KLOPP HITS NEW LOW
Fourth home loss in a row and two wins in last 11, Liverpool could be 19 points off the lead today as...
A GALE blew in off the Irish Sea. It made the trees in Stanley Park, which separates the grounds of Liverpool and Everton, creak and sway and prompted Carlo Ancelotti to button up his smart coat on the Anfield touchline. The tempest raged throughout the evening and it brought with it a wind of change that swept over Merseyside football.
There appears to be no end to the storm that is engulfing Liverpool this season and, amid the wreckage of their attempt to defend their league title, this defeat by their neighbours may hurt the most. It had been 21 years since Everton last won at Anfield but, like so many of the other certainties Liverpool have lost in the last few months, Ancelotti’s team swept that record away.
If the defining moment of Liverpool’s season until now had been Jordan Pickford’s scything challenge on Virgil van Dijk that ended the Holland defender’s involvement in their title defence back in October, this defeat by Everton, courtesy of a first-half strike from Brazilian Richarlison and a secondhalf penalty from Gylfi Sigurdsson, marked a new low.
Van Dijk watched on helplessly from the stands as Liverpool sank to a fourth successive league defeat that will leave them 19 points adrift of Manchester City if Pep Guardiola’s side beat Arsenal today. Talk of a title challenge is irrelevant to Liverpool now. Their fight is to get into the top four.
This time last season, Liverpool were 40 points clear of Everton but now they are level. This defeat means the champions have won just two of their last 11 league games and, before this encounter, it had been 23 meetings in all competitions since Everton beat Liverpool anywhere.
And the damned statistics keep on coming. Liverpool have now lost to Burnley, Brighton, City and Everton in their last four home league games. That is only the second time in their history that has happened. The last time that sequence assailed them was in 1923-24. So, no, the storm is not abating.
There was a delicious irony for Evertonians in the fact that Pickford, who was vilified for his challenge on Van Dijk, was the hero of his side’s triumph here. He made one brilliant diving save from Jordan Henderson in the first half and another crucial block from Mo Salah in the second half.
This Everton victory was not just about Liverpool’s injuries and deficiencies, either. Their fall from grace is one thing but this was also a story of Everton’s rise under Ancelotti. Tom Davies was superb again in the centre of their midfield and Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane were magnificent in the heart of their defence. They thoroughly deserved their victory.
To add to Liverpool’s considerable woes, Henderson was substituted with a groin injury that may keep him out for a while.
The last time the teams met, Liverpool started with Van Dijk and Joel Matip in defence and Henderson and Fabinho in midfield. That was the old Liverpool. The new Liverpool is unrecognisable from that.
Liverpool had a scare within the first minute when a corner from the left was swung into the box and eluded all their defenders. It fell to Godfrey at the back post but it cannoned off his shins and squirted away to safety as Alisson scrambled to shepherd it wide.
It was the briefest of reprieves for Liverpool, though. A couple of minutes later, they lost possession deep in their own half after a poor header from Ozan Kabak and the ball fell to James Rodriguez, the last player Liverpool wanted to cede space to.
James looked up and slid a pass inside Kabak for Richarlison to run on to. The Brazilian took it in his stride and lashed it past Alisson. It is a tough task for Kabak, who arrived last month on loan from Schalke 04, to step into the Liverpool defence and adapt quickly to the demands of the Premier League and he looks a long way off the pace. He looks uncertain. He looks vulnerable. He was brought to shore up the Liverpool back four but the reality is that he looks like its weak link.
Everton dealt better with the conditions in the opening 20 minutes when the Liverpool defence appeared thoroughly unsettled but gradually, the home team began to assert their authority.
Five months ago, a last-gasp shot from Henderson had beaten Pickford only to be ruled out for offside but now, when the Liverpool skipper unleashed a volley from the edge of the area, the Everton keeper was equal to it, diving to his right to push it round the post. It was a brilliant save.
Keane made an important block from Roberto Firmino and Pickford tipped a rising drive from Trent Alexander-Arnold over the bar as Liverpool pressed for an equaliser. But just as Klopp’s team seemed to be on the verge of dragging themselves back into the game, they were hit by another of the injury blows that have so scarred their season.
Henderson was trying to escape the attentions of Abdoulaye Doucoure near the half-way line when he suddenly grimaced in pain
and fell to the floor. On the sideline, Klopp smiled a rictus smile. Henderson appeared to have suffered a groin injury and, even though he tried to play on, he had to admit defeat after a couple of minutes. He was replaced by Nat Phillips. Liverpool are at the stage now where they need back-ups for back-ups.
The loss of Henderson interrupted Liverpool’s momentum and Everton nearly went further ahead. Lucas Digne swung in a superb cross from the left and Seamus Coleman stole ahead of Andy Robertson and flung himself at the ball. He made a good connection with the header but it was straight at Alisson and the Liverpool goalkeeper pushed it around the post.
Liverpool tried to hit back straight after the interval. Pickford made a smart save from a Sadio Mane header. The home team piled on the pressure. Mason Holgate made a fine clearance from a dangerous Alexander-Arnold cross and, when another cross from Curtis Jones sailed over Godfrey’s head, Mane could not rise high enough and lifted his header over the bar at the back post. Next, a brilliant saving tackle from Keane denied Mane. All this in the first seven minutes of the second half.
Midway through the half, Liverpool wasted a golden chance to equalise. They constructed a lovely intricate move down the right side of the Everton area, moving the ball from Firmino to Xherdan Shaqiri and on to Salah. Salah advanced on Pickford but the Everton goalkeeper spread himself as wide as he could and Salah’s shot thumped into his body.
Everton sealed their victory eight minutes from time when Davies played a ball out of defence and Richarlison turned away from Phillips near the half-way line. Richarlison sprinted into space and picked out the run of Dominic Calvert-Lewin perfectly as he hurtled down the middle. Alisson saved Calvert-Lewin’s shot but, as the Everton striker ran on to the rebound, he was brought down by Alexander-Arnold.
The referee awarded a penalty but decided not to send off Alexander-Arnold despite the queries of the Everton players. Substitute Sigurdsson took the penalty and he hit it with enough force and accuracy to take it beyond the dive of Alisson and into the bottom corner.