Everton fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday evening. The Toffees had their chances to win the game but failed to capitalise, and the hosts’ second-half strike was enough to earn them all three points.
There was an early scare for Everton. Their experienced centre-back and hero of the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, James Tarkowski, came very close to getting a red card for a dangerous tackle on Alexis Mac Allister. However, it was deemed a legal challenge by VAR.
The Toffees’ biggest chance of the night fell to Beto, who got on the end of pass upfield after a Liverpool corner. The Everton striker evaded the swinging challenge from Virgil van Dijk and was clean through on goal. However, his shot could only rattle the woodwork, in what was a huge opportunity to give his side the lead.
Liverpool took the lead eventually in the 57th minute. It was Portugal international Diogo Jota who broke the deadlock with some clever footwork, shifting the ball from his right foot to his left and back to his right. From there, he fired a low shot home past Jordan Pickford to break Everton hearts.
The Toffees never really created that golden opportunity to get themselves back in the game, and Liverpool held on for the win. Despite the result, there were some good performers in an Everton shirt.
Everton’s standout performers vs. Liverpool
Derby day defeats are never nice, but the Toffees showed spirit and fight despite the result. One of the players who performed well was left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko, who came up directly against Mohamed Salah.
However, he did an excellent job of keeping the Liverpool number 11 quiet, as the stats reflect. According to Sofascore, he won four out of five tackles, the same number of ground duels, and made eight clearances. It was a heroic effort.
Another of the Toffees’ standout players at Anfield was attacking midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure. The experienced Everton number 16 was always looking to be positive and drive his side forward. In fact, it was his pass that set Beto free, from which he struck the woodwork.
The 32-year-old’s hard-working performance was also noted by GiveMeSport journalist Callum Altimas. He gave Doucoure a 7/10 for his efforts and explained that ‘he looked the most likely to create something’ for Everton.
As well as the likes of Mykolenko and Doucoure played at Anfield, a couple of Toffees players struggled, including one man in the middle of midfield.
The Everton midfielder who struggled vs. Liverpool
It was not an easy night in the middle of the park for James Garner tonight. The Everton number 37, who revealed this week that he “was a Liverpool fan” during his childhood, did not really have much of an impact on the game, which passed him by in many ways.
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That is a sentiment that was certainly shared by Altimas. The journalist gave Garner a 5/10 for his efforts at Anfield, explaining that he was ‘more of a passenger than an active participant’ for much of the game, brutal words indeed.
That is certainly something that the stats back up, however. The former Manchester United man had just 31 touches, fewer than Toffees goalkeeper Pickford (44), and completed just nine from 14 passes. Off the ball, he was disappointing too, winning just two from ten ground duels.
Touches
31
Pass accuracy
64%
Passes completed
9/14
Number of times ball lost
13
Ground duels won
2/10
Dribbles completed
0/3
Tackles won
1/3
Everton are almost certainly safe from relegation this season, despite the loss to Anfield. However, David Moyes is surely looking to build a side capable of challenging for European spots in the Premier League, and will want to lay good foundations this season.
Perhaps he will decide to rotate Garner out of the side for the Toffees’ next game, a tough outing against second-place Arsenal. If he struggled to impact the game against Liverpool, it might well be a similar story against the Gunners.
There are options at Moyes’ disposal, too. Tim Iroegbunam, who replaced Garner at Anfield, could come into the starting lineup. Alternatively, the returning Iliman Ndiaye could start, with Doucoure playing a deeper role.
It will be interesting to see if Garner keeps his place in the Everton team for Saturday afternoon’s clash with Mikel Arteta’s side. If he does, the midfielder will certainly need to impact the game more in the middle of the park.
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