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Everton ended a 22 year drought of a win at Anfield after a Carlo Ancelotti masterclass produced a 2-0 win which extended Liverpool’s loss streak to four at home.
Everton got off to a fantastic start when James played a sublime through ball into the path of Richarlison who finished expertly for his tenth of the season just three minutes in.
Despite the great start, there was still a belief that Liverpool still posed a huge threat so Everton were quite willing to sit deep and allow the opposition to have possession.
The first 15 minutes proved to be rather comfortable for the Blues, showing defensive composure however sloppy mistakes such as Abdoulaye Doucoure giving the ball away would have to change.
Pickford was forced into producing a world class save when Jordan Henderson struck a sweet volley on the 20 minute mark. Liverpool began to take hold of the game, stretching the Everton defence with quick fluid passing.
The Toffees thought they had doubled their lead when Lucas Digne delivered an outstanding cross onto the head of Seamus Coleman only for Alisson to push the effort out.
Everton started the second half in a nervy fashion, practically handing Liverpool possession on numerous occasions. Klopp’s men were just showing signs of finding space between the Everton back five.
It quickly became a waiting game between the two teams, seeing if Everton could weather the storm of Liverpool attacks.
Liverpool had a great opportunity to equalise through Salah but Pickford, once again, was equal to it.
Everton chose their moment to pounce excellently when Richarlison span Nat Phillips and fed Dominic Calvert-Lewin who was taken down in the area by Trent Alexander-Arnold. From the resulting penalty, Gylfi Sigurdsson stepped up and dispatched coolly to give the Toffees a 2-0 lead.
The win will mean a lot to fans, not just because of the three points but because of the emotional significance of ending a long wait for a victory at Anfield and it was fully deserved.
Credit has to go to Carlo Ancelotti who used his tactical nous to set up the team in a way that would frustrate Liverpool, using a five back system to sit deep and counter when the opportunity arises.
This paired with the fact that Everton played with an abundance of heart especially in the defence helped achieved the historic feat.
Standout performers have to go to Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey who were immense from the first minute, constantly detecting danger and snuffing it out before it could pose a problem.
Jordan Pickford is a man who deserves a lot of praise for his performance today. The England number one has endured some struggles this season but he was back to his best against Liverpool, producing six vital saves and instilling a sense of confidence in fans as well as the defenders in front of him.
Everton are now on the same points as Liverpool with a game in hand. The hope is that the Blues can take this momentum into the game against Southampton as they continue their challenge for a European place.