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There were no Evertonians in the bottom corner of the Anfield Road bleacher, so the Everton players reached out and did their job for them, getting on top of Gylfi Sigurdsson after his cold late penalty and letting out the sound of more than 21 years of agony, frustration and torment in the night sky. They might as well do it. For the first time since September 1999, Everton were able to party after the victory over Liverpool at Anfield. It was a time to savor and savor what they did, typified by Duncan Ferguson giving Séamus Coleman a kiss after the final whistle.
Liverpool’s 23-game undefeated streak in the Merseyside derby ended thanks to the incisive contributions of Richarlison, who gave Everton an early lead and was instrumental on the 83rd-minute penalty that sealed the win, but mostly an outstanding performance. of the defense of Carlo Ancelotti. Jordan Pickford, ridiculed after the controversial October encounter at Goodison Park, was unbeatable, while the five-man rear in front of him, assisted and instigated by the tireless Tom Davies and Abdoulaye Doucouré, was flawless throughout.
Jürgen Klopp’s team had their moments, but not the clinical touch or clear minds to capitalize on. Everton did so, to inflict not only a first derby loss on the Liverpool manager, but also a fourth consecutive loss at home for the Premier League champions. Defensively, they found themselves wanting again and suffered further when Jordan Henderson limped with a groin / adductor injury resulting in Nat Phillips forming Liverpool’s 18th central defensive team of the season alongside Ozan Kabak. That’s no excuse for the loss, and neither are their complaints about the penalty decision that allowed Sigurdsson to double Everton’s lead. The visitors, for once, were calm and measured in executing their game plan. Liverpool were handled with relative ease and, when they did threaten, Pickford repelled everything.
Revenge seemed to be on Liverpool’s mind when Andy Robertson caught James Rodriguez long after the ball was gone, but stormy conditions and an unconvincing start to Kabak’s home debut were more telling factors. Kabak unnecessarily conceded an early turn in the wind, which was deflected from Ben Godfrey’s abdomen by the delivery of Lucas Digne, but the punishment was swift for Liverpool.
A weak header from Thiago Alcântara followed by a misdirected header from Kabak, both to Doucouré, gave Everton possession and allowed Rodríguez to thread a magnificent career pass from Richarlison behind the Turkish international. Richarlison took the ball in stride before beating Alisson with a perfectly placed low shot in the far corner. The Brazilian’s fourth goal in four games, after two in the previous 16, was the ideal start for a team needing to overcome their mental block at Anfield and for a visiting team made up of a five-man defense by Ancelotti.
Liverpool enjoyed plenty of possession from then on, but created few clear opportunities to draw before the break. The visitors’ central defensive trio of Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Godfrey absorbed the pressure comfortably and rarely allowed Liverpool’s three forwards to cause trouble. The only real threat from the home team before the break came from Henderson, who led a volley into the far corner only for Pickford to produce a superb save and capsize the post. Trent Alexander-Arnold was also rejected from a distance by the England goalkeeper.
The volley would be Henderson’s last significant act in the game. Moments later, the Liverpool captain felt his groin go away and despite attempts to keep playing, he was inevitably replaced. Klopp looked on with a resigned smile. When even Liverpool’s makeshift center-backs succumbed to injury, their reaction was understandable.
Coleman should have extended Everton’s lead when Digne sent a deep cross into the heart of the Liverpool area. The Everton captain launched himself in a header, but his effort from close range went straight to Alisson.
Liverpool’s movement was too predictable in the first half, their passes too slow, and although they both improved in the second half, their penetration did not. Sadio Mané headed straight for Pickford from an Andy Robertson cross, then deflected from a Curtis Jones cross, while Holgate took a good punt to prevent the Senegal international from hitting Alexander-Arnold’s low shot.
Pickford was the man in the spotlight and a man on a mission. When Mohamed Salah first saw the goal, played behind Keane by substitute Xherdan Shaqiri, the keeper came off his line to save with his chest and pounced on the rebound before Shaqiri could connect.
It was almost impossible for the visitors to escape the Liverpool press, but they had a glorious opportunity to seal the victory when Richarlison turned away from Phillips and found substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin inside the box. The striker made his first shot, Alisson saved brilliantly low to his left, but as he approached next, Calvert-Lewin was prevented by Alexander-Arnold. Referee Chris Kavanagh did not hesitate to point out the venue or confirm his decision after the VAR asked him to check the field side monitor.
Sigurdsson, another player introduced by Ancelotti in the second half, landed a safe shot that went over Alisson’s right hand and into the bottom corner. Finally, the wait was over and Everton was finally able to celebrate at Anfield.
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