Heading into the Merseyside derby, there’s no doubting how much pressure was on the shoulders of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. They were the ones who were expected to set the pace and run away with the game, as they continue to make a push for their first ever Premier League title. In the end, though, local rivals Everton were able to foil their plan as they held the Reds to a goalless draw at Goodison Park.
Disappointing derby day
There’s no doubting that Liverpool were the ones coming forward with more intent, but that was also true of their game against Manchester United and we all saw how that turned out. Mohamed Salah had a great effort saved by Jordan Pickford in the first half, who managed to gain a measure of redemption from his mistake against the Reds back in December.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Everton didn’t really trouble Alisson all too much – although he did produce a nice diving save from Calvert-Lewin. Alas, even if they weren’t producing great moments up top, they should still be commended for their performance. They had a game plan and they stuck to it, and it’s safe to say that it’s probably one point more than they were expecting.
Valiant Everton
The Toffees have been pretty inconsistent this season and their fans will be the first ones to tell you that, but when you’re able to get results like this and dent your rivals’ title hopes, that’ll likely make many of their failures this season worth it. Still, there’s work to be done if they want to get up to Liverpool’s level in the next few years, but this will give them some confidence as they go in search of a top half finish.
Next up for Everton is a trip up north to take on Newcastle United, which won’t exactly be an easy task for them. Liverpool will have a slightly easier game to contend with at home to Burnley, but with Bayern Munich in the Champions League being right around the corner, they could get spread pretty thin over the next few weeks.
Match Report
Everton: Pickford (6.5), Digne (8), Zouma (7), Keane (8), Coleman (7), Bernard (6.5), Schneiderlin (7.5), Gueye (7.5), Walcott (6.5), Sigurdsson (7), Calvert-Lewin (7), Tosun (6.5), Gomes (6), Richarlison (6.5)
Liverpool: Alisson (7.5), Alexander-Arnold (8), Matip (7.5), van Dijk (8.5), Robertson (7.5), Henderson (7), Fabinho (6.5), Wijnaldum (6.5), Salah (6.5), Mane (6.5), Origi (6.5), Lallana (6), Milner (6.5), Firmino (6)
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Goals: N/A
Yellow Cards: Walcott, Robertson, Fabinho
Red Cards: N/A
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
