Huge atmosphere
The mood around Goodison Park is so refreshing to experience right now and of course Everton taking on Liverpool was never going to be an exception.
Coach welcomes for the side might not be a regular occurrence in future matches but you wouldn't have found many arguing that it was necessary for a match as big as this one. Conor Coady's face when getting off the coach before the game tells you exactly how the players felt about it.
And that continued into the stadium as well with raucous noise in the stands before kick off. Spirit Of The Blues is now a matchday tradition being played before Z Cars, and this might well have been its loudest outing in a long time.
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Up for the fight
Welcome to the Merseyside Derby, Nathan Patterson. It looks like you're right at home in this sort of fixture.
The right-back has been in fantastic form for Everton this season but this was a real test for him up against Luis Diaz. And he made sure the Liverpool winger knew exactly what match he was in for early doors as the pair ran towards the touchline with the ball heading out of play.
The Blues man just gave his opponent a little shove as they were passing, which was reciprocated by the Liverpool winger. That was a battle which would prove to be intriguing over the course of the 90 minutes, and one the defender won.
Patterson also did similar to Darwin Nunez in the first half when the visiting striker was running towards the corner flag, giving him a little nudge to make sure he fell over with the ball going out of play.
Referee frustration
Anthony Taylor was not a popular man for either side after the match on Saturday afternoon, with a fair few decisions perceived by both sets of supporters to have gone against them. In the first half particularly, there were some very confusing decisions made.
The referee drew the ire of the Goodison Park crowd by keeping his cards in his pocket when Diaz seemed to lash out with his arm towards Patterson as the pair continued to battle for possession. Similar groans from the crowd greeted multiple fouls by Kostas Tsimikas as he managed to escape a caution.
But, of course, that all boiled over when the official actually did get his yellow card out for the first time - booking Amadou Onana for a challenge very similar to ones he had previously let slide.
Welcome return
Seeing Idrissa Gueye back in a royal blue shirt was something of a strange experience. He's been away from the club for three years now, but his return is a hugely welcome one for the fortunes of the side.
Evertonians didn't just give him a huge ovation when he took to the pitch in the second half, though. They made clear throughout the afternoon that they were delighted to see the midfielder back at Goodison.
He received warm rounds of applause when he came out to warm up before kick off, when he emerged from the bench to jog down the touchline for the first time in the second period, and at half time when he joined the rest of the substitutes on the pitch to go through a selection of drills.
Iwobi skill
The incredible rise of Alex Iwobi continued against Liverpool. All of the midfielders who took to the pitch for Everton had strong performances, but again the Nigeria international was one of the highlights.
He's strong both defensively and going forwards, but undoubtedly the best point of the match for him came towards the touchline just past the hour mark. Picking up a pass from Demarai Gray, Iwobi was quickly being closed down by Mohamed Salah.
Hardly having to think about what he was going to do next, the midfielder produced a smooth and sublime piece of skill to breeze past his opponent and keep the possession for Everton. The fans in the stands certainly enjoyed that one.
Stunning stats
Patterson certainly won his duel with Diaz, as the winger's stats following the game prove. Sky Sports statistician Matt Cheetham tweeted after the match: "Patterson key in keeping Luis Diaz quiet v Liverpool: worst possession lost ratio of Diaz’s PL career and first time he’s failed to take on/dribble past a single opponent in a PL start."
But it's also worth a mention for Neal Maupay, who might not get the credit for he deserves for his debut because he didn't manage to find the net on his first game for Everton. Despite that, his work off the ball was fantastic.
The striker ran a bigger distance than anyone else on the pitch with 11.1km covered in his time on the pitch.
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