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Liverpool fell to a 2-0 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Wednesday, April 24.
Everton were surprisingly sharp from the start and put tremendous pressure on Liverpool in the early exchanges. The hosts pushed the Reds into their own half and played with a physical edge, forcing fouls from the visitors. Things were about to go from bad to worse for Liverpool as the referee awarded a penalty for Alisson's foul on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
However, the VAR intervened and there was a clear offside in the build-up and the decision was reversed. Liverpool failed to capitalize on any momentum as they failed to create much early in the game. This allowed Everton to push forward and grab the lead after 27 minutes. Jarrad Branthwaite fired a shot goalwards as Alisson got a hand to it but couldn't stop it from rolling over the line.
Liverpool then pushed forward with conviction and created the game's best chance. The ball was played into Luis Diaz's path from the left but the Columbian fired his shot straight at Jordan Pickford as the Reds went into the break a goal down.
Liverpool made a good start to the second half as they realized what they needed to do to get back into the game. However, despite arriving in decent positions, they were unable to pick a final ball to break Everton's defensive lines. Having tried this for the initial 15 minutes, the Reds slowly dropped off as the Toffees gained some momentum. Soon after, the hosts doubled their lead.
Everton won a corner on the right hand side with Dwight McNeil stepping up to take it. His delivery found a completely unmarked Dominic Calvert-Lewin near the far post as the striker nodded in to make it 2-0. Liverpool's marking was questionable for the set-piece as they allowed a free header.
The hosts then successfully shut up shop for the rest of the second period. Luis Diaz came close to scoring once again as he smashed the right post with his powerful effort. However, Liverpool could not find a way to score and fell to a defeat.
Having said that, let's take a look at their player ratings.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson - 7/10
Alisson made two saves in the first half but spilled a regulation shot from Branthwaite. He made two more saves in the second period.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6.5/10
Alexander-Arnold had a poor game by his standards as he failed to make an impact on the proceedings. He lost the ball a whopping 25 times and also played just two crosses.
Ibrahima Konate - 6/10
Konate had a decent first half except for a costly error which led to an Everton goal as he stuck a foot out and deflected the ball straight to Branthwaite. He won six duels and made two tackles.
Virgil van Dijk - 7/10
Van Dijk had a decent game at the back as he won 10 duels and made three clearances.
Andrew Robertson - 6/10
Robertson had a subpar at the back and also had a chance to score but miscued his shot. He was dribbled past five times and also won just two of his 10 duels.
Curtis Jones - 6.5/10
Jones was good on the ball for Liverpool as he passed it with 98% accuracy. However, he was ineffective out of possession as he won just one of his seven duels.
Dominik Szoboszlai - 6.5/10
Szoboszlai passed the ball with 94% accuracy but lacked directness as he was unable to make an impact.
Alexis Mac Allister - 7/10
Mac Allister had a decent game in midfield as he passed the ball with 89% accuracy and won five duels.
Mohamed Salah - 6.5/10
Salah showed great initiative to get into good positions in the first half but none of his three efforts were on target. He attempted four more shots in the second half and hit the target twice but could not score.
Darwin Nunez - 6.5/10
Nunez was successfully kept off the ball by Everton's center backs as he had just 19 touches 90 minutes and managed just one tame effort on target.
Luis Diaz - 6.5/10
Diaz got into some decent positions in the final third but missed a sitter just before half-time. He also saw another attempt rattle the woodwork in the second half.
Substitutes
Jarell Quansah - 6.5/10
He replaced Konate in the 63rd minute but the damage was already done and Everton sat back.
Wataru Endo - 6/10
Endo came on in the second period and conceded a dangerous free-kick which Liverpool were lucky to not concede from.
Harvey Elliott - 6.5/10
Elliott came on in the second half and put in a decent cameo with one key pass and one shot on target.
Joe Gomez & Konstantinos Tsimikas - N/A
The pair came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
