What an ending to the Merseyside derby! Liverpool looked set to drop a couple of points against Everton as the game headed into the 95th minute, however, Divock Origi and Jordan Pickford had other plans.
The Belgian scored what could be one of the most talked about derby goals in Liverpool’s history and well, Pickford possibly wants to forget the entire tie.
Both teams had quality chances to score in the game but we had the better opportunities. It seemed that Sadio Mane’s misses would prove costly but out from the blue (or red) came Origi to head home the winner.
The win kept Manchester City within touching distance, and also provided the Anfield faithful a new hero.
The game wasn’t just about Origi, and here are the five talking points from our 1-0 win.
1) Alisson has his stand out game
The former AS Roma man has looked decent between the sticks but hasn’t had that one game where he has kept us from getting battered.
Alisson did save well last weekend against Watford, but his incredible effort to keep Andre Gomes out will be considered as one of the best moments of his short Anfield career.
The on-loan Barcelona star was just three yards out and seemed set to head into an open goal but somehow Alisson spread high and wide and kept the ball from entering the net.
The 26-year-old also did well to foil a rushing Theo Walcott as he tried to round our keeper. The Brazilian kept us in the game, there is no doubt about that, and we saw how much the win meant as Jurgen Klopp celebrated wildly with Alisson at the end of the game.
2) Liverpool only missing the cutting edge
The Reds started with Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri, and they created a glut of chances but could not get the best of Pickford.
Mane and Shaqiri were guilty of missing big chances, and if we were a little sharper in the final third, Everton would have been blown away.
Of course, we gave the away side a few chances to score too but it was great seeing some of our free-flowing football back.
This still isn’t the side that would smash teams easily but it was great seeing some decent attacking play from the side.
Mane actually looked sharp in attack, and on another day would have scored a pair, and Shaqiri looked really sharp too.
We need to continue this momentum for the rest of the season, and hopefully, things will fall into place for our attack.
3) Fabinho proves his worth in midfield
It wasn’t a surprise seeing Jurgen Klopp mix things in the midfield after Jordan Henderson’s suspension in the derby.
Fabinho got a chance to perform and boy, he did a great job in the first half. The Brazilian was a presence in the Liverpool midfield, and while Andre Gomes had a fantastic game, our midfielder wasn’t far behind.
The former Monaco man even helped launched an attack after a tackle but we couldn’t score from the chance. Fabinho has to play more games for us, and hopefully, Klopp sticks with him in the side for a few more games.
4) Firmino needs a break
Salah didn’t have a great game but he wasn’t the worst player out there. Firmino possibly had his worst outing for the Reds, and there has to be a rethink about his role in the side.
Playing him behind Salah doesn’t seem to work on most days, and we are employing this formation to shoehorn Shaqiri on the right.
The Brazilian is a brilliant player as a “False 9” but putting him into midfield seems to cut him out of the attack far too often. His defence-splitting runs seem to be restricted and the player has been off from the start of the season.
Klopp should take a big decision and rest Firmino for a couple of games, maybe that will recharge his batteries for the rest of the season.
5) Origi our saviour
The Belgian has had a torrid time with injuries and a lack of form in front of goal. His spell at Wolfsburg was a disaster, and well, it was a surprise seeing him come onto the pitch late in the game.
However, Origi had a couple of bright moments before the goal, and it proved that the game isn’t over till the final whistle.
Read more: Jamie Carragher believes this Liverpool star is on track to becoming a legend
The Belgian was in the right place at the right time and punished Pickford for the error. There could be some good things in place for the 23-year-old, and it would be great to have the Origi from a couple of years back as he provides a different outlet to the Reds.
