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Liverpool 5-2 Everton | Talking Points

Liverpool were comfortable winners in an emphatic Merseyside derby performance which saw the Reds remain eight points clear while Everton slumped into the relegation zone.

The night couldn’t have started any worse for an under-pressure Marco Silva as his side were two goals down to a new look Liverpool team after just seventeen minutes. Divock Origi opened the scoring after six minutes as he latched onto a sublime Sadio Mane pass and took the ball around Jordan Pickford to set up a simple tap in.

Mane created for a second time just ten minutes later as Liverpool penetrated the Toffees defense with some intricate passing. The Senegalese attacker knocked the ball into space and Xherdan Shaqiri popped up to finish.

Everton did their best to make it a competitive derby though and pulled the margin back to one as a routine set-piece worked well and Alex Iwobi found Michael Keane who scored with a tidy finish. However, much like most of the season, Everton’s defence continued to be exposed. Origi scored after half an hour to make it 3-1 as he showed great skill to control Dejan Lovren’s looping ball over the top which split the Everton defence. The Belgians finish was just as precise as his touch as he looped it beyond Pickford’s reach.

Mane went on to score just before half time as Liverpool punished Everton on the break and a cool finish from outside the box found Pickford’s bottom-left corner to make it 4-1. Everton continued to throw punches and Richarlison grabbed Everton’s second after Bernards cross was placed into the bottom corner by the Brazilians shoulder.

An enthralling first half finished at 4-2 yet an uneventful second half had few chances. Mane missed a chance to double his tally and substitute Moise Kean came close to making it a tense ending but narrowly missed. Moments later Gigi Wijnaldum put the game beyond reasonable doubt as he finished a from inside the box to make it 5-2.

A day to forget for Everton that could mark the end of Silva’s campaign is a day that Liverpool fans will cherish. Jurgen Klopp’s side remain eight points clear after this round of fixtures and are still unbeaten. Could this be their year?

Historic win for Liverpool

At the full-time whistle, the final score meant it was the most emphatic Merseyside Derby win since 1933.

Klopp will be ecstatic with his teams’ performance and while they were caught defensively slacking a few times, their ‘we will score more’ attitude prevailed once again as their attack tormented a shoddy Everton.

Was this Silva’s last attempt to save himself?

Silva managed to survive the sack after losing to Norwich and then to Leicester at the weekend, but his departure nears after a shattering loss to their rivals. This loss highlighted some of Silva’s key flaws as a tactician. He started with three centre backs and changed it before half time and his team were caught on the break on numerous occasions.

Last season, the Everton defence were constantly exploited by the high ball and yesterday showed they had not developed. Lovren’s pass to Origi for his second took the whole defence out of the game and this is simply unacceptable defending for a Premier League side.

Rumours are swirling and Silva’s name is at the centre of discussion. David Moyes looks like he may be favourite to return on an interim basis as Everton are unlikely to find a permanent fit in such a short time. I asked after the Norwich game if the Everton board will back the managers’ vision or go for results. The answer was that only time would tell. That time is now.

Rotation surprises Everton but delights Klopp

Liverpool have surged to the top of the league and are looking difficult to catch. However, with Champions League football to contend with, questions are being asked about squad rotation and whether Klopp’s team is deep enough to defend their European title and contend for domestic silverware.

Yesterday they showed squad depth. They played Shaqiri, Adam Lallana and Origi instead of Jordan Henderson, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino and still looked their usual fluid selves going forward. If they are to compete in all competitions this season, they showed they had the squad to do so yesterday.

Origi – derby day man

This man loves a derby. He has scored four goals against Everton. More than Salah, Firmino and Mane combined. He is ruthless and Everton do not know how to stop him.

For Everton, he is an unusual bogeyman. He isn’t one of Klopp’s first-choice starters other than in this fixture and he delivers every time.

Man of the Match – Mane

Unstoppable. Simply unstoppable. Mane was on fire from the off. He assisted two and scored one and every time he went forward with the ball at his feet, Everton looked worried. The only shortcoming of his game is that he missed two easy chances that could have given him a hat trick.

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