Liverpool emerged victorious from the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, with Mohamed Salah starring yet again as the Reds downed rivals Everton with relative ease.
Jordan Henderson opened the scoring inside 10 minutes with a fine first-time finish from the edge of the box, before Salah doubled the lead for Jurgen Klopp’s side shortly thereafter – capping off a devastating counter-attack to do so.
Demarai Gray slotted a composed finish under Alisson to get Everton back into the game as Rafael Benitez faced his old club, but Salah would strike again after the break to effectively extinguish the home fans’ hopes.
The forward pounced on a terrible error by Seamus Coleman before scoring, and Diogo Jota produced a slick piece of skill and powerful shot to make it 4-1 as the final 10 minutes approached.
Here’s how each player fared.
Everton
Jordan Pickford – 8: Could do nothing about Liverpool’s goals, and made numerous top saves throughout.
Seamus Coleman – 4: Awful mistake to give the ball away to Salah for Liverpool’s crucial third.
Ben Godfrey – 5: Made some important reads and interventions, but could not contend with the Red wave.
Michael Keane – 5: Movement was laboured, which is hardly ideal against a front three like Liverpool’s.
Lucas Digne – 5: Struggled to deal with Salah, as well as Alexander-Arnold’s overlapping runs and crosses.
Abdoulaye Doucoure – 5: Had his moments during Everton’s better spells, but those were few and far between.
Allan – 6: Failed to get the foothold on the game that his manager will have wanted.
Andros Townsend – 5: Did not make any particularly notable contributions. Made way for Fabian Delph in the second half.
Demarai Gray – 7: Was his side’s best outlet, scoring with great composure. Booked for diving unfortunately.
Richarlison – 7: Assisted Gray’s goal to get Everton into the game.
Salomon Rondon – 5: Largely anonymous. Departed on the hour mark due to an injury, it seemed.
Substitutes: Anthony Gordon – 6; Fabian Delph – 5; Cenk Tosun – N/A.
Liverpool
Alisson – 6: Barely tested until Gray’s goal, which was hardly the goalkeeper’s fault.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7: Lively throughout, tested Pickford with a powerful, long-range effort. Also made a crucial interception to stop Gray from receiving the ball in a dangerous area.
Joel Matip – 6: Should have buried an early header when unmarked during a Liverpool corner.
Virgil van Dijk – 6: Had a relatively quiet first half. Main second-half contribution was firing a free-kick straight into the wall.
Andy Robertson – 8: Well up for this game, as you’d expect. Provided assists for Henderson’s opener and Jota’s goal.
Jordan Henderson – 9: Opened the scoring with a fantastic first-time finish from the edge of the box. Assisted his team’s second goal. Was more vibrant than one usually expects. Terrific from kick-off until his late exit.
Fabinho – 6: Little to criticise in the case of the midfielder.
Thiago – 7: Provided some neat passes, keeping Liverpool ticking. Replaced by Milner with 15 minutes remaining.
Mohamed Salah – 9: Doubled the Reds’ lead with an accurate, curved finish across Pickford. Struck again in the second half to restore a two-goal lead.
Diogo Jota – 8: Was a nuisance to the hosts throughout, and scored a terrific goal after an inventive first touch.
Sadio Mane – 6: Wasn’t at his most dangerous on this occasion. Did almost score with a long-range header, though.
Substitutes: James Milner – 6; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – N/A; Takumi Minamino – N/A.
