The Merseyside derby sure had its talking points even if the match was short of quality up front. Everton started brightly but didn’t really create a lot in terms of attack and Liverpool did have the better chances in the second half.
But it took a scrappy goal from Sadio Mane to win the game for the away side and gave Klopp his second win in as many derbies. The Senegalese slotted in a rebound off the post in the 95th minute from Daniel Sturridge’s shot.
While the Reds were celebrating a 1-0 win, there was one tackle in particular which caught everyone’s attention. Ross Barkley caught Jordan Henderson with a nasty challenge in the second half and the Everton midfielder was lucky to stay on the field with a yellow card from the referee.
Even Ronald Koeman, the Everton manager stated that Barkley could have seen a red card for the tackle.
“It [Barkley’s] was a tough tackle, maybe it was a red – I don’t know,” Koeman was quoted by the Independent.”
The former Southampton manager also stated that the cards dished out by Mike Dean didn’t favour the Blues and he expected the Croatian defender to pick up another card.
“But, what happened after was not a fair decision from the referee.
“Maybe it was a red card for Barkley, but there was a total reaction of several players, also Coleman – and by Lovren, who was already booked.
“The referee gave a yellow card to Coleman and not to Lovren, even though he started it.
“He gave Coleman his first yellow card but not a second to Lovren. Why? I don’t know. Only a yellow to Coleman is not a fair decision out of the reaction for both teams.”
Liverpool battle hard for the win
The game was a typical derby which wasn’t all that great in terms of clear cut chances. Even though the Reds failed to break down the Everton defence easily, there were a few positives for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
One has to be the fact that the Reds battled hard to defeat a side that had beaten Arsenal in their last home game. Daniel Sturridge coming on in the second half was also important for the Reds as easing him into the team will help as Sadio Mane travels for the African Cup of Nations.
The Reds also kept a clean sheet, the second one in succession and that should certainly give a lot of confidence to Simon Mignolet and Ragnar Klavan. The Estonian defender was probably the man of the match for Klopp’s side and proved his ability in keeping Romelu Lukaku quiet throughout the game.
The win ensured Liverpool stay within striking distance of Chelsea, who are six points ahead. And if the Reds continue playing in this manner, they could chase the London club close for the Premier League title.
