Liverpool 2 – 1 Everton
Everton could not hold a glove to Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby of the season at Anfield on Saturday afternoon until they were two goals down. After changing the useless Beto for the almost equally useless Barry at the break, David Moyes, who has never won at Anfield, then waited until the 86th minute before making his next strategic masterstroke.
The good news for Everton is that Vitaliy Mykolenko reappears in the starting line-up, having overcome his early-season injury problems. David Moyes goes with Beto to spearhead the attack, ahead of his strong midfield trio.
But there’s no sign of Merlin Röhl in today’s matchday squad. David Moyes has confirmed Merlin Röhl picked up a minor knock in training yesterday.
First Half
Everton kicked off and tried a ball over the top to Beto that bounced through to Alisson. The home side pressed Everton hard playing out from the back until they committed a foul but Beto could not control another long ball played up.
Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall were hemmed in by 5 players in the corner and tried manfully to break out but couldn’t do it. Liverpool worked it around and O’Brien had to deny Gakpo, Everton defended well until Ndiaye could give Beto a break-out ball.
Pickford resorted to the long ball but the pressure was quickly back on and Everton wanted a free-kick for a foul by Van Dijk on Ndiaye but he had got the ball before the man and Darren Engand let it go and a looping ball in from Salah on the right wiing was clipped first-time past Pickford by Gravenburch to give the home side an early lead.
Liverpool attacked again and Salah almost scored with a powerful shot across Pickford’s goal. Everton had not seen much of the ball in the first 15 minutes, succumbing to the intensity of their opponents’ play. A great Garner tackle stopped Szoboszlai. More shots by Mac Allister and Gakpo needed blocking as Everton were fully stretched in defence, unable to get the ball forward to Grealish.
Everton got forward for a throw-in from O’Brien but it was easily defended, Ndiaye played a brilliant through to Beto that he just watched bounce harmlessly past him, before Liverpool surged forward, Gakpo failing with an acrobatic effort.
Grealish finally got the ball and ran in the channel, feeding a super ball to Dewsbury-Hall who tried to find the top corner, but missed. Ndiaye was carded for his foul on Kerkez. Liverpool advanced down the right and Ekitike was fed the ball by Gravenberch and finished far too easily past Pickford.
Everton had a rare spell of possession but struggled to create anything meaningful from it, Mykolenko putting another ball in Beto’s direction but he did nothing with it. Ndiaye did get forward and clipped in a difficult ball that Beto had to turn around for and failed to get it on target.
Ndiaye was finally given a free-kick for a foul, Garner tasked to swing in a deep delivery that hung in the air, Alisson out to punch. Grealish ran at Bradley and won a corner. Garner played it short to Gealish who then set him up for a drive but it was blocked.
Grealsish pulled a brilliant ball back but it was to Gana, whose scuffed shot was at least on target but easily saved. So ended a pretty dismal first half for the Blues.
Second Half
The game restarted with Barry on in place of the hapless Beto. After a scrappy restart, Mykoleko got in a cross to the penalty spot but not a Blue shirt within 10 m of it.
Everton had a slightly better spell, Grealish evading Bradley but Gana should never be his wing-man. More half-decent attacking play went nowhere, Liverpool countering at pace.
But another Blues attack finally produced something, and it was that ne,msis Gana Gueye who scored it, from a great cross by Grealish that was played back perfectly by Ndiaye for Gana’s brilliant first-time strike.
Liverpool looked to respond, Mykolenko across brilliantly to deny Salah for a corner. From the second corner, Darren England gave a foul by Liverpool in the Everton area.
Grealish was played down the wing again but no supporting player running with him, and unlucky not to be given the corner. Szoboszlai fouled Grealish, Garner whipping in a good delivery that won a corner.
But from it, Liverpool broke, and both Mykolenko and Tarkowski put in brilliant blocks to give Liverpool a corner. A tremendous header from Szoboszlai was blocked by Grealsih on his chest and cleared.
A Liverpool free-kick was fired over by Szoboszlai. A harmless ball in from Liverpool was needlessly cleared behind by Mykolenko for a corner and again, Darren England saw a Liverpool foul.
It got very scappy in the middle but Everton were given the foul, only for Dewsbury-Hall to be booked for taking the free-kick too quickly! Another Liverpool foul, Grealish drawing it from Bradley. But Garner curled it beyond everyone and behind, a total waste.
Everton regained possession but were painfully slow to advance it before gifting back to Liverpool who broke again, Pickford out quickly to clear with his feet just before the ball reached Salah.
Salah wqas played in behind and again Tarkowski across him brilliantly before he could shoot.
With just 4 minutes left, David Moyes decided to go for it, throwing on Alcaraz and somebody called Dibling. Everton mounted a decent attack, O’Brien with another long throw, but defended clear. Dibling was lively but made a couple of crucial errors.
A great Grealish ball in to O’Brien was headed behind by Kerkez, the corner going all the way over to Grealish but he got the acrobatic volley wrong,
As Liverpool were winning, and Everton pressing, Darren England added only 3 minutes, Liverpool forcing a late corner. Played short, Dibling in to foul Salah.
Everton did get forward again before the ref blew the final whistle, and David Moyes failed yet again as a manager to beat Liverpool at Anfield. Everton had played a lot better in the second half but Moyes’s waiting so long to make his attacking subs was just ridiculous.
After the final whistle, Moyes and Grealish were among the players confronting the referee in a heated discussion, with Grealish shown a yellow card for something he said.
Liverpool: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister (61′ Jones), Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai [Y:69′], Gakpo (61′ Wirtz [Y:82′]); Ekitike (67′ Isak).
Subs not Used: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Robertson, Frimpong, Ngumoha.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko (86′ Alcaraz), Gana, Garner, Ndiaye [Y:27′] (86′ Dibling), Dewsbury-Hall [Y:78′], Grealish [Y90+5′], Beto (46′ Barry).
Subs not Used: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Coleman, Aznou, Iroegbunam.
Referee: Darren England
Assistant Referees: Lee Betts & Scott Ledger
Fourth Official: Robert Madley
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Akil Howson