Written by Zack Oaten | @Zackoaten1
Liverpool are still on the heels of Manchester City after a hard fought victory against their Merseyside rivals Everton. It may have been a scrappy affair with both sides fighting tooth and nail, but Klopp’s men will be delighted to snatch the 3 points which will prove vital going into the final few games of the season.
Here are tonight’s player ratings.
Alisson – 8
The Brazillian didn’t have a whole lot to do today as Everton had a whopping 0 shots on target, yes zero shots on target. Alisson did however provide some comedy as he replicated Pickford’s antics near the end of the game, diving to the floor after what was a simple catch which brought some cheers from the crowd.
Robertson – 9
A goal for the Scotsman! Robbo scored his second goal of the season after Salah’s floated cross find him at the back post. Apart from the goal he was fantastic defensively, especially in the final 25 minutes when Everton pushed forward to try and salvage a point.
Van Dijk – 7
Had some great duels with Richarlison and Gordon but ultimately kept his composure throughout the game. Him and Matip form a solid partnership which is rarely beaten by the best of teams so it isn’t a surprise Everton’s Championship quality attack couldn’t put a dent in it.
Matip – 7
Matip was imperious today. His highlight of the game was fending off Iwobi in the 50th minute, have you ever seen a more composed piece of defending than that? The Cameroonian fought hard against Gordon for most of the game and may have been lucky not to give away a penalty.
Trent – 7
His distribution which is normally a flawless part of his game was very poor during the first half as he lost possession 17 times. He had a lot of trouble with Gordon’s pace and swift movement as well but provided some good cover at the back for the most part.
Keita – 6
He linked up well with Thiago but the majority of his time was spent being bogged down in midfield much like everyone else. Naby didn’t play badly but he wasn’t up to his usual standard, but you can put that down to the intensity of the derby.
Fabinho – 7
A cheap push on Gordon near the start, an apparent foul on Richarlison and a full-on shove on an Everton defender in under 8 minutes showed what type of game Fabinho was going to have to play today. The Brazilian acted like a bodyguard for most of the game as he held of the likes of Gordon and Gray whilst simultaneously pushing forward excellently.
Thiago –8
An almost flawless game from the Spaniard was hampered by a lack of movement from our front three in the first half. However, when the game started to open more after the break the Thiago we all know came out and dominated the middle of the pitch. He really is impressive isn’t he?
Jota – 6
The Portuguese maestro wasn’t himself today. When much of the squad recovered from what was a lackluster first half performance, Jota seemed to crawl further inside his shell and stayed there until he was unsurprisingly taken off for Henderson near the end.
Mane – 6
He threatened more than he delivered today and his shot in the first half that narrowly dipped over the cross bar was his highlight from today. Much like the rest of our attack he really struggled to find a real chance before he was brought off.
Salah – 7
The Egyptian had some great battles with Mykolenko on that right hand side in which he usually won. His cross might have missed Jota but Robertson was there to finish it off, therefore making it 13 assists for him this season which is the most in the Premier League.
Subs
Diaz – 7
Wow, just wow. Him and Origi must have been drinking jet fuel before they came on, they were absolutely ferocious. His assist for Origi was dreamlike, I am sure if he applied for the Columbian Olympics he would fit right in with the acrobats. Seriously impressive.
Origi – 9
The king is back with a bang. That’s his sixth goal against Everton in his career, he just loves a goal against the Toffees. He also had a part to play in the first goal as he gave the ball to Salah who’s cross found Robertson. Talk about an impact sub.
Henderson – 7
The captain came on brought the crowd with him. He may have only been on for 10 minutes but his impact was immense, Anfield really came alive as soon as he touched the grass.
