
The game saw Liverpool return to the intense nature in which they usually thrive. The press looked more put together, chances for Everton were few and far between and the game was dominated from start to finish by Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Speaking of the German coach, he was enthused by the atmosphere at Anfield and the Kop end saw the return of Klopp’s famous fist pumps [below] – which have been absent for so long given the club’s poor performances of late.
Line-Ups
Liverpool:
- Alisson
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Joel Matip
- Joe Gomez
- Andrew Robertson
- Fabinho
- Jordan Henderson
- Stefan Bajcetic
- Mohamed Salah
- Cody Gakpo
- Darwin Nunez
Club captain Jordan Henderson returned to the side after 4 games out of the starting XI, alongside Fabinho – whose involvement saw 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic play in a more advanced role for the first time. The squad also involved Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, who after prolonged periods in the treatment room were welcomed by a wall of applause by the Anfield faithful when both were subbed on in the second half.
Everton:
- Jordan Pickford
- Seamus Coleman
- James Tarkowski
- Conor Coady
- Vitaliy Mykolenko
- Abdoulaye Doucoure
- Idrissa Gueye
- Amadou Onana
- Alex Iwobi
- Dwight McNeil
- Ellis Simms
The lineup remained almost a carbon copy of the side who ran out 1-0 winners against league leaders Arsenal last week. However, we saw recent return loanee Ellis Simms replace an unfit Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Summary
The game played out different to what many would have expected.
Everton were caught playing out from the back on multiple occasions and looked very open. Salah had a field day as he was frequently finding space in behind Mykolenko, thanks to Alexander-Arnold’s progressive passes down the line. The Egyptian capitalised on this space in the 36th minute when Liverpool countered with lightening pace from an Everton corner.
Tarkowski rose to meet the ball into the box, but his header hit the frame of the goal and after a scramble in the box, the break started via Darwin Nunez who linked up with Salah to progress the ball up the field within seconds. Nunez played a ball into the box and Salah tucked the ball into an empty net as keeper Pickford misread the play and vacated his post too early.
Liverpool’s left flank was just as potent as their right. Andy Robertson broke free after a ball fell loose, and after a bit of interplay, the ball ended up at the feet of Alexander-Arnold. The right-back’s low-driven cross was into no man’s land, but it found Cody Gakpo who was primed and ready to tap it into the goal for his first Liverpool goal.
Liverpool’s left back was later involved in a bit of handbags when he kicked the ball away after the whistle. Pickford and Coady surrounded the Scot, who proceeded to laugh in their faces, which only further enflamed already high emotions – but what is a derby without a little drama?
Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners in what was a comfortable game.
Tonight we delivered and our people deserved it.
Klopp speaking after Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Everton
Liverpool travel to Newcastle on Saturday in what is likely to be a tougher contest than what the Toffees supplied. However, Liverpool have a game in hand on the Magpies and should they earn the 3 points, they will be only 6 points off the top 4 with plenty of games to go – meaning Liverpool’s season is still very much salvageable.
Man of the Match
Honourable mentions are prevalent across the Liverpool squad. Both full-backs played extremely well, the front 3 were impressive and as a whole, the whole team looked sharp and energetic. The man of the match chosen by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports was the correct pick in my eyes. Stefan Bajcetic was immense in midfield in a slightly altered role, winning tackles and showing a great range of passes. Mohamed Salah touted the 18-year-old as the “best player in the side” since his debut.
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