'I don't see why': Steve McManaman left baffled by something Liverpool did against Everton yesterday
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Liverpool were not comfortable seeing out the game against Everton after a dominant first-half display.
The Reds won the Merseyside Derby 2-1 at Anfield with Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike each scoring in the first-half, just about sealing the win.
Arne Slot’s side faced some pushback in the second half as the Toffees got a goal back from Idrissa Gueye as they looked the much better side in the final 45 minutes of the match.
While it may have been a nervous end to a game which started so brightly for the home side, it is another win on the board, and they have managed to keep their 100% winning record in the Premier League this season.
It was not a late winner this time, which supporters may be thankful for, given the previous games’ high drama, which looked to threaten their record of winning games.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Many individuals may have struggled with aspects of the game, but it was a generally poor team effort in the second half, where they looked quite disjointed at times.
Even though Liverpool were able to scrape past their local rivals, Steve McManaman was less than impressed by what he saw on the pitch.
The former midfielder had watched the 3-2 Atletico Madrid game on Wednesday in the Champions League, where Slot’s team needed a bit of late fortune from Virgil van Dijk to secure a win.
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During a reaction to the game on ESPN FC, McManaman spoke about how the team were struggling to see out games after dominant first-half performances and believes they let Everton back into the game.
He said: “Liverpool went on to control that first half, and when it went to 2-0 for some reason, which they’ve shown on a number of occasions, I mean, my only analogy would be like being on a roller coaster.
They reach the top when they’re 2-0 up, and then they sort of just come off it again and sort of start to ease back into the game and allow the opposition team to get into it.
“I’m thinking to myself, just put your foot to the metal and go and absolutely destroy this game straight away.
But they somehow allow teams to get back into the game.
I don’t see why they aren’t constant throughout the game at this moment in time.
“They were that dominant.
They allowed Everton to get control of the game, and suddenly, Everton, particularly in midfield, these players looked as if they were far better than Liverpool on the ball, and that shouldn’t be like that.
“I get it away from home, but at Anfield they should be able to control the games, almost kill the game off at 2-0 and easily see it out, but it’s been very nervy for all the fans and all the people who are watching, and that’s something we haven’t become accustomed to at Liverpool.”
It is unusual, especially given the ability of the Dutch coach to command his team into maintaining a two-goal advantage for much of last season.
If they can keep their winning ways up even when they face a heavy period of adversity in games, it will not be too much of a worry for fans as long as it translates into trophy success.
Slot himself praised the away side for how they conducted themselves for the last half of the game and credited them as the reason his side may have struggled.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, he said: “You could see how well we can play if we are fresh – the first 45 minutes, unbelievable, the way we played.
“But the second half was more difficult because of Everton, of course, but also because we ran a bit out of energy.
But we didn’t run out of mentality.”
While it may be true that David Moyes’ side wanted it more in the end, there has to be something said for how a team that looked unbeatable in the first half seemed to crumble to being mediocre.