Liverpool entertained Everton at Anfield earlier tonight hoping to maintain their dominance over their local rivals in the Merseyside derby. The Reds began the match on the front foot and took the lead in the 6th minute courtesy of Divock Origi’s goal. Xherdan Shaqiri doubled the home side’s advantage just 11 minutes later when he found the back of the net with a calm finish. However, the Toffees got a goal back when Michael Keane produced a composed finish from close range.
The Reds were no mood to relax, and they pushed on to score two more goals in the first half courtesy of another strike from Divock Origi and a pin-point finish from Sadio Mane. Richarlison gave Marco Silva’s side a glimmer of hope with his headed goal just before the half-time break.
Liverpool were the dominant side in the second half, and they put the icing on the cake when Georginio Wijnaldum scored with a toe-poked finish in the 90th minute. The match ended with the European champions running away with a 5-2 victory in the Merseyside derby.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Toffees.
GK: Adrián – 7/10
The Spanish keeper had a safe pair of hands and kept his composure to put in solid display during the game. He was also accurate with his ball-distribution out from the back.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English right-back delivered a breath-taking cross to Mane in the lead-up to Shaqiri’s goal in the first half. He was bit exposed defensively towards the end of the contest which is why Klopp decided to replace him with Gomez.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 8/10
The Croatia international made some vital clearances for his side and did well to restrict the threat of Richarlison.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 7.5/10
The Dutch centre-back commanded his own box with authority and conviction. However, he will be disappointed for shipping in two goals tonight.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 6.5/10
The Scottish full-back was defensively sound but struggled to find a killer pass in the final third.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 8.5/10
The Dutch midfielder didn’t give up an inch of ground in midfield without a proper fight. He ran his socks off and got a late goal to show for his efforts.
CM: Adam Lallana – 7/10
The English playmaker kept possession ticking in midfield and linked up play well with others in the opposition half. It was a welcome return to the first-team for Lallana.
CM: James Milner – 7.5/10
The veteran midfielder distributed the ball well and played some excellent passes to the front players. He put in another tireless shift at the centre of the park and picked out Origi with a fantastic pass in the lead-up to Liverpool’s third goal of the night.
RM: Xherdan Shaqiri – 8/10
The Swiss wing wizard caused a lot of problems for the Everton defenders and capped off a fine performance with a well-taken goal in the first half.
ST: Sadio Mané – 9/10
Mane was at his best during the derby. He scored one goal with a clever finish and also provided two assists. The Senegalese speedster could have bagged a hattrick tonight. However, he didn’t have his finishing boots on in the second half.
LM: Divock Origi – 9.5/10
It was a complete performance from the Belgian centre-forward. He opened the goal-scoring with a calm finish and his first-touch to set-up the second goal for himself was simply poetry in motion. The Belgian was a bit unlucky to find himself be substituted in the second half when he had such an excellent chance to get the hattrick in the derby.
Substitutes:
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Liverpool captain came off the bench and helped establish more control for his side in midfield.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7.5/10
The Brazilian forward took his time to settle into the game but produced a moment of magic with his foot-work before setting-up Wijnaldum who produced a brilliant finish.
RB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
He provided more defensive protection down the right flank.
