Liverpool was under-strength and some of their big stars were missing from the game following their midweek clash against the to-be Champions Manchester City. They failed to replicate their mid-week form and lost some crucial points in their bid to finish in the Champions League qualification spots.
Everton, however, got two big chances in the final minutes of the game but they failed to capitalize on them and had to settle with a point.
Right on this note, here are the five talking points from the goalless draw at the Goodison Park
5) Clyne back in the action nearly after a year
Nathaniel Clyne was injured since the start of the season and didn’t feature for any senior game for Liverpool this campaign.
He was given with his first start of the season against Everton and he played full 90 minutes for the Reds. He looked a little rusty during the game and clearly lacked match fitness. Though he didn’t put any foot wrong during the game, he needed game time before getting back to his best.
With just a few games left in the season and Trent Alexander Arnold doing well for the team, we don’t see him getting many chances for rest of the season. But with a good pre-season under a belt, he will be fighting with Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez for a place in the starting line-up next season.
4) Rooney finds it tough
Wayne Rooney scored an equalizer for Everton during the reverse fixture at Anfield, but the former Manchester United man failed to make an impact in this game.
The former England international often lost the ball carelessly and wasn’t able to create chances for his teammates. He failed to adjust with the speed of the game and eventually got substituted in the 57th minute of the game.
Wayne Rooney has scored many important goals for Manchester United against Liverpool but he has declined with his age and also lost his form of late.
3) Karius finally start showing his worth
Liverpool signed the German keeper, Loris Karius in 2016 and big things were expected from him prior to his move. However, he failed to impress at Anfield and often found himself as the second choice goalkeeper behind Simon Mignolet.
However, due to poor performances from the Belgian this season, Jurgen Klopp deployed the German between the sticks, and he didn’t disappoint him.
He had a brilliant game against Everton and has denied Yannick Bolasie with a brilliant acrobatic save in the first half. He commanded his box really well and his distribution was impressive too.
Loris Karius is improving with every passing game and has the most number of clean sheets (6) in the Champions League.
2) No Salah, No victory for Liverpool
Liverpool was without their star attacker, Mohamed Salah as he was out with the groin injury which he suffered during Liverpool’s win over Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Reds struggled to create enough chances to threat Everton’s goal and were missing Mo Salah’s presence in their starting line-up. They lacked his pace in the team and often found themselves out of ideas without the Egyptian.
Roberto Firmino also missed the majority of the game as he was rested ahead of the second leg against Manchester City. However, he came in as a substitute for Sadio Mane in the 74th minute but failed to make an impact in the game.
1) Everton failed to take their chances
Everton spent the most of the game in their defensive third and tried to contain Liverpool from putting any harm to their goal.
They successfully stuck to their plan for the majority of the game and started committing more men forward to find the winning goal during the finals minutes of the game. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun got two brilliant chances to win the game for Everton but both failed to capitalize on them.
Everton has failed to beat Liverpool in the last 17 games and they missed the opportunity to end that drought at the Goodison Park.
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title: “Everton 0 0 Liverpool 5 Talking Points” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Francis Morin”
Bereft of the services of talismanic Egyptian, Mohamed Salah, Liverpool created chances aplenty but failed to convert even a single one. Roberto Firmino was also conspicuous with his absence, as the superstar duo were rightfully given a breather after their intense UEFA Champions League clash against Manchester City earlier in the week.
As a result of the draw, Liverpool remain third on the Premier League table for now, and without further ado, here is a look at 5 key talking points from the second Merseyside Derby in this league season:
#1 Georginio Wijnaldum doesn’t get the attention he deserves
Often plying his trade in the shadows of his team-mates Salah, Sane, and Firmino, Georginio Wijnaldum is certainly Liverpool’s unsung hero. The Dutchman oozes confidence and subsequently translates it into excellently composed performances.
Today was no different. The 27-year-old was visibly one of Liverpool’s best players as he seemingly bossed the midfield. He made 91 touches on the ball and a total of 81 passes, with a stunning accuracy of 94%.
Further, he also made 3 successful dribbles and took 1 shot which, unfortunately for him, was off target. While Liverpool may have only whisked away 1 point from the encounter, Wijnaldum will take a lot of confidence from the game, and that can only be good news for the red side of Merseyside.
#2 Everton’s defence comes good
The Toffees may have conceded 53 goals this season, but against Liverpool, their back five sure did step up.
Jordan Pickford led from the back as he made 4 excellent saves to keep Liverpool’s attackers at bay. Luckily for Everton, he was ably supported by his two centre-backs, Phil Jagielka and Michael Keane.
The duo expertly nullified Liverpool’s aerial threat, as the former won 7 duels in the air, while the latter won 6.
Further, they made a combined total of 3 crucial tackles, without which Liverpool may have well found the opening they so desperately craved.
#3 Jurgen Klopp’s changes were necessary but inefficient
Liverpool were expected to make a few changes to help cope with the extremely hectic schedule that lies ahead of them and, as expected, a total of five players from their victory over City were missing today.
Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke came in for Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, while Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were replaced by Nathaniel Clyne, Ragnar Klavan and Georginio Wijnaldum, respectively.
While Wijnaldum was sensational in his role of controlling the midfield, Clyne and Klavan would’ve liked to have put in more significant performances, in a bid to stake a claim to start more regularly.
Klopp will not regret the changes, as he ostensibly didn’t have much of a choice. What will disappoint him though, is that his players didn’t make the most of the occasion.
#4 What good is €200 million?
In spite of a ground-breaking season in terms of transfers that saw them spend over €200 million in the summer and winter transfer windows put together, Everton have clearly struggled ever since the departure of Romelu Lukaku.
The likes of Jordan Pickford, Wayne Rooney, Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott, Michael Keane, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Cuco Martina among others have arrived at the club over the past season, but have failed to make a difference.
In fact, it seems like Everton have only grown from bad to worse, as they are currently languishing in 9th place on the Premier League table - a definite slip from last season’s 7th-placed finish.
5 of the aforementioned players started the game against Everton, and not one of them put in a noteworthy performance. They may have won a point today, but is it enough to save Sam Allardyce his job? Only time will tell.
#5 No Salah, no goals
In the process of leading Liverpool to their stunning victory over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League this week, Mohamed Salah was unlucky to pick up an injury that forced Jurgen Klopp to leave him out of the squad altogether.
In the absence of Salah and Firmino, Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings were handed the responsibility of partnering Sadio Mane up top, and the duo failed to make the most of the opportunity.
Despite taking a total of 10 shots, of which only 3 were on target, Liverpool failed to find the back of the net throughout the game and looked like they desperately missed Salah.
Even Firmino’s introduction in the 74th minute couldn’t infuse the required sting into the Reds’ attack. With the second leg against the Cityzens looming, Liverpool and their fans will certainly pray that Salah returns as soon as possible.
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