An alternative Liverpool front three put five past Everton to secure a 5-2 victory in the Merseyside Derby.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
Jurgen Klopp enacted his usual unpredictable nature and left out both Mohammed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
Eyebrows were raised pre kick-off when Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri were in the lineup but any doubts were put to rest early in the first half.
After just six minutes a precision pass from Sadio Mane allowed Origi to break through Everton’s back line and round Jordan Pickford to put Liverpool 1-0 up.
Goals from Shaqiri and Mane as well as another from Origi saw Liverpool 4-2 up at half-time with Richarlison and Michael Keane scoring for Everton.
The second-half saw a more measured performance from Klopp’s side with no goals until the 90th minute when a sublime assist from Firmino allowed Gini Wijnaldum to summon his national team form and fire into the far corner.
Everton did have their chances to claw themselves back into the game, most notably from Moise Kean late on, but overall they were hopeless at Anfield on Wednesday night.
However, Everton created far too many chances for Klopp’s liking, something he has made note of despite his sides dominant attacking display.
He said: “We scored incredible goals. We had to fight. A few things defensively didn’t work out, we surprised them maybe with our team and we didn’t adapt quickly enough to their system change.
“I was fine with 4-1 but not 4-2. But we adapted second half.”
Nevertheless, Liverpool toyed with Everton all night and nobody will stir the nightmares of the toffees defenders as much as Mane.
The Senegalese dynamo was imperious from the first whistle with one goal and two assists, Mane was vital in the winning performance. Liverpool’s number 10 also completed 4/6 dribbles and was so effective that Djribil Sidibe was pulled just 36 minutes into the match.
The attitude of the man has clearly switched in the last 8/9 months and he has become obsessed with winning. Mane will clearly give everything to win every game and it is possible he wants this Premier League title more than anyone on Merseyside.
The efforts of Mane cannot be understated but the presence of Liverpool big game player Divock Origi was instrumental in the first half onslaught. The Belgian scored two delicious goals; his touch for the second goal was reminiscent of a prime Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Belgian forward offered everything Klopp would’ve wanted, his link up play was effective, the finishing was clinical and his runs were incise and his manager was thrilled with his performance. As he was with all the players who were brought in for tonight’s match.
Klopp said: “Divock was outstanding, what a game he played. The first goal was a great attack in general.
“Divock’s second was a great first touch and finish. He used his speed and looked so natural.
“The understanding with Shaq and Sadio was really good. It was a pretty impressive performance.”
Klopp added: “The boys (coming in) delivering like they did, it’s the best feeling you can get as a manager. It was really good, helped us not only get the three points, but the boys know now how good they are. If they play and deliver like they did tonight, it’s an important sign.”
Origi may never hold down a place in Liverpool’s starting XI and will never have the ability of Liverpool’s front three but his impact from the bench and his ability to cover for injuries will be vital for the remainder of the season.
Overall, this will be seen as another routine victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side but to win any derby game as convincingly as Wednesday night will be a massive boost for the squad as a whole.
The main takeaway from the derby will be of course that Liverpool fans must trust Klopp in whatever he does. Many, myself included had doubts about the team selection prior to kick-off but once again the Big German proved why we are mere mortals and he is the messiah of football.
We can never take for granted what Klopp brings to this club he is everything we ever dreamed of in the dark days of Roy Hodgson and Paul Konchesky.
The best part of Klopp is his humility, he will take no credit for tonight’s performance and will forget about the result almost immediately.
Klopp will turn his attention almost immediately to Bournemouth on Saturday where Liverpool face another stern test of their title credentials.
Eddie Howe’s side many not be in the best form but they can play football capable of pulling apart the best of sides.
Klopp is acutely aware of this and will take no liberties when the sides face-off on Saturday afternoon.
He said: “Bournemouth will want to strike back on Saturday and we have to be ready for that as well.”
As for tonight’s game it takes Liverpool to a record-breaking 32 game unbeaten run that puts this side above the greats of Liverpool’s past. We move back to eight points clear at the top of the league and 11 clear of Manchester City.
A hectic Christmas period is on the horizon but with fringe players performing so well and first-teamers having a rest things are looking positive as we head into the most important festive period of the last 30 years.
Brandon Russell
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