Arne Slot was hugely impressed by Alexander Isak's Liverpool debut, but reiterated that the striker will not be ready to play a full 90 minutes against Everton.

The Reds have enjoyed a winning start to the season, triumphing in their opening four Premier League outings before kick-starting their Champions League campaign with a last-gasp 3-2 victory over Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Slot’s Liverpool side have become quite the late show specialists, having won three of their last four games in stoppage time, including last Sunday's game against Burnley, where Mohamed Salah tucked a 95th-minute penalty.

Virgil van Dijk’s injury-time winner against Atletico was Liverpool’s 12th goal of the season, and the club’s fifth in the final 10 minutes of a game.

Isak made his eagerly anticipated Liverpool bow as he was handed a starting berth by Slot against Atletico. It marked the Sweden international's first club appearance since he played in Newcastle United's final match of the season, with the 25-year-old replaced by Hugo Ekitike in the 58th minute.

“In the minutes he played, he seemed to be quite fit,” Slot told TNT Sports.

“It wasn’t as if after 10 minutes he was already tired. He could just play at this level quite well after only one or two weeks of team sessions. That was the most important thing. We know that he can play football and that he is a joy to watch. That is no surprise.

“It will not be 90 minutes [against Everton] for him. People ask why that is not possible.

“The problem is you need to make sure that players are prepared for the programme and you need to train with them. That is not possible, but we are really happy that he could start today.”

Everton have also started the season with a spring in their step, and are unbeaten in their last four games across all competitions.

The Toffees were held to a goalless draw by Aston Villa at Hill Dickinson Stadium last time out, despite racking up 20 shots and 2.08 expected goals (xG).

Since David Moyes’ return to the club, Everton have picked up six wins in their last 11 Premier League away games (drawing two and losing three), matching the total number of victories they managed across their previous 30 on the road.

All six of those successes have come in 2025, their best year for away form since 2021, when they recorded seven wins, including a 2-0 triumph at Anfield.

James Tarkowski, who scored the dramatic last-ever goal in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park – the equaliser in a 2-2 draw – has been full of admiration for how Moyes has revitalised the Toffees.

“As a group, the manager set his stall out,” said Tarkowski.

“He wants us right at the top half of the table and pushing up there. He showed us what we need to do to do that, the number of goals we need, the number of points we need. So he set his stall out and now it is up to us to go out there and do it over the season.

“It has been a good start to the season and progress is being made, for sure. I think [against Villa] was the best we have played, to be honest, without winning, so now we have to move forward again.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Understandably, all eyes will be on record Premier League signing Isak, but it is the ever-consistent Salah who also warrants much of the Anfield spotlight. The Egyptian has netted eight Premier League goals against Everton for Liverpool, with only Steven Gerrard (nine) scoring more in Merseyside derby history.

That said, this season, Salah, who scored, assisted and hit the post against Atletico, is posting his lowest averages per 90 minutes for the Reds across key attacking metrics: shots (1.3), shots on target (0.8), expected goals (0.3), and touches inside the box (6.3).

Everton – Jack Grealish

Since arriving at Everton, Grealish has been a player reborn. The 30-year-old, who scooped the Premier League Player of the Month award for August, has registered four assists in four appearances so far.

Just three players have completed more dribbles than Everton pair Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, who both have eight. Grealish has also been a major creative force, producing nine chances from open play — a tally bettered only by Bruno Fernandes (10).

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

Liverpool have been almost impregnable at Anfield against Everton, having suffered just one defeat in their last 28 home clashes across all competitions (17 wins, 10 draws).

The Reds have won the last four in a row since losing 2-0 in February 2021. The only time they have managed five consecutive home wins over the Toffees was between February 1933 and January 1937.

Under Slot, Liverpool have netted 47 goals in 21 Premier League matches at home. Scoring three more in this game would take them to 50, making it the fifth-fastest any manager has reached that milestone, and the quickest since Antonio Conte did it in 18 home games with Chelsea in 2016-17.

Moyes’ personal record away at Liverpool makes for particularly grim reading, with the Scot never tasting a Premier League victory at Anfield in 20 attempts (six draws, 14 losses) — the joint-worst record for a manager at a single stadium without winning, alongside his own record at Stamford Bridge (seven draws, 13 losses).

Moyes has been beaten in each of his last nine visits to Anfield, with defeats coming while in charge of Manchester United, Sunderland, West Ham (six times), and Everton.

The Reds are aiming to open a Premier League campaign with five victories for only the third time, having done so previously in 2018-19 and 2019-20. They could also achieve three consecutive clean sheets for the first time since September 2024.

The Merseyside derby, meanwhile, has produced more red cards than any other fixture in Premier League history (25). Of those, 11 came from Moyes’ Everton players in 24 matches across his two spells — the most red cards a single team has had under one manager in a specific fixture.

By contrast, in 15 league meetings with Liverpool while managing other clubs, Moyes’ sides have only had one player sent off (Nemanja Vidic for Manchester United in March 2014).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Liverpool – 71.7%

Draw – 16.2%

Everton – 12.1%