Mohamed Salah grew to become the primary Liverpool participant since Peter Beardsley 32 years in the past to attain in Anfield’s opening 4 league matches with each targets in a 2-0 victory over 10-man Everton within the 243rd Merseyside derby.
Ashley Younger, who has performed in a number of the world’s largest cross-city clashes in Manchester, Milan and Birmingham, was despatched for a second bookable offence shortly earlier than half-time to make the Toffees’ job of ending their woeful document throughout Stanley Park much more tough.
Salah transformed a Seventy fifth-minute penalty after a Michael Keane handball after which transformed a counter-attack in added time which meant the Everton followers current have been nonetheless to see a ‘dwell’ victory at Anfield since 1999 as their solely win in 2021 got here behind closed doorways through the Covid period.
Egypt worldwide Salah’s penalty was the fifteenth consecutive Premier League match during which he had both scored or assisted and introduced up Liverpool’s fiftieth aim towards Everton at Anfield within the Premier League.
It was additionally his 2 hundredth profession league aim, however his second was his 104th at residence for Liverpool, taking him previous greats Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard into fifth place on the membership’s all-time Anfield scorers listing.
However regardless of Salah’s stellar statistics this was removed from a basic derby encounter, even it was a predictably typical one.
Younger’s Thirty seventh-minute crimson card – the twenty ninth on this fixture and the thirteenth of the final 16 to be proven to Everton gamers – was not fairly a turning level as Liverpool have been effectively on high even at that stage but it surely was contentious.
Luis Diaz regarded to have considerably purchased the primary yellow when he went down after a deal with on the midway line however as soon as referee Craig Pawson had on condition that he had no possibility when Everton’s right-back introduced down the Colombia worldwide on the sting of the world.
Sean Dyche’s response at half-time was to switch his two wingers – Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil – with defenders Nathan Patterson and Michael Keane and change to a again 5.
It did little for striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s prospects, whose solely alternative got here simply 36 seconds into the sport when he headed tamely at Alisson Becker.
After that it was nearly one-way site visitors, though Liverpool’s finest openings appeared to return on the counter-attack and infrequently from Everton attacking set-pieces.
That they had a four-on-two at one stage however when Dominik Szoboszlai launched Diaz within the penalty space his delayed shot that allowed Younger to dam.
Trent Alexander-Arnold drove a free-kick into the wall, Salah muscled McNeil off a 50-50 and curled a shot simply over and an Alexis Mac Allister half-volley from 30 yards was claimed on the second try by Jordan Pickford.
However Klopp’s facet have been nowhere close to their sharpest within the closing third and that performed proper into Everton’s fingers.
Younger’s sending-off tipped the stability even additional in favour of the house facet however they continued to be repelled with Salah’s 52nd-minute shot blocked by James Tarkowski.
Everton’s numerical drawback and lack of wingers emboldened Klopp to switch left-back Kostas Tsimikas, making his first begin of the season rather than the long-term injured Andy Robertson, with Diaz to permit the introduction of Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott.
Konate, whom Everton’s teaching employees felt must also have had a second yellow card for a foul on Calvert-Lewin’s alternative Beto, was additionally eliminated for his personal good.
Keane should have wished he may have been afford the identical courtesy when his outstretched arm blocked Diaz’s cross.
Dawson initially gave a nook however VAR suggested him to assessment the pitchside monitor and he reversed his resolution and Salah despatched Pickford the fallacious approach from the spot.
Elliott and Jota each went shut because the onslaught continued but it surely was Salah who benefited from Nunez’s fast counter-attack as he clipped residence his second as Liverpool prolonged their document to at least one defeat within the final 28 derbies and Everton slumped to a sixth lack of the season.
