Liverpool snatched a late win against Everton in the 227th Merseyside Derby as Everton’s poor record in this iconic fixture continues. Sadio Mane showed his excellent anticipation to pounce on the rebound after Daniel Sturridge hit the post from outside of the box. It was not a convincing win for the Reds but Klopp’s boys showed that they can get the points even after a scrappy display.
Everton started the game really well. They pressed Liverpool well and the Reds were struggling to get the control of the game in the first 30 minutes. However, with James McCarthy getting substituted at the half-time break following an injury, Everton lost their momentum. Liverpool’s pressure was growing but the end product was missing. Maarten Stekelenburg went off with an injury in the second half and substitute keeper Joel Robles did really well after a Firmino shot that looked destined for the net.
It looked like Liverpool were going to pick up from only one point from the game until Daniel Sturridge’s unpredictability made the difference. In the fourth minute of the eight stoppage time minutes, he hit the post from outside of the box and Mane lashed on the rebound to give the Reds all three points. Here are the Liverpool player ratings from the game-
Simon Mignolet: 7/10
Two games since replacing Karius and two clean sheets. Looked assured and his handling was good. Came off the line to clear the danger on one occasion.
Nathaniel Clyne: 6.5/10
Defended his flank really well but his crossing was poor. Almost every cross found the Everton defenders.
Dejan Lovren: 7.5/10
Carried the ball out from the back in the absence of Joel Matip and while his involvement in buildup play was good, his long passing was less so. Looked really composed. Brilliant front-footed defending.
Ragnar Klavan: 8/10
An excellent game from the Estonian. Anticipated dangers really well. Was composed on the ball. Made an important block to deny Lukaku.
James Milner: 7/10
Was involved in almost every attacking move. Dealt with Enner Valencia well.
Jordan Henderson: 7/10
Was put under pressure on occasions but did enough to deal with it. Passed well. Survived a nasty challenge by Barkley.
Georginio Wijnaldum: 7/10
Regularly helped out the defence, and his athleticism was key in this fast-paced derby. Registered a passing accuracy of 96% in such a high-intensity game.
Adam Lallana: 6/10
Struggled to make his presence felt and often dropped deep. A bad day at office.
Sadio Mane: 7/10
Showed his awareness to lash on the rebound after Sturridge’s shot hit the bar. Apart from that, looked a bit off-colour. Lost the ball very easily time and time again.
Divock Origi: 6/10
Could not really make his mark. Did not get too many chances. However, he did work really hard.
Roberto Firmino: 5.5/10
Some heavy touches let him down. A bad game. Came close to scoring twice but Robles and Coleman denied him.
Substitutes
Emre Can: NA
Daniel Sturridge: 7/10
He changed the game after coming on from the bench. Hit the post from outside of the box and Mane scored the winner from the rebound.
Lucas Leiva: NA