The Merseyside derby is always a special occasion in England, and Liverpool were certainly the favourites at Anfield when these two sides locked horns tonight in the FA Cup third round tie. The latest conundrum regarding Philippe Coutinho subdued the ‘derby fever’ to some extent and Sam Allardyce, the Everton gaffer, was expected to field his side with a similar ultra-defensive strategy that earned his side a draw at Anfield earlier last month in the league.
The visitors were hoping to secure at least a draw tonight in order to have a rematch at Goodison Park, their home ground where the odds will be higher to clinch a win and progress through to the next round of the competition. Jurgen Klopp missed in-form Mohamed Salah and Philippe Coutinho due to injuries but handed a debut to £75 mil signing Virgil Van Dijk who finally concluded his dream move from Southampton as soon as the transfer window reopened.
The game, however, proved to be the most dramatic derby in years when Liverpool’s debutant Virgil Van Dijk scores a late winner to clinch a 2-1 win and knocks Everton out of the competition following their derby defeat.
Below are the Liverpool players rated from their scintillating win against Everton.
Loris Karius: 6
Faced one shot on target that ended up into the back of the net which he could have done little to stop. However, fumbled while gripping the ball once and looked nervy at times while outings. Else, he had nothing much to deal with.
Joe Gomez: 6
Had a solid first-half but missed a free header in the second and was troubled by Ademola Lookman since his introduction. Made a few mistakes midway in the second half that eventually led Klopp to take him off and was eventually replaced by local lad Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Joel Matip: 6.5
Matip had a couple of anxious moments early in the game but looked solid otherwise. The defence, however, was left exposed when Everton hit back on the counter midway in the second half.
Virgil Van Dijk: 9
The Dutchman completed his dream move a few days. He made his dream debut tonight when he grabbed a late winner with a thumping header from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s corner to win the Merseyside derby at the Kop end. A memorable night for Virgil Van Dijk.
Andrew Robertson: 8.5
Never let Yannick Bolasie trouble down the left-hand flank and was equally efficient while going forward and whipping in crosses. The Scotsman impresses once more in absence of Alberto Moreno.
Emre Can: 6
Was sloppy with his passes and touches, had a quiet outing in the middle of the park. However, there is no objection regarding the commitment of the departing German ( joining Juventus on a Bosman deal in summer) as he worked his socks off to keep on winning the midfield battle.
James Milner: 7
A true professional who delivered another steady performance tonight. He calmly slotted home from the spot to earn his side a first-half lead and kept on orchestrating moves from midfield. Was replaced by Trent Alexander-Arnold late in the game.
Adam Lallana: 6
Returned from his long-term injury and earned his second start in a row after impressing against Burnley on new year’s eve. Did well to win a penalty ( that looked soft) when Mason Holgate grabbed him just inside the box but failed to convert a glaring opportunity despite having Jordan Pickford one-on-one. Was taken off in the second-half to be replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum minutes after Gylfi Sigurdsson’s equalizer.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7.5
Chamberlain started in place of Mohamed Salah down the right wing and kept on impressing with his set-pieces. His corner was converted by Van Dijk late in the game to seal a win.
Sadio Mane: 7.5
Often troubled with his dribbling traits, runs and movements. The Senegalese international is getting back his form and will be handed a much bigger role following Coutinho’s egress.
Roberto Firmino: 7
The Brazilian could not offer much on goal but his hard work once again impressed the gaffer as well as the Anfield faithful. His pressing game led to errors in Everton defence which could have caused more harm to the visitors.
Substitutes
Georginio Wijnaldum: 7
The Dutchman came in place of worn-out Adam Lallana and did well to calm things down in the midfield following Everton’s equalizer.
Dominic Solanke: 6
Replaced Joe Gomez. Made some smart movements upfront.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 6.5
The lad from Liverpool brought back some command in the right-hand side of Liverpool’s back-four since replacing James Milner and didn’t allow Lookman to trouble further.
