Liverpool

Liverpool are back within a point of leaders Manchester City. Their Merseyside neighbours are scrapping for their Premier League lives.

Slowly. Apparently in response to similar behaviour from Pickford earlier in the day. Richarlison and Henderson clash. Couple of dangerous moments for Everton. Alli cut in from the left and pulled across. Looks like a dive - looks like he's going in the book for it... Lovely inter-play on the right side from Salah to Origi and back again. Jamie Carragher is ready to fight. Richarlison is down. Klopp has moved Mané out wide to see if he can have a go at Seamus Coleman. Mané's never been in Ballybofey... Liverpool looking a little short of ideas. That was Liverpool's first shot of any description in the match. Going to be tough shift for 90 minutes, you suspect. Everton working hard, trying to close down Liverpool every chance.

Andy Robertson broke the deadlock but Jurgen Klopp needed his bench to break down stubborn Toffees.

Normally such fast starters, Liverpool had to wait 21 minutes for their first attempt when Sadio Mane twisted away from Allan to send a shot just over the bar. The Belgian played the ball back to Salah who crossed to the far post where Robertson headed home to spark wild celebrations among Reds followers. It moved them back on to the coat-tails of Manchester City - who had thrashed Watford 24 hours earlier - and means there remains just a solitary point between the top two with five games left. Richarlison went down injured, Everton felt Liverpool should have put the ball out of play and Doucoure upended Fabinho sparking the melee. Referee Stuart Attwell calmed things down booking Doucoure and Mane who twice had pushed his hand into the faces of Everton players. They are two points behind Burnley, with a game in hand but with high-riding Chelsea to come at Goodison on Sunday.

Thiago Alcantara has become the beating heartbeat of Liverpool's midfield and is hoping to inspire them to three points against Everton at Anfield on Sunday ...

He knew how we played, and he knew he would fit in and we knew it as well." "You think of the midfield players he has got and the forward players. It was the definition of a daisy-cutter, producing a technique us mere mortals can only watch and admire. "People were questioning if he suits our football," said the Liverpool boss on Friday afternoon. He covers every blade of grass out of possession - never shying away from a tackle - and can effortlessly revert back to his fabulous, natural style in attack. "He doesn't seem a Jurgen Klopp type player, does he?" I see them going for the throat in teams. Thiago returned to fitness ahead of 2021 - but it was a difficult comeback. the game in England is a lot quicker than Germany," said former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann when asked about Thiago's move to Liverpool in September 2020. Yet when Thiago first arrived in England, he was pinned as the wrong cog for Jurgen Klopp's machine. The game goes on." It was just the type of display you'd expect from a two-time Champions League winner.

Rarely in the history of Merseyside football has there been such a chasm between Liverpool and Everton. But in terms of their net spend in recent years?

4. Lucas Digne – £27million There have been some big-money signings in that time – with Virgil van Dijk and Alisson proving particularly transformative in Liverpool’s recent fortunes. 4. Alex Iwobi – £27million In fact, despite battling against relegation while Liverpool are fighting for the title and European glory, Everton have actually spent more on players than their main rivals since Klopp arrived in 2015. Across Stockley Park, Everton have also received plenty of cash for some high-profile departures since Klopp was appointed at their city rivals. That’s a different story.

Goals from Andy Robertson and Divock Origi gave Liverpool a 2-0 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby and maintain their title pursuit.

Victory was secured in the final minutes with Liverpool substitutes again to the fore. Everton remained dangerous on the counter, almost exclusively via Gordon, who was cleaned out on one run by Alexander-Arnold and had a strong penalty appeal denied with the game goalless when going down under a shove from Joël Matip. But there was more intensity and urgency to Liverpool in the second half with Mohamed Salah increasingly prominent. That sparked the first of two scuffles in the opening period and, in truth, the needle was more entertaining than the game at that point. Origi ghosted in behind two Everton defenders to beat Pickford with a close-range header. Gordon raced away from Trent Alexander-Arnold on to an Abdoulaye Doucouré pass and went down just outside the area after a push in the back from the full-back. If that wasn’t enough, Ben Godfrey suffered a quadricep injury in the warm-up and was replaced by Michael Keane. Lampard had rested Yerry Mina after his return from a two-month layoff against Leicester on Wednesday, leaving Everton a man down on a bench that included the 18-year-old midfielder Isaac Price.

Divock Origi was the hero as Liverpool scrapped to a victory against Everton that could have ramifications at both ends of the table.

He was unfortunate not to draw a free-kick — and possibly more — when Alexander-Arnold gave him a little shove as he looked set to run clear of the back line. Much as Origi's contributions will not be forgotten in a hurry, the goal itself was scored by the head of Robertson: literally and figuratively. As Jamie Carragher pointed out in commentary, it was a change he probably wouldn't even have made had it not been for Origi's storied history against Everton. But the weight of history should never be underestimated, and the Liverpool manager harnessed its full power. This is the kind of game for which Richarlison lives. If that wasn't enough, he then made sure of the result, getting on the score-sheet himself with a poacher's header after Luis Díaz went for the spectacular. His mere presence in the box seemed to spook Everton, who recognised their regular vanquisher — after his first involvement laid off Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson was heading in the opener seconds later.

Robertson times second goal of the season to perfection to keep title race alive.

Victory was secured in the final minutes with Liverpool substitutes again to the fore. Everton remained dangerous on the counterattack, almost exclusively via Gordon, who was cleaned out on one run by Alexander-Arnold, but there was more intensity and urgency to Liverpool in the second half with Mohamed Salah increasingly prominent. That sparked the first of two scuffles in the opening period and, in truth, the needle was more entertaining than the game itself. The sense of foreboding that accompanied Everton to Anfield deepened before a ball had been kicked in the 240th Merseyside derby. Robertson timed his second goal of the season to perfection from a Liverpool perspective with nerves increasing among the home support prior to his 62nd minute breakthrough. The Kop taunted Everton with chants of “Going down” while Liverpool refused to give up on catching Manchester City in the title race.