Key stats
- Liverpool have scored in their last 39 games in the Premier League, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition
- Liverpool have won their last five games in the Premier League; their last joint-longest winning streak was from August 19th, 2023 to September 24th, 2023
- Since the start of 2023/24, Liverpool haven't lost any of their eight Premier League games kicking off at 12:30 on a Saturday (W6 D2), a run which included a 2-0 home win over Everton in October 2023
Highlights
Analysis
Ryan Gravenberch put in a player-of-the-match display, earning an 8.4 Flashcore rating.
Everton were much improved in the second half, but were unable to produce a comeback at Anfield.
Match report
Liverpool’s success this season has been built on consistent late goals, but in the Merseyside derby, they were keen to ensure they weren’t reliant on another late show.
The Reds flew out of the traps at a hostile Anfield, taking an early lead on 12 minutes when Mohamed Salah clipped a delicate ball in behind for Ryan Gravenberch, who made no mistake in lofting a sumptuous effort beyond a desperate Jordan Pickford and into the corner.
Liverpool were unrelenting at times in the first half, and could perhaps count themselves a little unlucky not to have doubled their advantage a few minutes later.
Salah was the architect for the first goal, and he was so nearly on the scoresheet himself soon after when he unleashed an effort from the edge of the box that flew narrowly over the bar.
Everton’s first-half offerings were few and far between, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall spurned a good opening following some impressive work from Jack Grealish.
The Toffees’ summer arrival was left red-faced almost instantly, when the next Liverpool attack yielded their second goal.
The influential Gravenberch was involved again, this time as the creator, threading a perfect ball through for Hugo Ekitike which the Frenchman duly slid beneath the onrushing Pickford.
Arne Slot’s men were almost the masters of their own downfall before the break when a stray Alisson pass was pounced upon by Iliman Ndiaye.
He crossed for Beto, but on the stretch, the Everton forward could only divert an effort into the relieved Kop.
Despite the security of a two-goal cushion, Liverpool looked nervy after the break and found themselves regularly turning over possession.
Their lackadaisical nature was eventually punished by the visitors just before the hour mark.
There was nothing fortuitous about how they halved the arrears though, with Idrissa Gana Gueye hammering an effort into the far corner after he was teed up perfectly by Ndiaye.
The pendulum swung back and forth in favour of both sides after that goal, and Everton had some defensive heroics from Grealish to thank for staying in the game heading into the latter stages when he blocked Ibrahima Konaté’s header on the line.
David Moyes’ men continued to push and prove in the final 10 minutes, but a distinct lack of cutting edge undid their chances of claiming an unlikely leveller.
Though nervy at times, Liverpool were largely untroubled in seeing out their 18th win from the last 29 H2Hs they’ve hosted and stretched their lead atop of the table before the rest of their challengers play.
Defeat ends Everton’s four-match unbeaten run and means bragging rights once again belong to the red half of Merseyside.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Post-match comments
Everton's Jack Grealish to TNT Sports: "It was what I expected, coming here it was hostile, faster.
"I don't think we played well in the first half. We came in at half-time and had a chat with the manager and then in the second half, we lost the game.
"Frustrating because if we had played like that, pressed like that from the start, it would have been a different game. In the en,d we couldn't get that last goal."
Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch to TNT Sports: "I'm really happy with the goal.
"Last season I didn't score much, so I'm really happy that I could score, especially in the Merseyside derby.
"The goal we conceded, that didn't need to happen, and we knew they would come, they would come, they would come, so we're going back a little and going for the counter. We had chances to score again but we didn't, which made it difficult."