Fagerlund: can be costly for Liverpool

Published: October 17, 2020 at 5:07 p.m.

Early goal, late catch, red card, lost red card, VAR review skipped, VAR review completed …

In any case, Merseyside Village is no longer a poor-spirited event.

The future of Jordan Pickford, and Robin Olsen, could have been completely different due to an incident about ten minutes away at Goodison Park on Saturday.

It was Everton against Liverpool, the league leader against the reigning champions. Carlo Ancelotti’s men can be strong and Jürgen Klopp’s team came from a historic 2-7 loss to Aston Villa. That said, it quickly became clear that Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson and the other red-clad players wanted to fix things.

Jump from Liverpool

Liverpool took the lead in the opening minutes and Sadio Mané’s first goal was an indication that they were back. Andy Robertson registered the ball from the left, as he usually does, before the forward put it behind Pickford. Everton was completely under the ice.

Going back to the tenth minute, the one that will likely dominate the aftermath. Virgil van Dijk sneaks into the penalty area, rushes forward deep and an adrenaline-fueled Pickford cuts his leg. The midfielder’s knee ended in a pinch and the facial expression testified that something was seriously wrong. Shortly after, he was replaced by Joe Gomez, who thus formed a center-back pairing with Joel Matip, now injury-free.

The goalkeeper who was not penalized for the incident was mainly due to the fact that VAR referee David Coote had his thoughts elsewhere: Should they have warned Van Dijk for offside? Yes, it turned out after a millimeter examination. Therefore, the judge did not study the serious kidnapping shortly after.

Pickford went free, got up and, in the end, put up a good performance, including some very strong saves. While Robin Olsen keeps wiggling his thumbs on the bench.

James’ feet and Keane’s forehead

Everton’s relatively quick response was much needed. Fixed situations are one of the team’s specialties, and in the 19th minute, James reached the corner in front of Michael Keane. A definitive nod later, the midfielder had matched the numbers in the derby. Liverpool were a bit more fired up during the first half, but with feet like James and Lucas Digne running down the left aisle, it’s never possible to relax.

On the other hand, it is also a bad idea to give Mohamed Salah too much space. Although Mané, Robertson and Henderson played very well, Everton kept the defense well together. However, Yerry Mina probably should have done better with twenty minutes to go when he couldn’t clear the ball in the penalty area. Instead, it landed in front of Salah’s feet and then crashed before anyone had time to blink.

Calvert-Lewin is unreal

Exactly that, speaking of strong players: Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unreal right now. When Digne ran back down the left edge and shoved the ball into the box, the forward got off the ground. No Liverpool player came close to stopping him from agreeing to another draw. Calvert-Lewin has scored ten goals in seven games, more than anyone in the five best leagues in Europe.

In fact, an Everton player was forced to leave the pitch. Richarlison, who had been tough against Thiago in the final minutes, rolled across the grass for a long time as if he wanted to get past Michael Oliver. However, the referee was not impressed and admonished him to dive. One more man opened up to the terrifying last minute pressure from Liverpool.

Sturdy glasses are required …

The end was brutal or a godsend (or VAR gift ..) depending on the club you prefer. Jordan Henderson, who had struggled for 90 minutes, looked like a hero when a pass from Mané hit him in the penalty area. It is true that the ball was in the net and the Liverpool bench roared with joy. After Coote drew all the lines and calculations available to the VAR room, he found an offside on Mané. It was kind of an offside where the eyes have to rest on a still image for a few minutes before the brain slowly says “well yeah, but maybe so …?” I have pointed this out many times and intend to repeat it: having the VAR used to find microscopic exteriors is painful. In either case, strong lenses are required to establish that the verdict was correct.

Liverpool seem to see it as two lost points, but the question is how expensive was today’s match. If Virgil van Dijk is absent for a long time, of course, it is an incredible loss. Hopefully, from Klopp, Alisson will soon return to goal and provide the necessary stability. Substitute Adrian has far from the same qualities.

Jordan Pickford, whose afternoon could have ended in a completely different way, came out alive and a bit longer. Carlo Ancelotti certainly isn’t shy about hitting the national team goalkeeper if necessary, but good reflex saves the point so Olsen can focus on cup matches for so long. Everton continue to lead the Premier League and are of course more and more convinced that they will remain at the top tier for the rest of the season. With or without Pickford.

Of: Frida fagerlund

Published: October 17, 2020 at 5:07 p.m.

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