Liverpool 2-1 Everton: Three talking points
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Liverpool took the spoils from the 247th Merseyside derby with Everton.
Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a sublime half-volleyed finish after being teed up by Mohamed Salah in the penalty area.
Poacher turned provider for the Premier League champions on the half-hour mark as Hugo Ekitike latched onto Gravenberch’s through pass to slot home.
But David Moyes’ side struck back after the interval through a well-taken volley by Idrissa Gueye, meeting Idrissa Gueye’s pass on the edge of the box.
The Reds stay top of the table after a fifth straight win while the Blues dropped down to eighth position with a first defeat in four matches.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
As the minutes ticked down in Saturday’s 247th Merseyside derby, the Anfield faithful found themselves consumed by an overwhelming sense of deja vu.
More than civic pride and maximum points were on the line as the reigning Premier League champions were put under the cosh by a resurgent Everton.
Racing into a two-goal lead had become an Achilles heel for Liverpool this season and it threatened to be again in facing their nearest and dearest.
A clinical opening 45 minutes for the hosts had everything barring a crucial third goal to kill off the prospect of a potential fightback after the break.
If the Reds learned anything from the wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid, it is that a gifted player can still make them sweat.
Jack Grealish threatened to inflict a fourth level-pegging as the men from Hill Dickinson Stadium scented blood after painting Arne Slot’s side into a corner
Even the introductions of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak failed to turn the tide as Everton rallied in efforts to snatch a rare point from enemy territory.
But what Liverpool may lack in squad cohesion, they are more than making up for with an ability to hold on and see through even a late onslaught.
During his first spell, David Moyes infamously compared battles with Everton’s well-heeled Premier League peers ‘like going into a gunfight with a knife’.
Forget sharp utensils – his side resembled a paper straw in the first half.
A long-ball tactic from the outset was never going to have a desired effect when punted towards an ineffectual Beto prior to his withdrawal at the break.
Defensively, too, the Blues were sorely lacking as the decision to throw Vitalii Mykolenko back in at the deep end following injury backfired spectacularly.
That the visitors took the fight to the Premier League champions is proof Moyes has assembled a team that is still greater than the sum of its parts.
Grealish continued to prove a handful for Conor Bradley as the young right-back struggled to handle the £100 million man’s busts of trickery and flair.
Much to the frustration of the 3,052 Evertonians housed in the Anfield Road End, however, the fightback arrived too late and the damage already inflicted.
A 21st game without tasting victory in his neighbours’ backyard should give Moyes food for thought on how to adequately approach his line-up choices.
For all the talk around Liverpool’s unprecedented summer of spending, it is one of their existing crop who is stealing top billing from Isak, Wirtz et al.
Ryan Gravenberch invariably stole top billing from the derby for more than just an exquisite opener and equally impressive assist for Hugo Ekitike.
Both saw the Netherlands international become his side’s youngest player to produce separate goal involvements in a Premier League-era local derby.
Yet it is the devil in the detail that saw Gravenberch’s latest appearance raise the bar in a campaign where he has already scaled myriad heights at Anfield.
A long-awaited reunion with title-winning cohorts Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield saw his finest display in a red shirt to date.
The trio last lined up together in the engine room for April’s clincher against Tottenham and, arguably, the engine room has not been the same since.
Gravenberch’s role last term was to anchor the midfield, to great effect, but Slot has entrusted his compatriot with the freedom to attack this time around.
It is proving to be one of the Liverpool head coach’s most inspired, and thrilling, moves.