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Liverpool and Everton added a new chapter to their heated rivalry when the two butted heads in front of a buzzing Anfield crowd on Sunday (24 April). The two Merseyside clubs may very well be on opposite ends of the spectrum, but their matchup, as anticipated, was as feisty as ever.
The visitors fought tooth and nail to keep the Premier League aspirants at bay, but the Reds’ perseverance ultimately shone through in the second half. Strikes from Andy Robertson and Divock Origi ensured the home fans went home happy, sealing a 2-0 win on the evening.
The victory saw Liverpool move to within a point of league leaders Manchester City, putting the pressure back on the reigning champions. Everton, meanwhile, are 18th. They are two points adrift of 17th-placed Burnely, who have played one game more.
Anticipating a cagey affair, Jurgen Klopp fielded arguably his strongest XI against Everton. The German tactician was proven right in the first half, with the Toffees doing everything in their power to spoil the home side’s evening. They defended in numbers, rarely offered any space, and wasted time whenever they got the chance.
The hosts had their first half-chance in the 21st minute when Sadio Mane engineered a bit of space. Unfortunately, his effort was wayward and sailed way over the crossbar. Twelve minutes later, Diogo Jota had a go, but Everton’s tight marking pressured him to misplace his effort. The visiting team’s first big chance came only a couple of minutes later when Richarlison played Abdoulaye Doucoure on goal. Under pressure from Joel Matip, the midfielder dragged his shot wide of Alisson Becker’s goal.
Following a frustrating first half, the Reds pushed with even more ferocity in the second half. Seventeen minutes after the restart, their efforts paid off as Robertson headed home from the far post to put Liverpool in front. Four minutes later, Matip came close to doubling their tally, but Allan’s goal-line clearance kept the scoreline at 1-0. The insurance goal finally came in the 85th minute, courtesy of an excellent Origi header.
On that note, here are five Liverpool players who stepped up to the plate to inflict a crushing defeat upon their local rivals on Sunday:
#5 Thiago Alcantara
Although not as brilliant as he was against Manchester United last Tuesday (19 April), Thiago Alcantara enjoyed a fine spell against the Goodison outfit on Sunday.
Operating on the left side of midfield, the Spaniard was the metronome of the team, with almost every move flowing through him. His distribution was top drawer, he was strong in the duels and tried to help out at the back as well.
Against Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals, the former Bayern Munich man played 119 passes with 98.3 percent accuracy, made a key pass, and accurately delivered seven of his eight long balls.
He also won eight duels, drew two fouls and attempted two tackles. A solid shift by one of the world's best central midfielders.
#4 Mohamed Salah
With 22 goals to his name, Mohamed Salah has emerged as the leading scorer in the Premier League. Unsurprisingly, Everton were desperate to keep him from adding to his tally and made it a point to mark him tightly all evening.
They succeeded on that front, managing to keep the Egypt international from testing Jordan Pickford even a single time over the 90 minutes. Unfortunately for them, Salah still managed to hurt them, thanks to his impeccable vision and ability to dispatch inch-perfect long balls.
In the 62nd minute, the Liverpool No. 11 played a one-two with Origi to carve out a bit of space. He then looked up and spotted Robertson’s run at the far post. The Ballon d’Or aspirant then placed a cross into the left-back's path and Robertson took care of the rest. It was the Egyptian's 13th league assist of the season, the most in the division.
Salah also played two key passes, delivered three of his five long balls, and won a duel.
#3 Luis Diaz
Jurgen Klopp opted to start Diaz on the bench against Everton, which, considering the form he is in, came as a surprise.
The Colombian finally came on in the 60th minute in place of Sadio Mane and immediately made his presence felt.
He injected pace and power into the Reds’ attack. He chased every ball, distributed the ball well, and held his ground in duels. The former Porto man also went for a spectacular overhead kick attempt, which, unfortunately, did not come off but ended up leading to Origi’s goal. His effort bounced off the ground and fell kindly to Origi, who headed home from close range.
Against Everton, Diaz played one key pass, created a big chance, won three of his four duels, and completed 13 passes with 100 percent accuracy.
#2 Divock Origi
Considering the number of world-class attackers Liverpool have, it is almost impossible for Origi to establish himself as a regular.
However, if the Belgian continues to perform the way he did on Sunday, he could at least make regular appearances off the bench in every match.
Klopp introduced Origi for Naby Keita in the 60th minute. A couple of minutes later, he was involved in a one-two with Salah, which eventually led to Robertson’s opener.
Then, five minutes before regulation time, he headed home Diaz’s miscued overhead kick, which guaranteed a massive win for the Reds. What a cameo!
#1 Andy Robertson
Since joining the Reds from Hull City for a paltry £8 million in 2017, Andy Robertson has epitomized work rate, composure, and quality.
On Sunday, all three of his defining qualities shone through as he propelled his team to an important victory. The Scot was on Everton’s case from the first minute, doing his best to press the Toffees out of possession and hit them on the break.
Thanks to Frank Lampard’s side’s rigidity, Robertson’s link-up play with Diogo Jota wasn’t up to the mark, but his second-half goal easily made amends for it.
Robertson read Salah’s cross well and positioned himself at the far post, ghosting behind the Evertonian defense. Unchallenged by the opposition, the left-back comfortably applied the finishing touch to put the Reds ahead.
The Scotland international also played 78 accurate passes (92.9 percent accuracy), made a key pass, and accurately delivered four long balls.
