Everton Narrowly Defeated at Anfield
- Spirit of The News
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
It's same old, same old for Everton at Anfield, as David Moyes’ first defeat since 15th January was down to a terrific solo dribble and finish by Diogo Jota, giving the Reds the three points and bragging rights.
Lineups:
Liverpool:
Kelleher
Robertson
van Dijk
Konate
Jones
Gravenberch
Mac Allister
Diaz
Szoboszlai
Salah
Jota
Everton:
Pickford
Mykolenko
Branthwaite
Tarkowski
O'Brien
Garner
Gueye
Alcaraz
Doucoure
Harrison
Beto
Going into the game, the majority of the pressure was on the shoulders of Liverpool. The need to further the gap between them and second place Arsenal, as the Gunners had won the night before in a 2-1 win at the Emirates against Fulham, in order to increase the probability of being crowned Premier League champions, was certainly possible, and they did so.
It didn’t take long for the first piece of Merseyside Derby drama to emerge, as a shot from Jota was blocked; the follow-up came into the path of Argentinian midfielder Mac Allister, who was set up in a position to cause some threat from the edge of the penalty area. In a moment of desperation, Everton skipper James Tarkowski flew into the challenge reasonably high. Winning the ball first but with a horrendous follow-through, which could have caused major injury to the 26-year-old. As roars emerged from the Anfield crowd, referee Sam Barrett initially gave Tarkowski a yellow card. However, a VAR review led to the conclusion that it was not a clear and obvious error, and the initial decision remained.
Since PGMOL have privately confirmed that the on-field decision was incorrect and further action should have been taken by the officials at the time. After the game had concluded, the Everton defender was seen apologising to Mac Allister as well, explaining in his post-match interview that he was sorry. The free kick that followed went marginally wide, as Szoboszlai decided to strike the ball into the opposite corner in an attempt to throw off Jordan Pickford.
Only 10 minutes later and Tarkowski played a long ball into the path of Beto, who split the centre-halves open and sliced it through the legs of Kelleher, who replaced an injured Allison, giving what most people thought was Everton the lead in the derby! However, the linesman instantly raised his flag, and a VAR check that shortly followed proved the Guinea-Bissau striker was in an offside position. It was Liverpool mainly on top, having more of the ball and more chances, but some may argue the Toffees’ chances were more clear-cut. Beto, receiving the ball again, was up against Van Dijk, who rapidly lunged in to stop the opportunity in the middle of the Reds' half and completely missed. The striker again had a huge opportunity to give the Blues the advantage, striking the ball but hitting the post! Beto, the Everton bench and the Everton fans all with their heads in their hands – flashbacks to the trip to Brentford almost, where Beto missed one too many one-on-one chances. Everton stuck at it and got through to halftime goalless.
It wasn’t long into the second half when Liverpool put a dent in any hopes of Everton claiming something from the fixture, as Jota received the ball from Colombian winger Luis Diaz in the 12th minute of the second half. The Portuguese striker dribbled his way around the Everton defence before simply striking the ball into the back of the net, giving Slot’s side the advantage. Again, typical controversy arose with James Tarkowski involved yet again, with the 32-year-old claiming that the goal-scoring opportunity emerged through his lunge of desperation to clear the ball from a through ball planned for the path of Luis Diaz. However, there was no referee interference, and after the match, both Everton manager David Moyes and James Tarkowski made their statements that they both believed that the goal should not have stood.
It was now or nothing for Everton, as the Scottish manager made some attacking substitutions, including the return of Senegalese international Iliman Ndiaye, who has been out of the matchday squad for a number of weeks. However, in the end, Everton were not clinical enough with the ball. Poor hold-up play towards the final third as well as lacklustre passes whilst in possession leading to the ball being overturned meant Everton were defeated in the Merseyside Derby.
Premier League Gameweek 30 Fixtures:
Tuesday 1st April:
Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
Wolves 1-0 West Ham
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man United
Wednesday 2nd April:
Bournemouth 19:45 Ipswich Town
Brighton 19:45 Aston Villa
Man City 19:45 Leicester
Newcastle 19:45 Brentford
Southampton 19:45 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 20:00 Everton
Thursday 3rd April:
Chelsea 20:00 Tottenham
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