Premier League - Liverpool 5 Everton 2 - Match Report
Derby delight for Liverpool, as Reds maintain undefeated league start with 5-2 win over Everton
Sadio Mane inspired his side with two assists and a goal as Liverpool continued their perfect start to the league season with a 5-2 win over local rivals Everton.
Jurgen Klopp made several changes to his side, electing to rest both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino but it didn’t matter as replacements Divok Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri contributed goals as Liverpool scored four in a breathless first half.
It only took six minutes for Liverpool to open the scoring in a quick counter-attack move. Sadio Mane provided an inch-perfect through ball to Origi, who calmly rounded Jordan Pickford with his first touch before side-footing the ball into an empty net.
Ten minutes later Mane turned provider again, this time for Shaqiri. Picking up a sublime cross-field pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, and promptly cutting in from the left-wing, the Senegalese attacker provided the perfect through ball for the Swiss attacker who guided the ball into the bottom corner with a first-time strike.
Liverpool was in the ascendancy, yet Everton found a lifeline with twenty minutes on the clock. Alex Iwobi whipped in a cross into the penalty area, which Dejan Lovren failed to clear. Blues defender Michael Keane was on hand to capitalize on the error, giving Marco Silva a glimmer of hope.
That hope wasn’t to last long for the beleaguered Everton boss, as two goals effectively ended the contest. Lovren made up for his early mistake by launching an inch-perfect long ball into the path of Origi, who controlled perfectly guided the ball past Pickford with thirty minutes on the clock.
Whilst the sterling work of Mane was recognised with a spectacular breakaway goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold surged forward on the left-wing providing the assist as Mane thumped home Liverpool’s fourth goal in just 45 minutes.
A late Richarlison header in first-half stoppage time would prove to be scant conciliation for Everton, who failed to cut down Liverpool’s lead in the second half.
Mane came close to adding to the Reds lead, however, he side-footed his effort just wide with ten minutes left to play. Whilst substitute Moise Keane could have reignited the contest for Everton had his effort not gone just wide with five minutes left to play.
Liverpool rubber-stamped their win in the final minute of the second half, Shaqiri picked out Georginio Wijnaldum who toe-poked a shot into the bottom corner, to seal yet another memorable night for Klopp's side.
The Toffees have now picked up just seven points from their last ten Premier League games, with the defeat leaving the Blues in the relegation zone. A heavy defeat to local rivals can only mean that coach Marco Silva's future at Goodison Park is in the balance.