Liverpool 0 - 2 Everton

Everton: Richarlison 2’, Sigurdsson 83’

Pre-Match

It’s the Merseyside derby, and Liverpool and Everton are as close to equal in terms of performance than they have been in several years. Today would be a good time for the Reds to reassert their dominance over their neighbors. Jurgen Klopp has named an unchanged line-up from the one that did so well against RB Leipzig.

First Half

Goal :( Richarlison 2’ - Well, that didn’t take long. On this windy afternoon, the Toffees take no time at all to exploit the Liverpool’s newest defender. Ozan Kabak completely misses Richarlison’s run and gets thrown completely onto the backfoot. Richarlison easily unlocks Liverpool’s defensive line and slots it past Alisson in the first two minutes of the game. The last mistake rested with Kabak there, but none of the midfield covered itself with glory, allowing Richarlison free reign along that midfield.

It took around 15 minutes, but Liverpool have worked their way into the game. The wind is doing Liverpool no favors, but they get some good chances at goal regardless. The first is for Firmino, who sends it just wide. The next comes a few moments later when Jordan Henderson calmly bends it to the corner, where it’s saved by the inferior Jordan in front of the goal.

The attacks aren’t stopping from Liverpool, and Pickford is forced into another save from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long range bullet. The resulting corner is less than impressive, but the Reds battle on.

Well, in case you felt too positive about the last few minutes, Jordan Henderson, Liverpool’s (give me a second to count on my fingers) fiiiifth? maybe? choice center-back goes down with what looks to be a hamstring injury. He does some basic stretches and then hops back to his feet, but then gives up shortly thereafter. So here comes Nat Phillips, and I hate everything.

Alisson steps up as Everton try to take advantage of the situation, making a good save on a first attempt and then also on the resulting corner. But needless to say, all of the momentum that Liverpool had midway through the half is completely gone.

The half ends as it began, with Liverpool trailing 1-0.

Second Half

Liverpool have come out swinging. As they attack the empty Kop-end goal, the ball has barely crossed the halfway line in the first six minutes after the restart. Sadio Mane gets a few good efforts in, but they’ve all been saved or slightly miscued. Still, it’s nice to see that Mane and his teammates have woken up in this half. Of course, history tells us that this means Everton are about the score again against the run of play, but we can always hope that things work out the way that they’re supposed to.

Despite some good attacks from Liverpool, and despite the fact that Everton seem uninterested in scoring another, the game remains at 1-0 after 70 minutes. Salah nearly finds a way to wriggle through, but he’s stopped in front of the goal before he can tap it in.

Goal :( 83 minutes in and Alexander-Arnold gives up a dubious penalty on Calvert-Lewin. The ref barely glances at the video playback before confirming his decision. Sigurdsson scores and that’s all three points gone.

Final Thoughts

Well, that’s over. Let’s never do this again, thanks.