Izuchukwu Okosi
Gody Gakpo scored his fist Liverpool goal as Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday night.
Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring for the home side, applying the finishing touch to a devastating counter-attack launched only seconds after James Tarkowski hit the post with a header.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHaving beaten leaders Arsenal in his first match in charge, Sean Dyche and his side made the short trip across Stanley Park arguably with more confidence and momentum considering their hosts’ much-publicised problems.
But they left with chants of “going down” and “it’s your last trip to Anfield” ringing in their ears after goals from Salah and Gapko in a 14-minute period bridging half-time secured a 2-0 win for the home side.
Fans have still not seen an Everton victory at the ground since 1999 as the Toffees’ win here in 2021 was behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions.
The defensive lapses that contributed to their heavy defeat at Wolves last time out were still evident early on, however, with Joel Matip completely missing an attempted clearance from Dwight McNeil’s header.
Matip’s error gave Ellis Simms an opportunity to take aim at Alisson’s goal but his attempt from 18 yards struck Joe Gomez and deflected away.
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There was an urgency and clear intent to Liverpool’s performance from the off. It was not highly effective in breaking through Everton’s compact lines but represented a vast improvement in recent starts by Klopp’s team all the same.
Without the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin the visitors had none, as has been the case for the majority of the season, and Liverpool were able to shake off their recent rust, recall what it took to outplay limited opposition, and ease to a necessary three points in their bid to revive aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League.
All 208 league editions of the most-played derby in English football have come in the top flight but whether there will be any more next season rests entirely on Sean Dyche’s ability to conjure a goalscoring threat out of Everton.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
