Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WILDER: NO ONE CARES ABOUT US
CARLO: I’M NO HERO Clever, disciplined Everton expose the once-invincible champions for what they have become... an easy touch
CHRIS WILDER landed a blow for the Premier League underclass after the Blades were robbed in a late penalty farce, by claiming: “Nobody is bothered about us.”
The Sheffield United manager was right. When Fulham keeper Alphonse Areola cleaned out Jayden Bogle in the 89th minute (above), it was reminiscent of Jordan Pickford clattering Virgil van Dijk in the Merseyside derby – although, happily, nobody got hurt.
For referee Martin Atkinson not to award a penalty was one thing – but what the hell was VAR official Peter Bankes watching? A good film on Netflix?
Wilder said: “Nobody’s bothered about us. But there’ll be some comment and debate, some moaning and groaning, if that happens to one of the big boys – 100 per cent.
“It would last forever, and it would have lasted forever when the ball went about two yards over the line at Aston Villa (where the Blades were robbed by duff goal-line technology).
“But with us, it just sort of gets pushed to one side.”
For the first time, Wilder sounded resigned to relegation, worn down by repetitive and frustrating narrow defeats.
But amid his justifiable gripes, he was gracious enough to wish counterpart Scott Parker good luck in Fulham’s relegation battle.
Wilder added: “It’s a tough gig and Scott knows how tough it is.
“In his first season in the Premier League they’re having a right go at it, it’s a proper established football club and Scott is a top guy, an extremely talented manager.
“And they are going to win games before the end of the season because they have got the bit between their teeth.”
CARLO ANCELOTTI put it succinctly when asked if he had written his name in Everton history with this famous victory at Anfield.
“I’m not a hero, because the heroes have all died, unfortunately,” he said with a rather affecting chuckle.
His point was rather more serious.
Yes, this was an historic win, to end a painful run against Liverpool but there are no cups for winning derbies, just bragging rights.
“We are wrong if we think we achieved something, it is a good moment for us but it is only three points,” said Ancelotti (above) amid the celebrations from his side.
“To be focused in a derby is not complicated. The next step is to be focused like we are tonight in the next game. That will be more complicated.
“Our target is not Liverpool. Our target is to be playing European football next season.
“We are working on this, working to compete with Liverpool. We are not at the same level.
“But I can understand the happiness. Evertonians are really happy tonight. They deserve to be after 21 years!
“And I think we are in the right way to be where
Liverpool is now – one of the top teams in Europe.”
Everton did have a hero in goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who made three fine saves.
Team-mate Michael Keane said: “He showed his character, massively. There was a lot of people on his back after what happened (with Van Dijk, in the derby at Goodison), even though it was an accident.”
3 83 pen
0 2 IT is not just a slip by Liverpool, it is a swallow dive off a cliff face.
The stats, if anyone at Anfield is brave enough to view them, are eye-catching: Liverpool are 31 points worse off than a year ago with just nine from the last 11 games since they were top of the Premier League at Christmas.
The first time in almost 100 years they have lost four consecutive League games at home.
And only two defending Premier League champions have done worse at this stage of the campaign. It goes on and on.
Perhaps the most pertinent statistic of all in a city so passionate about football, is the one where Everton win at Anfield for the first time in almost 22 years.
It tells the story of a seemingly immortal team becoming all too human once more.
Why? The answer was delivered perfectly by Carlo Ancelotti’s clever, tactically disciplined side on enemy territory, as
they exploited the weaknesses identified by their manager in the pre-match team meeting.
As Graeme Souness said in his post-match summary, the Reds have gone from a team no one wanted to play against to an easy touch everyone wants to meet.
Everton’s leader Michael Keane did not put it quite so bluntly, but speaking after this famous victory, he did unwittingly deliver the answers to where Liverpool have suddenly become so vulnerable. “In the team meeting the manager said, ‘What have you learned from the past, and how do we want to approach this’,” explained the man of the match.
“We knew what to expect from them. They are a great team but if you defend well, track the runners, work really hard then you can frustrate them.
“Obviously this season, there is space to hit them on the counter-attack and we took advantage.
“It was all tactical things, it was about the centre-halves not getting sucked in when Firmino drops because they look to get Salah and Mane in behind when that happens.
“They like to press high, it was about how we are going to play through that, how we are going to cope with it. I’m glad it worked really well for us.”
Liverpool are still trying to play exactly like they are titlewinning Gods, when their current personnel is distinctly mortal. Decimated by injury, they are still playing a high defensive line, without the pace and presence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to resist counter-attacks.
They are also still trying to play a high energy, high press, despite lacking Fabinho or Jordan Henderson in midfield to provide cover when it is passed through.
Thiago, for all his muchlauded attributes, is no holding midfielder in this system.
And up front, sides know how to frustrate Liverpool now too.
Swamp Mo Salah and Sadio Mane; let Firmino (right), the weak link in front of goal, have that responsibility. He missed three chances, and Everton’s tactics were evident.
It still requires discipline to implement them though, and the visitors had it.
They defended with aggression, Jordan Pickford produced three fine saves, and Richarlison and sub Dominic Calvert-lewin exposed the vulnerability and lack of pace at the heart of defence for the goals. It led to a famous victory and famous celebrations in the visiting dressing room.
“It was unbelievable to see scenes like that. It has been so long, Seamus Coleman has been here for 11 or 12 years, Big Duncan Ferguson as well,” said Keane.
“They sort of get emotional about it and it just lets you know how much it really means. It’s absolutely massive.
“We had belief we could do it, to a man we were outstanding, we defended really well and took our chances. We are happy during these tough times we can make our fans really happy.”
HUDDERSFIELD Campbell 22, O’brien 48, SWANSEA Hourihane 45
Holmes 52, 55 4 1 TWO USA internationals born just a fortnight apart in 1994 and both starting new adventures after moving clubs last month.
But Americans Jordan Morris and Duane Holmes could not have experienced more contrasting fortunes.
Morris has only made a handful of appearances for Swansea after joining on loan from Seattle Sounders, but his season could be over having twisted his knee with no opponent near him, just 15 minutes after coming off the bench.
He will undergo scans this week to ascertain the damage but Steve Cooper fears the worst.
“We’ll know more in the days ahead but it doesn’t look good,” said Swans boss Cooper. “We’ll get the best attention to him as soon as possible.”
As for Holmes, he spent Saturday night celebrating Huddersfield’s first win this year, his first goals for the club since rejoining from Derby, and the most memorable strike of his career.
Holmes’ astonishing 25-yard thunderbolt capped a three-goal blitz by the hosts at the start of the second half, after Conor Hourihane had cancelled out Fraizer Campbell’s effort with a similarly spectacular strike.
“I’d like to say I’ve got it in my locker, but I’ve been trying for 10 years and that’s the first one that’s gone in,” said Holmes, who initially joined the Terriers eight years ago after arriving from Georgia. “It came off my shin pad but we take them all. It’s a massive win that we desperately needed.”
Campbell is convinced Holmes’ arrival is just what Carlos Corberan’s side required after an eight-match winless run sucked them towards the relegation zone.
“It’s a brilliant story,” said the once-capped England international. “He’s come back to a place close to his heart.
“Ever since he walked through the door, he’s been a breath of fresh air – it’s like he’s been here all his life.
“Sometimes he’s been working a bit too hard for the team and overdoing it a bit, but today he got it spot on, scoring two goals, one of them an absolute blinder.
“He’s a great guy, a great team-mate and hopefully he can kick on with more goals.”
Lewis O’brien had restored the lead in the 48th minute before Holmes’ double and Campbell claims he was not surprised the Terriers – who are now up to 18th in the table, seven points from the drop zone – beat high-flying Swansea so emphatically.
He added: “Despite the bad run, we’ve been playing some great stuff, but sometimes you just need the rub of the green.
“We kept the faith and played to our strengths.”
HUDDERSFIELD: Schofield 6, Keogh 7, Vallejo 6, Sarr 7, Pipa 7, Bacuna 7 (High 78), Hogg 7 (Pritchard 84), O’brien 7, Rowe 7 (Brown 84), Campbell 7 (Phillips 72),
Holmes 8 (Stearman 84)
SWANSEA: Woodman 6, Naughton 5 (Whittaker 58, 5), Bennett 6 (Cabango 45, 5), Guehi 6, Roberts 5, Grimes 6, Hourihane 7, Fulton 4 (Dhanda 58, 5), Bidwell 4 (Manning 58, 5), Ayew 6, Lowe 4 (Morris 46, 5, 66).