Report: Everton Suffer Derby Defeat

Everton went down to Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield following a heated contest in which six of the game’s seven goals came inside the opening half.

Michael Keane scored after 21 minutes following strikes for Liverpool pair Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Belgian forward Origi restored the home team’s two-goal advantage on 31 minutes.

And although Richarlison emphatically converted his seventh goal of the campaign in first-half stoppage time, Liverpool had scored their fourth through Sadio Mane three minutes earlier.

Georginio Wijnaldum completed the scoring when he drove into the bottom corner on 90 minutes.

Everton created a number of openings – they outshot their opponents – but were twice ruthlessly hit on the counter for Liverpool goals. Substitute Moise Kean shot wide from a promising position, a free-kick from Lucas Digne arced narrowly over and the excellent Alex Iwobi was off target with a low blast five minutes before half-time.

The Blues have less than 72 hours to recover before welcoming Cheslea to Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.

Everton’s first goal stemmed from a certain amount of perseverance and was finished from six yards by the unlikely source of centre-half Keane.

Andrew Robertson made a mess of dealing with left-back Digne’s free-kick from the left, swinging a right leg at the ball but succeeding only in squirting it behind.

Everton tried a short corner routine, which worked to the extent Liverpool were sufficiently disorientated to clear only as far as Iwobi.

He rifled a cross low into the middle for Keane to scrap with Dejan Lovren. The Everton player got the better of the duel and made good on his run of the ball by elegantly lifting the ball over Adrian and into the roof of the net.

From two down after 17 minutes the Blues could have drawn level in the blink of an eye.

Iwobi became the latest Everton player to win possession high up the pitch, the Nigerian mugging Adam Lallana in similar fashion to how Wijnaldum had been dispossessed Gylfi Sigurdsson on six minutes. When Iwobi tried to link with Richarlison, Virgil Van Dijk stepped in to intervene.

Iwobi was at the hub most of Everton’s attacking play. He received a pass in midfield from Mason Holgate and spun to thread in Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The forward advanced into the box but was buffeted by Van Dijk and scuffed his shot past the post.

Liverpool restored their two-goal advantage when Origi cushioned Lovren’s ball over the top and eased his finish over Jordan Pickford.

Suddenly Everton were under the cosh.

Digne crucially climbed above Shaqiri to head behind with the Swiss shaping for an effort from Mane’s left-wing cross.

Marco Silva promptly did away with his five-man backline, sacrificing wing-back Djibril Sidibe for the guile of Bernard – Richarlison joining Calvert-Lewin in a two-man attack.

Bernard’s cross was headed home by Richarlison, throwing himself full-length to plant the ball home from 12 yards, in the final minute of first-half stoppage time.

That counted as second time lucky for Richarlison, whose powerful header from a Digne corner on 19 minutes flashed over the top.

By then, however, Everton had conceded a fourth. And the goal which saw Liverpool open up clear ground between the sides came right off the back of a visiting attack.

Digne and Bernard linked to feed Iwobi, who slid a pass for Richarlison. He hammered the ball across goal where it was touched out for a corner by Lovren with Calvert-Lewin screaming in and straining to convert.

The dead ball was cleared to Mane, who spun Iwobi and started making ground, He kept going after passing to Alexander-Arnold and when the defender squared from the left Mane swept first-time inside Pickford’s right post.

Liverpool’s opening goal arrived in similar circumstances, Everton making the running but being unzipped on the counter.

Sigurdsson picked the pocket of Wijnaldum and sprinted forward to collect a return pass from Richarlison.

The midfielder’s centre was scrambled out of the hosts’ box, however, the ball transferred forwards for Mane, feeding Origi to round Pickford and stroke into an empty net.

Mane was menacing from the off, heading over a Robertson delivery and leaving Yerry Mina on the deck after barrelling into the defender as he connected with the ball.

For all the toing and froing there was plenty of spice, too. Mason Holgate, switched to right-back in Silva’s first-half reshuffle, thundered into a challenge on Origi.

Tom Davies and Robertson engaged in a head-to-head after the Everton player took exception to the Scot leaving something on him as the pair grappled on the floor.

Davies went in the book after half-time for clattering Alexander-Arnold, with Richarlison shown a yellow card in the opening half following a foul on Shaqiri.

Twice Everton players nicked the ball off Mane’s toes in the box – Holgate after 11 minutes, Sidibe with a well-timed effort 60 seconds before he went off.

Mane, though, was involved when Liverpool scored their second goal. Found by an arrowing pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold the Senegalese sped down the left to feed Shaqiri.

The midfielder was off balance as he shot but managed to squeeze his left-foot strike inside the far post.

Pickford pawed clear when Mane tried to square for Wijnaldum’s late run on 38 minutes – two minutes later Iwobi was wide from 20 yards following Richarlison’s lay off.

There was no sag in the tempo immediately after the break and Silva sought to up it further by adding forward Kean to Everton’s attack bang on the hour.

Kean had a golden opportunity to drag his side right back in this, too. When the Italian latched onto Iwobi’s through ball with five minutes remaining he opened up his body and sent the ball hurrying an inch past the post.

Digne’s free-kick after Lallana had gone through the back of Calvert-Lewin dipped too late to concern Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian shortly after half-time.

Richarlison headed straight at Adrian, the Liverpool goalkeeper tumbling to his right soon after to grab a long ranger from Davies.

Everton continued swinging in search of a way back into the game. Sigurdsson escaped down the left but Richarlison was unable to collect the cross at the far post.
Liverpool replied with Mane gathering a high ball and stabbing past Pickford’s left post.

Seconds before Kean’s opportunity Mane rounded Pickford but dithered to enable Holgate to steal in and snuff out the forward.

And Wijnaldum settled the outcome beyond doubt when he thrashed a 20-yard finish across Pickford after substitute Roberto Firmino’s dribble and cross from the left.