5 Things learned from the Merseyside Derby
Derby proved to be final nail in the coffin for Rodgers
Sunday’s Merseyside Derby proved to be even more important than first thought on Sunday, with the game at Goodison finishing 1-1, here’s what was learned.
1) Danny Ings will be key for Liverpool
Ings is the summer signing looking the brightest so far for Liverpool, and his partnership with Danny Sturridge over this coming season could be the make-or-break factor in how this season goes for the Reds.
He scored a simple goal yesterday that you’d expect any Premier League striker to put away, but his performance came across with such passion that he showed what a big player he can be for Liverpool.
2) Lukaku will be pretty key for Everton, too
The other goalscorer in the match was Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, who continued his momentum from his brace against West Brom in the Toffee’s 3-2 win away in the midlands last Monday evening.
If he stays fit and stays firing, who knows where Everton could end up this season?
3) Phil Jagielka is one of the best leaders in the league
Man of the match yesterday, Everton captain Phil Jagielka was outstanding holding together that inexperienced back-line.
His early block to deny Daniel Sturridge in the first 10 minutes asserted his authority in the game and his hard work alone was worthy of at least a point for his team.
Top leading performance from the captain.
4) Liverpool are struggling defensively
They just can’t keep a clean sheet at the moment, the three centre halves all have mistakes in them, and you suspect adding an extra one simply multiplies that equation, not divides it.
Liverpool need a Jagielka-style man at the back to help lead that defensive line.
5) It needed to be a win for Rodgers to survive
Many wondered whether anything less than a win would be enough for Rodgers to make it past this game with his job, and despite a relatively good performance from his team to earn a derby point away from home, at 6:30 on Sunday evening, a mere 2 hours or so after the game had concluded, Rodgers was sacked, and Liverpool are now on the hunt for a new manager.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10