Four Findings: Everton 0-1 Liverpool

In the midst of the festive season, the 227th Merseyside derby saw Liverpool paint the town red as they travelled across Stanley Park to secure a 0-1 win in stoppage time at Goodison Park.

The win sends Liverpool into second place at Christmas, trailing Chelsea by six points.

In a throwback affair, the clubs squared off in a physical battle that saw energy on the pitch in far greater surplus than quality.

Everton started strong, looking to press the Reds at every opportunity. Tackles were flying in from every direction, as the Toffees surmised the only way to avoid getting hammered was to leave a little something in the tackle whenever they could. Lacking the class to compete, everything became a scrap.

For the first 20 minutes, Everton significantly disrupted Liverpool’s ability to get a foothold in the match. Still, the Reds weathered the storm and began growing into it. For all Everton’s effort, they created next to nothing.

Much like the last match, Liverpool came out for the second 45 with renewed purpose and commitment, nearly scoring immediately after the break. Roberto Firmino latched onto an over-the-top lash and will likely rue his failure to finish but it did not matter in the end. Liverpool won with a clean sheet too thanks to Sadio Mane’s winner.

Here are four findings from the match.