Liverpool dismantle Everton in Merseyside derby at Anfield
It was a result many Liverpool fans expected, and many Everton fans feared.
With an FA Cup semi-final on Saturday to look forward to, many Evertonians were thinking that manager Roberto Martinez would maybe have fielded a weakened side for this game, with their league season practically over and much bigger fish to fry. But, to some people’s surprise, Martinez fielded a team that did in fact include his bigger players, including Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley and John Stones.
Liverpool started the game with Divock Origi up front, and he was the man who nodded Liverpool into the lead after 42 minutes. A James Milner cross put goalkeeper Joel in 2 minds and eventually his indecisiveness allowed Origi to head Liverpool into the lead. 5 minutes later, in the depths of stoppage time, Mamadou Sakho made it 2, after poor tracking left him alone in the box, and he got onto the end of a Phillipe Coutinho cross, heading home from short range.
It was a hammer blow for Everton, who, despite never really badly threatening Liverpool’s goal, had held their own in the half. There had been a few scares for the Blues, with Joel making good saves to deny Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino in 1-on-1 situations. But somehow, they managed to head into the dressing room 2-0 down at half time, and never looked like having the firepower to get anything out of the game in the second half.
And really, it just got worse for the Toffees. Early in the second half, Rameiro Funes Mori was shown a straight red card for a horror tackle on Origi, forcing the Liverpool striker to be carried off on a stretcher. What made the situation worse was his reaction to the red card, as he kissed the badge in front of the visiting fans while leaving the field, something Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher branded as ’embarrassing’. It’s yet to be revealed how long Divock Origi has missed but Liverpool medical teams are claiming that the injury may not be as bad as may have looked upon first glance.
Daniel Sturridge replaced Origi after he was treated on the pitch, and it didn’t take long for the England international to make it 3-0 in front of a delighted Anfield crowd. It was damage limitation for Everton after this, as Liverpool penned them into their own half for the rest of the match. It was like a training session for Liverpool, who got a 4th through Phillipe Coutinho with 15 minutes to go, and eventually tallied and astonishing 41 shots at goal compared to Everton’s 3, come the final whistle.
It was an incredibly dire performance from Everton, who will be seriously worried about their semi-final at the weekend. Everton fans will be incredibly embarrassed with their teams performance this morning.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
