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Everton ended their winless streak at Anfield which stretches back to 1999 as they beat Liverpool 2-0 courtesy of strikes from Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurðsson in the Merseyside derby.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side entered the game having won just one of the last 28 Premier League meetings against the Premier League champions, although this game told a different story.
Richarlison gave the visitors an early lead before Sigurðsson confirmed all three points in the latter stages of the game from the spot. This is the first time Everton have beaten their Merseyside rivals in 11 years.
Everton started the game quickly as they instantly put the hosts under substantial pressure, inside three minutes the visitors were ahead.
James Rodriguez released Richarlison with a perfectly weighted pass as the Brazilian latched onto the ball before powerfully punishing Liverpool as he slotted his effort into the bottom left-hand corner. The forward has scored two goals in his last two appearances after a prior eight-game goal drought.
The goal was a sign of what was to come as the current Premier League champions struggled to enter their rhythm for the majority of the early exchanges.
Jordan Pickford was called into action when Jordan Henderson connected with a wonderfully struck volley. His effort looked bound to nestle in the corner of the net but for an outstretched Pickford produced a world-class save to keep his side ahead.
It went from bad to worse for Jürgen Klopp’s side when captain Henderson went down with an injury, the makeshift centre half attempted to continue but was soon substituted for Nathaniel Phillips.
Everton noted the inexperienced pair at the heart of the Liverpool defence in Ozan Kabak and Phillips as they looked to put the pair under substantial pressure.
Liverpool had Alisson to thank before the end of the first-half when he produced a fine save to deny Seamus Coleman who connected with Lucas Digne’s cross from six yards out.
Sadio Mane looked to have eyes on the goal in the second-half as he lined up a shot for a last-ditch challenge from Michael Keane to deny the forward any meaningful attempt. Mohamed Salah was the next to go close for Liverpool as he combined with Trent Alexander-Arnold before England number one, Pickford dove at the Egyptian’s feet to keep his team on top.
As Liverpool pushed for an equalising goal, Ancelotti took the opportunity to introduce Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the game became a more open affair. The Englishman’s direct runs and physical presence was instrumental as Everton pushed for a game-deciding goal.
It was the 23-year old who proved to play a pivotal part in the second goal as he found himself in a foot race against Alexander-Arnold when Richarlison played the striker through on goal. Alisson saved his effort as Alexander-Arnold threw his body towards the ball in desperation.
Calvert-Lewin looked set to finish off the rebound before he tripped over the head of the Alexander-Arnold as referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot.
Despite looking at the pitch-side monitor, the official took barely a second to decide he had made the right decision as fellow substitute Sigurdsson cooly converted from 12 yards to confirm their win at Anfield.
Throughout the game, it was Pickford who stood out as one of the most influential players as Everton went on to claim three points.
The Englishman has been the victim of a lot of criticism over recent months as his number one international status has been questioned with mistakes starting to occur at club level, but in this match, he proved why he is still one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Pickford made at least two scintillating saves to deny Liverpool throughout the game, the first-half he was able to pull off a world-class fingertip save to divert Henderson volley around the post. Before in the second-half, he denied Salah a matter of metres away from goal as he reacted quickly as well as making himself big, giving the forward no area of the goal to aim at.
The goalkeeper has not always been first-choice this year with the addition of Robin Olsen to provide some competition in the squad. It has been a good wakeup call for Pickford who will be looking to retain his spot in goal in the coming weeks as he looks ahead to the EURO 2021 in the summer.
An uplift in form will be welcome by England manager Gareth Southgate, who is going to have to make a hard decision on his number one in the coming months. With Nick Pope and Dean Henderson performing well for their clubs, its time for Pickford to kick on now at Everton ahead of what will be a busy end to the season.
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