Liverpool have reached a stage in their development under Jurgen Klopp whereby everything seems to transpire as expected.
The Reds win virtually every week, the formation remains largely unchanged and the starting eleven is easily predictable for the most part.
Despite that, the Liverpool boss tends to mix things up every now and then, with his changes often being enforced due to a specific strength or weakness held by the opposition.
Everton made the short trip to Anfield on Wednesday night and lost by five goals to two, and that result derived from the home team's intention to target the right-hand side of their rivals.
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Marco Silva used a 5-4-1 formation on the day, but because of the players at his disposal, one flank appeared considerably weaker than the other.
Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Richarlison primarily operated on the left during the clash, whereas Djibril Sidibe, Mason Holgate and Alex Iwobi played on the right.
Early in the contest, it was clear that Liverpool wanted to attack the latter area of the pitch. After just one minute of football, Andy Robertson had advanced high up the field whereas Trent Alexander-Arnold had refrained from pushing forwards, as shown below.
Virgil van Dijk had time and space to make a long pass as a consequence of Everton's lack of pressure, and although the Reds failed to take advantage of that moment, it was a sign of things to come.
Liverpool's two central defenders were afforded plenty of freedom in possession because of the opposing team's reluctance to close them down, and they exploited the Blues as a result.
Dejan Lovren's passing network is pictured below and it offers an insight into his tendency to target the right side of the visiting team.
The Croatian defender actually managed to register an assist with one of his passes just 30 minutes after Van Dijk's early attempt, with a long pass hit towards Divock Origi who expertly controlled the pass before lobbing Jordan Pickford, shown below.
Van Dijk is Liverpool's left-sided centre-back, meaning that he's typically inclined to play long passes in the opposite direction of Everton's weakness. Those cross-field diagonals are a trait of the Dutchman's game, but he seemed to adjust for the derby fixture in order to execute his team's plan of attack.
His passing network is pictured below and similar to Lovren, there's evidence that Klopp and his team of analysts had clearly identified where Everton have problems.
Liverpool's shot locations also capture the occupation of Everton's right, with all five goals being scored from that side of the penalty box, shown below.
The Reds had obviously done their homework and once that knowledge was put into practice, it paid dividends. The Portuguese boss made a change on the 35th minute by introducing Bernard in place of right wing-back Djibril Sidibe, but that appeared to do little in regard to stopping Liverpool's relentless probing of Everton's right.
Ultimately, although Klopp rotated his team considerably more so than usual, the tactical approach executed by the side ensured that the absence of key figures was barely felt, as Liverpool performed in a manner that highlighted Everton's weaknesses while masking their own.
