Diogo Jota’s second-half strike proved the difference as Liverpool edged Everton in a crucial Merseyside derby win, taking them one step closer to the Premier League title.
Everton should have had the lead at half-time, with Beto seeing an initial effort disallowed for offisde before failing to punish a Virgil van Dijk howler at the back, hitting the post when one-on-one with Caoimhin Kelleher.
But after the break, Liverpool stepped up a notch and found the lead through a brilliant Jota strike, dancing past two defenders before slotting home to end his goal drought.
The Reds were able to hold on for the remainder of the contest, sealing a victory that re-establishes their 12-point lead at the top.
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Arne Slot dismisses any question of controversy around winner
“I have just seen on television the rules and the rules have been executed perfectly,” Slot told BBC Sport, after there were calls that Luis Diaz was offside for Diogo Jota’s winner. “No intention to play the ball, can I feel frustration about the rule? Yes, I can.
“I am a manager who likes to press high which Everton doesn’t do.
“If you go all the way up to the halfway line and someone is in an offside position but has no intention to play the ball.
“We were not lucky; the rule is what it is. I would love to change the rule because it is in favour of the offensive team.
“Execution of the rule was done perfectly by the referee, but I feel the frustration about the rule.”
An inspired strike by Diogo Jota
Curtis Jones on his switch to right-back
“I see myself as a 10 or an eight, but at the end of the day I’m a footballer,” Jones told Sky Sports, who played at right-back against Everton.
“If I’m playing as a 10 or as an eight, or if I’m playing off the left, as a defender, I’ll go out there. I’m a lad who studies the game a lot, I take it all in. I played in an important game and I think I was alright.”
Virgil van Dijk outlines Liverpool mentality going into title run-in
“Everyone wants to be in our position,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “Now we have to keep going and keep the same mentality as we have been doing all season.
“We have to keep going. We have a tough one again in London on Sunday [against Fulham].”
Liverpool vs Everton player ratings
The hosts were far from their fluid and dazzling best against Everton but got the job done as Diogo Jota scored his first goal in a two and a half months to break the deadlock and extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 12 points over Arsenal.
Like any Merseyside derby this was not without incident, with James Tarkowski lucky to escape an early red for a bruising high tackle on Alexis Mac Allister, and Liverpool getting a reprieve of their own when Luis Diaz was judged not offside in the build-up to Jota’s goal.
Here are how the players rated at Anfield:
Diogo Jota gives post-match thoughts after ending his goal drought when it mattered most
“Massive, of course,” Jota told Sky Sports. “Not only because it is a derby, but because of the international break.
“It was important to start with three points and hopefully that gives us momentum for the rest of the season.
“I always believe in myself and believe that the chances will come. The three points was the most important today.
“The only way [to win the title] is to keep winning games.”
Jordan Pickford dismisses calls that James Tarkowski was lucky to not see red
“You’ve seen at the end he apologised, it’s probably a bit of a high foot but he’s done what he’s done and he’s apologised after the game,” Pickford told Sky Sports.
“The VAR says it’s not a red card so that’s the decision. It’s a game of football as well.”
How did James Tarkowski not see red for this?
Report: Diogo Jota repays Arne Slot’s faith as Liverpool edge another dramatic Merseyside derby
After a Merseyside derby defined by the red cards, a match that may be remembered for the one what wasn’t. After a meeting with Everton that brought Liverpool frustration, one that instead produced elation for them. After Arne Slot ended the draw at Goodison Park suggesting referee Michael Oliver was to blame if Liverpool did not win the title came a match when the officiating, however questionable, will not cost them the silverware.
Instead, Diogo Jota assumed the role of derby decider, ending his drought and Liverpool’s mini-slump with a crisp strike; with it, too, went Everton’s unbeaten run, curtailed at nine. What is instead extended is David Moyes’ perhaps never-ending wait for a win at Anfield; it is now 22 games and counting.
The numbers look rather better for Liverpool. A 100th derby win came in the context of defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle. A 12-point lead at the Premier League summit was restored, with 13 now needed to be guaranteed the title.
Read Richard Jolly’s full report from Anfield here:
Liverpool edge past Everton to nab crucial derby win
Source: independent.co.uk
