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Liverpool and Everton played out a goalless draw at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday, September 3.
The Toffees came into this game having drawn three and lost two of their opening five games. Frank Lampard's side were lucky to still be outside the relegation zone and were desperate for a win. They were given a boost as Anthony Gordon remained an Everton player following the closure of the summer transfer window. New signing Neal Maupay made his debut as well.
The Reds, on the other hand, have had a stuttering start to the season themselves. They won two, drew two and lost one of their five games prior to the Merseyside derby. Jurgen Klopp rewarded youngster Fabio Carvalho with a start for his winner against Newcastle United deep into added time in their last game.
As expected, the game began with high-intensity play from both sides. While Liverpool dominated possession, Everton refused to back off and put in strong challenges to get the home support going. Nathan Patterson and Luis Diaz had an early come-together, setting the tone for this feisty encounter.
Both sides created chances but failed to register an early shot on target as the game began to open up. Debutant Neal Maupay broke into the box midway through the first half and attempted a shot. His miscued effort fell to Tom Davies, whose trivela shot bounced off the left upright. It was the hosts' best chance of the half.
Liverpool soon created opportunities of their own to score from. Darwin Nunez missed a few chances early in the half. However, just before half-time, he controlled a long ball and volleyed it goalwards. Jordan Pickford did extremely well to tip it onto the crossbar. Diaz latched onto the resulting rebound and his curled effort hit the far post and bounced out.
Despite their chances, neither side managed to score as they went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
The second half began with the same tempo as the first half had ended with. Both Everton and Liverpool looked to press and gain possession in order to control the flow of the proceedings. The visitors created most of the chances early in the second period as they looked to put their shaky run to an end.
Everton nearly grabbed the lead via former Red Conor Coady after he tapped into an open net from point-blank range. However, following a VAR review, he was deemed offside when Maupay played the ball across the face of goal. Klopp made a flurry of changes as he looked to add fresh legs to win the game.
Substitute Dwight McNeil scored almost immediately after coming on in the 82nd minute but was unlucky to miss. The game continued to flow in an end-to-end fashion even into the sixth minute of stoppage time. The game ended 0-0 with Pickford being named man-of-the-match for his eight saves.
That said, let's take a look at the major talking points from the match.
#5. Frank Lampard's Everton have a strong fighting spirit
The Toffees made an encouraging start to the game which prompted the Goodison Park faithful to get right behind them. They matched Liverpool's intensity, organizing pressing patterns of their own to crowd the middle of the park. Whenever Liverpool had possession in their own half, at least two blue shirts would close them down instantly.
Despite being the underdog coming into the Merseyside derby, Everton showed the spirit required to compete against one of Europe's best sides. Youngsters Patterson, Davies and Gordon all showed glimpses of their talent as they put Liverpool under pressure. Jordan Pickford made some stunning saves as well, showing why he remains England's number one.
#4. Liverpool made quick transitions with Elliott and Carvalho in midfield
Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho both started as advanced 8s for Liverpool, with Fabinho as the pivot. Their knack for taking risks and running forward with the ball was a boost for the Reds as they were able to advance the ball and commit men forward effectively.
Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah were able to take up positions higher up the pitch to make runs in behind Everton's defense. This also allowed Darwin Nunez to play higher up and keep the center-backs occupied. Liverpool created many chances but their forwards unfortunately misfired for the most part.
#3. Everton has an incredible group of talented youngsters
The Toffees signed Nathan Patterson from Rangers in the summer, along with Neal Maupay from Brighton & Hove Albion. Alongside them are academy graduates Tom Davies and Anthony Gordon, who have cemented their spot in the starting XI. Frank Lampard fielded a lineup with an average age of just 25.2, with 28-year-old goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as captain.
Everton have been competitive this season. Unfortunately, the results haven't gone their way so far. The game against Liverpool could prove to be a turning point as the hosts had them cornered for large parts of the game.
#2. The woodwork denied both sides of goals at key moments
Despite the 0-0 scoreline, the Merseyside derby was anything but a bore draw. Both sides played end-to-end football with players giving it their all in every aspect of the game. However, they were unlucky to have created decent chances only to be denied by the woodwork.
Tom Davies hit the left upright after his trivela shot beat Alisson and looked to give Everton a deserved lead in the first half. Soon after, Darwin Nunez controlled the ball and volleyed it goalwards, which was tipped onto the crossbar by Pickford. Luis Diaz then scrambled through the crowd and unleashed a shot that hit the right upright. Mohamed Salah struck the post late in the game after his shot was saved by Pickford.
#1. Both the Liverpool-based teams have struggled to win this season
Everton and Liverpool have played six games apiece this season, registering a disappointing combined two wins. One was a 9-0 drubbing of newly-promoted Bournemouth and a last-gasp 2-1 win over Newcastle United in their previous game.
Having fallen behind in each of their last eight games, the Reds seem to have made it nine in a row after Coady appeared to have scored. However, the goal was ruled out for offside and the game remained goalless.
Everton, on the other hand, have scored only four goals this season, tied for second from the bottom of the list. They have conceded six goals in return, which is a reflection of how close their games have been so far. Both their defeats were by a one-goal margin.
With a congested run of fixtures coming up, both Lampard and Klopp will be eager to spark an overturn in their teams' fortunes.
