A resolute Everton forced Jurgen Klopp’s side to settle for their third draw in the opening six games in a fiery Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
The first half was one generally low on quality, as both sides came close to opening the scoring, Luis Diaz, Ben Davies and Darwin Nunez all hitting the woodwork for their respective sides.
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Liverpool came out of the blocks strongly in the second half, but they were denied time and time again by Everton shot-stopper Jordan Pickford, who pulled off a string of saves to keep the score at 0-0.
The Toffees could have won it too, seeing a goal ruled out for a tight offside when Conor Coady turned home a Mykolenko shot from a corner, while Neal Maupay shot straight at Alisson when 1vs1.
A point is not ideal for either side, and could leave Liverpool 9 points behind early pace-setters Arsenal should the Gunners win tomorrow. For Everton, it is another game without a win, but another vital point on the board as they look to build some sort of momentum under Frank Lampard.
Here is how we rated the players.
Everton
GK: Jordan Pickford – 9
RB: Nathan Patterson – 7
Started a little rustily but grew into the game well and is already showing signs of being a fan favourite thanks to his work-rate and passion.
CB: Conor Coady – 8
Had a goal ruled out for offside, but put in a colossal performance in the heart of the defence as he kept Nunez relatively quiet.
CB: James Tarkowski – 7
Forming a good partnership with Coady, and the former Burnley man looks right at home in Everton blue.
LB: Vitaly Mykolenko – 7
Kept Mo Salah virtually anonymous all game. Looks a very solid defender.
CM: Alex Iwobi – 7
The Nigerian winger has become a brilliant midfielder so far this season, with Iwobi tidy in possession and hard-working out of it.
CM: Amadou Onana – 8
The star in Everton’s engine room, Onana looks like a gem for the Toffees, and will be given even more freedom when Gueye begins next to him.
CM: Tom Davies – 7
Got through a lot of work in central midfield and hit the post in the first half with an outside-of-the-foot effort. One of his better performances in an Everton shirt.
RW: Demarai Gray – 6
Everton’s joint top scorer worked hard and was a threat on the break without looking like scoring at any point.
ST: Neal Maupay – 5
A tough debut for Maupay and the new signing wasted Everton’s best chance of the afternoon, firing straight at Alisson.
LW: Anthony Gordon – 6
Everton’s most potent attacker but struggled to get on the same wavelength as Maupay with the few chances that they created. Faded in the second half and was hooked with ten minutes to play.
Substitutes:
Idrissa Gueye – 7
A great second debut for Gueye, who helped his side see out the game well.
Dwight McNeil – 6
Came on for the final 10 minutes and didn’t put a foot wrong.
Liverpool
GK: Alisson – 7
Despite not having much to do, made two vital saves in the second half to keep the scoreline at 0-0.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 5
The defender turned in yet another poor performance for his side, giving the ball away far too cheaply and unable to provide his usual accurate fizzing passes. Didn’t even last an hour.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 6
Had his usual poise on the ball, but looked a little exposed to the counterattack. Was perhaps lucky not to be shown red for a challenge on Onana in the second half.
CB: Joe Gomez – 6
A better outing for Gomez, who is looking increasingly comfortable in Liverpool’s defence.
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 4
Looked well off the pace making his first start of the season, and didn’t add anything in either direction for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
DM: Fabinho – 6
Recycled the ball well and pushed on late in the game. Was probably the best of a bad bunch in the Liverpool midfield.
CM: Harvey Elliot – 5
Struggled to leave a mark on the game and was very well marshalled by the Everton midfield. Will have better games in Red.
CM: Fabio Carvalho – 5
Deployed as part of a very attacking midfield, Carvalho struggled to get up to pace with the game and was forced off with injury at half time.
RW: Mo Salah – 4
Liverpool’s talisman was anonymous once more for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and could not even muster a shot over the 90 minutes.
ST: Darwin Nunez – 5
Saw one good effort acrobatically tipped over by Pickford, but was otherwise very quiet and was hooked with the Reds chasing a goal.
LW: Luis Diaz – 5
Again Liverpool’s brightest attacker and hit the post in the first half, Diaz nonetheless was very poor by his own high standards across the whole game.
Substitutes:
Roberto Firmino – 7
Made a massive difference to Liverpool’s frontline in the second half, forcing three good saves from Pickford and surely warranting a start next week.
James Milner – 5
Came on at right back and wasn’t particularly effective. Little changed when he later moved into central midfield.
Joel Matip – 6
Came on for the final ten minutes and didn’t put a foot wrong.
Diogo Jota – 5
Had very little impact on proceedings.
