royal blue mersey 
26-04-2024 11:57
26-04-2024 11:57
Everton 2-0 Liverpool: Three Takeaways | Goodison Merseyside Derby Relief
I’d been unable to put out a preview piece for the Merseyside derby, due to technical issues and I’m kind of glad it played out that way, considering my feelings were that Everton would fail to obtain a first win against their cross-town rivals on home turf since 2010. I was vacillating between the possibility of a dull stalemate, a comfortable win for Liverpool, or even a blowout for the visitors — with probabilities equally divided between all three alternative narratives.
Whilst it was true that Jurgen Klopp’s outfit had experienced a drop off in form recently, having won only twice from five, with a couple of costly losses to Italian side Atalanta in the Champions League and domestically, to Crystal Palace, the gulf in talent between them and the Toffees is still vast. Everton’s recent revival had seen the club pick up points from Newcastle United and Burnley — through good fortune more than anything else and even the team’s best effort in months, a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, had seen them dodge at least one solid penalty claim, score from a couple of low-percentage efforts and rely on Jordan Pickford to pull off a huge save at a crucial stage.
The Blues’ woeful effort, in being demolished 6-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge had only occurred nine days earlier, so it was a major concern for me that a motivated Liverpool battling for a league title could prove too stern a test. How wrong I was. Sean Dyche set the side up shrewdly and motivated them to such a degree that any doubts as to whether he enjoyed the full backing of the squad should now be completely shelved. The way the hosts started the game and dominated the opening half hour shows that the players are fully committed to the manager’s methods. Everton’s combinative midfield three jumped all over the visitors, giving them no respite and disrupting their efforts to get their passing game going. Liverpool attempted to play through Alexis Mac Allister, but he was harassed constantly, leading to turnovers in possession. Bullied in the air by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and struggling to compete with Everton’s intensity the visitors gave up nine fouls in the opening half, gifting Everton plenty of opportunities to put them under pressure with free kicks. By the time Jarrad Branthwaite had bundled the ball over the line to put the hosts up 1-0 in the 27th minute, the Reds had managed only two efforts on goal.
Managing the Threat
After the Toffees had taken the lead, they dropped deeper into their own half, whether through the need to catch their breath from going all-out in the first 30 minutes, or due to the response from Liverpool is hard to judge. Whatever the reason, the game took a sudden shift and the Blues had to battle hard to keep the visitors at bay, in order to preserve their advantage. Klopp’s men were able to thread the ball through with precise passing and clever movement, stretching the opposition's ability to block gaps. Everton’s wingers were pushed so deep that the out-ball to Calvert-Lewin went nowhere, even if the striker was able to collect it.
After largely dominating, the Toffees were now forced to put in last-ditch blocks and challenges, conceding seven unanswered shots until the whistle came, relying on Jordan Pickford to pull off a couple of big saves to deny Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. By the end of the period, an indicator of how the first 45 minutes had gone was borne out in the statistics. The Blues had come out on top in 20 of 31 ground duels and six of 12 aerial, succeeded in six of eight tackles and made eight interceptions. The second half continued in much the same vein initially, with the Reds pushing hard for an equalizer. Trent Alexander-Arnold increasingly moved into midfield, adding another deep pivot for the visitors to play through. This helped them to assert control in the centre of the park, but left Dwight McNeil unoccupied and the winger became increasingly influential as Everton began to break with regularity. Calvert-Lewin’s goal in the 58th put the Blues into a commanding position and came by a route that Dyche’s side had exploited all game - their opponent’s inability to deal with their set-piece attacks.
The Toffees were able to see out the match in a disciplined fashion, with Liverpool running out of ideas and going direct, pumping plenty of crosses into the box which Branthwaite and James Tarkowski were only too happy to deal with. The Blues made no less than 24 clearances in the second period and dominated in the air, with a 59% duel success rate. The visitors struggled to contain the home side when they broke, as evidenced by Everton succeeding in seven of eight dribble attempts.
This was an impressive performance by Everton - almost certainly a season best outing - and big congratulations have to go to Dyche and the whole squad for pulling it off, against all the odds. The club is now in an excellent position to safeguard its status in the top flight, despite all that’s impacted it, both on and off the pitch this season.
Random Observations
Calvert-Lewin put in a real throwback effort on Wednesday night and the Liverpool defence were at a loss as to how to deal with him throughout. The striker battled manfully and worked like a Trojan, winning six of ten ground duels and five of 15 aerial contests, in addition to drawing four fouls, which were vital in alleviating pressure and getting his team up the pitch. Hopefully this will put an end to the tedious claims by some fans of the club, that the 27-year-old was overrated even before he ran into significant injury setbacks over the prior two campaigns. McNeil and Jack Harrison were both outstanding — particularly the former, who appears to be back to the form he showed during the latter half of the previous campaign. The pair combined for ten key passes and Harrison’s dribbling was a highlight, with him completing six of nine attempts. The on-loan Leeds United winger led the team with eleven ball recoveries.
The defence all stood tall. James Tarkowski was on inspired form, making a combined eight interceptions and tackles and putting in nine clearances. Alongside him, Branthwaite put his body on the line, blocking four shots on goal. Ben Godfrey, deputising at right back, raised his game significantly, blocking two attempts himself, as well as combining for seven tackles and interceptions.
Statistics provided courtesy of fbref.com and fotmob.com
Whilst it was true that Jurgen Klopp’s outfit had experienced a drop off in form recently, having won only twice from five, with a couple of costly losses to Italian side Atalanta in the Champions League and domestically, to Crystal Palace, the gulf in talent between them and the Toffees is still vast. Everton’s recent revival had seen the club pick up points from Newcastle United and Burnley — through good fortune more than anything else and even the team’s best effort in months, a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, had seen them dodge at least one solid penalty claim, score from a couple of low-percentage efforts and rely on Jordan Pickford to pull off a huge save at a crucial stage.
The Blues’ woeful effort, in being demolished 6-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge had only occurred nine days earlier, so it was a major concern for me that a motivated Liverpool battling for a league title could prove too stern a test. How wrong I was. Sean Dyche set the side up shrewdly and motivated them to such a degree that any doubts as to whether he enjoyed the full backing of the squad should now be completely shelved. The way the hosts started the game and dominated the opening half hour shows that the players are fully committed to the manager’s methods. Everton’s combinative midfield three jumped all over the visitors, giving them no respite and disrupting their efforts to get their passing game going. Liverpool attempted to play through Alexis Mac Allister, but he was harassed constantly, leading to turnovers in possession. Bullied in the air by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and struggling to compete with Everton’s intensity the visitors gave up nine fouls in the opening half, gifting Everton plenty of opportunities to put them under pressure with free kicks. By the time Jarrad Branthwaite had bundled the ball over the line to put the hosts up 1-0 in the 27th minute, the Reds had managed only two efforts on goal.
Managing the Threat
After the Toffees had taken the lead, they dropped deeper into their own half, whether through the need to catch their breath from going all-out in the first 30 minutes, or due to the response from Liverpool is hard to judge. Whatever the reason, the game took a sudden shift and the Blues had to battle hard to keep the visitors at bay, in order to preserve their advantage. Klopp’s men were able to thread the ball through with precise passing and clever movement, stretching the opposition's ability to block gaps. Everton’s wingers were pushed so deep that the out-ball to Calvert-Lewin went nowhere, even if the striker was able to collect it.
After largely dominating, the Toffees were now forced to put in last-ditch blocks and challenges, conceding seven unanswered shots until the whistle came, relying on Jordan Pickford to pull off a couple of big saves to deny Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. By the end of the period, an indicator of how the first 45 minutes had gone was borne out in the statistics. The Blues had come out on top in 20 of 31 ground duels and six of 12 aerial, succeeded in six of eight tackles and made eight interceptions. The second half continued in much the same vein initially, with the Reds pushing hard for an equalizer. Trent Alexander-Arnold increasingly moved into midfield, adding another deep pivot for the visitors to play through. This helped them to assert control in the centre of the park, but left Dwight McNeil unoccupied and the winger became increasingly influential as Everton began to break with regularity. Calvert-Lewin’s goal in the 58th put the Blues into a commanding position and came by a route that Dyche’s side had exploited all game - their opponent’s inability to deal with their set-piece attacks.
The Toffees were able to see out the match in a disciplined fashion, with Liverpool running out of ideas and going direct, pumping plenty of crosses into the box which Branthwaite and James Tarkowski were only too happy to deal with. The Blues made no less than 24 clearances in the second period and dominated in the air, with a 59% duel success rate. The visitors struggled to contain the home side when they broke, as evidenced by Everton succeeding in seven of eight dribble attempts.
This was an impressive performance by Everton - almost certainly a season best outing - and big congratulations have to go to Dyche and the whole squad for pulling it off, against all the odds. The club is now in an excellent position to safeguard its status in the top flight, despite all that’s impacted it, both on and off the pitch this season.
Random Observations
Calvert-Lewin put in a real throwback effort on Wednesday night and the Liverpool defence were at a loss as to how to deal with him throughout. The striker battled manfully and worked like a Trojan, winning six of ten ground duels and five of 15 aerial contests, in addition to drawing four fouls, which were vital in alleviating pressure and getting his team up the pitch. Hopefully this will put an end to the tedious claims by some fans of the club, that the 27-year-old was overrated even before he ran into significant injury setbacks over the prior two campaigns. McNeil and Jack Harrison were both outstanding — particularly the former, who appears to be back to the form he showed during the latter half of the previous campaign. The pair combined for ten key passes and Harrison’s dribbling was a highlight, with him completing six of nine attempts. The on-loan Leeds United winger led the team with eleven ball recoveries.
The defence all stood tall. James Tarkowski was on inspired form, making a combined eight interceptions and tackles and putting in nine clearances. Alongside him, Branthwaite put his body on the line, blocking four shots on goal. Ben Godfrey, deputising at right back, raised his game significantly, blocking two attempts himself, as well as combining for seven tackles and interceptions.
Statistics provided courtesy of fbref.com and fotmob.com