Liverpool took on Everton in the 229th Merseyside derby at Anfield on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp made five changes to his line-up that destroyed Spartak Moskva in the midweek Champions League group stage game and came into this derby in red-hot form. Everton has not beaten their local rivals in the last 14 encounters but were optimistic about the chances with their new manager, Sam Allardyce at the helm.
The match began with Liverpool on the offensive but failing to register a shot on target in the first quarter of the game. However, Mohamed Salah scored the opener in sumptuous fashion, curling in a left-footed shot into the top corner at the Anfield Road End. The Blues came back in the second half after a controversial decision by the referee when they were awarded a spot-kick for Dejan Lovren’s push inside the box. Wayne Rooney stepped up and converted to net his first Merseyside derby goal from the penalty spot. The contest ended with both Merseyside teams sharing the spoils.
Liverpool Players Rated And Slated
GK: Simon Mignolet – 6/10
The Belgian goalkeeper had little to do in the game but had no chance of saving that Rooney penalty.
RB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
The young English right-back made some good runs in the right flank but was not productive with his crosses.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 4/10
The Croatian was responsible for giving away a crucial penalty which let Everton back into the match. He gave away the ball cheaply in the last minute to extinguish any chance of a late Liverpool winner.
CB: Ragnar Klavan – 5/10
The veteran centre-back was solid at times but failed to pass the ball well.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The young Scotsman put in a good performance and was one of the most active members of the Liverpool side. He put some good balls into the box which the Reds attackers failed to capitalise on.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 5/10
The Liverpool captain faded as the game went on and was poor with his passes in the final third.
CM: James Milner – 6/10
He put in a tireless performance in the midfield and won some 50-50 challenges in the midfield.
CAM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7/10
The English attacker was a threat with his late runs from the midfield and did well before being substituted in the second half.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 9/10
The Egyptian scored the opener with a beautiful curling effort after some clever foot-work. He was the man of the match but was substituted early in the second half by Jurgen Klopp and that turned out to be a questionable decision.
LM: Sadio Mane – 7/10
The Senegalese speedster was a threat all throughout the match. However, he was selfish when a golden chance fell to him late in the first half. His shot flashed wide as a few Liverpool players who were wide open were left scratching their head waiting for the final pass.
ST: Dominic Solanke – 6/10
The forward tried his best to make an impact but didn’t get the rub of the green in the game.
Substitutes:
RM: Roberto Firmino – 6/10
The Brazilian provided a spark after coming on but failed to net the winner.
CAM: Phillipe Coutinho – 6/10
His curling freekick was read by Jordan Pickford as the keeper made a good save to deny him the winner.
ST: Danny Ings – 6/10
The striker made some good touches inside the box but was unlucky not to get a chance.
