Liverpool put on the afterburners once more and this time it was Everton who felt the repercussions with Jurgen Klopp‘s side showing little mercy in their derby rout.
To a man, the Reds were exceptional at Goodison Park to make sure of a result that was a long time coming.
Jordan Henderson, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota were the names etched on the scoresheet but it remained a night where the sum of all Liverpool’s parts were reading off of the same page.
It made for enjoyable viewing for any and all Reds, adding to an already impressive season of results and performances.
Here, This Is Anfield’s Joanna Durkan (@JoannaDurkan_) is joined by David Comerford (@Dave_Comerford) to discuss the rout, the best of the goals and the significance of the win.
Who stood out most for you?
DAVID: There were three for me, and I suspect they’re all popular choices.
The first would be Henderson – one of the most memorable performances of his career, for sure.
It was a display full of technical quality, from the way he wrapped his foot around the ball for the opening goal to the weight of his assist for Salah and the intricate touches to get out of tight situations.
I know it’s a huge cliche, but that was the epitome of rising to the occasion.
JOANNA: I’d be surprised if he didn’t cover every blade of grass in the end!
I agree with you there David in regards to one of his most memorable games, he was locked into the game from the word go and there was certainly a fire in his belly.
His goal was a thing of beauty but it was his relentlessness that was top class.
DAVID: I’d then say Andy Robertson. The way he’s played the past two games – two and a bit if you count his eye-catching run-out against Porto – demonstrates the value of competition within a squad.
I never doubted that he’d rediscover his form, and neither did Jurgen Klopp to be fair, but the timing isn’t coincidental. There were a lot of supporters calling for Kostas Tsimikas to take his spot and he would have been aware of that.
And lastly, Salah. Everton will be cursing those journalists who snubbed him in the Ballon d’Or vote. That just gave him another source of motivation, as if he needed it.
JOANNA: I certainly echo those selections but I’m going to throw Fabinho‘s name in the ring to finish us off.
Perhaps a more understated game considering the performances of some of his teammates but he was simply denying Everton at every turn, especially early on. A Brazilian barricade and our lighthouse.
4 cracking goals, your pick of the bunch?
DAVID: What a difficult choice. I loved the poetry of Henderson’s goal after he was robbed of the winner last season, and I’ve seen people on Twitter rightly point out that the Jota strike for 4-1 had shades of Sergio Aguero.
But I’ll actually go for Salah’s first goal. You might remember that he found himself in a near-identical situation at Goodison back in March 2019 but his shot was tame and too close to Jordan Pickford.
This time, though, he produced a world-class finish, pitching it outside the far post and finding the side-netting. Outrageously good.
He was obviously an elite player back then too, but as John Champion put it, it’s now got to the stage where ‘there isn’t anyone better at the art of goalscoring in the world’.
JOANNA: We’re spoiled by choice yet again! What a lovely problem to have.
I see your Salah strike nomination, David but I’m going to raise you Jota’s goal.
For the emotion it triggered whilst watching, it had to be the one for me. It was perfectly executed and it took me a little by surprise if I’m honest.
It was the icing on the cake and oh so clinical.
Klopp said it’s now “our benchmark”, your thoughts…
JOANNA: Being able to win at Old Trafford and Goodison Park in less than a two-month period is huge for Liverpool as the voodoo has always navigated our superiority.
Not this time though. The Reds have been emphatic and there’s a reason Klopp has used “mature” and “calm” in his assessment of both games, taking the raw emotion out and harnessing it in a football way.
It’s confidence for this season and for whenever Liverpool visit next. The first United-Everton double since 2008/09, it was a long time coming! The first of many please, Liverpool.
DAVID: Adding to that, I think it speaks to the fact that we’ve too often been dragged down to the level of our opponents in these games, allowing it to become a scrappy battle.
I suppose those games, where we looked a pale imitation of our usual selves, were the only real mark against Klopp’s name.
This season, though, it’s been immensely satisfying to see us brutally expose the gulf in class. We know going into it that we’re levels above, and at last the games have reflected that reality. That’s because they’ve been played on our terms.
Crucially, we’ve flown out of the blocks and been able to take control of the atmosphere early on. At Old Trafford, we were two up inside 13 minutes, last night it was 19. We’ve killed their hope and it’s given way to either resignation or anger in the stands.
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