Premier League: Liverpool 2-0 Everton, Salah and Gakpo score

There’s nothing better than winning and convincing in the derby to finally try to turn the season around. With Salah’s first goal of the year and Gakpo’s first ever in the red shirt, Liverpool gives away the 2-0 win at Anfield over Everton: it is the first victory in the Premier League in 2023 for Klopp’s men, one that is worth overtaking Chelsea in 9th place (32 points against 31, and the Blues even played one game more) in the sad head-to-head between big disappointments of the season. The Reds needed such a success, one on which to start building again after the umpteenth crisis of this strange 2022-23 had produced a series of 4 games without a win and 3 without scoring. Everton go ko for the first time in the Dyche era: salvation certainly does not pass through the derby with Liverpool, but once Tarkowski’s post was removed from which the Reds’ 1-0 counterattack started, the Toffees did far too much little.

THE KEYS

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Liverpool winning and convincing. Salah’s goal that broke the deadlock in the 36th minute also restored conviction to Klopp’s team, who dominated in the second half (opened by Gakpo’s goal in the 49th minute) creating all the chances. The man of the match was Stefan Bajcetic, the 18-year-old who Klopp discovered to be essential in his new midfield: the Spaniard, making his debut in the Merseyside derby, put his personality into it and played a giant game, making no mistakes, as if he were a worn out and not a rookie in sixth career game. Klopp also had important answers from his trident, still deployed with Gakpo initially central and Nunez on the left, free to move: Salah is still far from his best form but he moved well, the Uruguayan didn’t score but triggered the first goals and created a lot, the Dutchman might need to play winger but his first goal for Liverpool after 6 games from a silent scene (no goals, no assists, no good performances) should help give him confidence. The good news for the Reds also comes from the infirmary: Jota, who has been sidelined since 16 October, got back on the pitch in the last 20′; Firmino met again in the last 10′ for the first time since the World Cup and Van Dijk was on the bench with the prospect of being ready for Real Madrid in the Champions League in a week’s time. The victory in the derby doesn’t suddenly erase Liverpool’s woes, but it is the first positive sign since the calendar has turned to 2023. Everton have confirmed that their problems are in attack, because the Toffees do away with set pieces a mad effort to make oneself dangerous. Dyche’s 4-5-1 is all effort, running and attention in defense, more suited to destroying the opponent’s game than creating chances. The first defeat with the new coach is the fourth in the last 5 games, which leaves the team third from bottom with 18 points in 22 games and the certainty that to save themselves they will need to improve even more.

THE MATCH

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The first half comes on in the 36th minute after a very slow start: first Tarkowski hits the post with a header from a corner, then as the action develops Nunez starts on the left on the counterattack and puts in for Salah, who with a nice touch acrobatic Patte Pickford. Things got worse for Everton at the start of the second half: this time it was Robertson who launched the Reds restart, closed by Gakpo’s first goal served perfectly at the far post by Alexander-Arnold. The Toffees trailing by two goals had to push forward, but in doing so they opened up the space for Liverpool to restart, which in fact went closer to scoring a third goal than conceding one. The result remained 2-0 until the 90th minute, when Liverpool earned an important victory in one of the games that mattered most to the fans.