Merseyside derby analysis - Five things we learned from Everton’s loss to Liverpool
A second-half strike from Idrissa Gana Gueye was not enough to cancel out Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike’s first-half goals as Everton fell to a 2-1 defeat in the 247th Merseyside Derby.
Everton suffered their second defeat of the season, with their city rivals maintaining their 100% start to the season.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Jon Shea gives his five key takeaways from the match.
Give Barry a chance
Everton started with Beto up top in the Merseyside Derby, which was an understandable decision given his performances against Liverpool’s two centre-backs last season.
However, his display on Saturday was reminiscent of the Aston Villa match the week prior.
The Guinea-Bissau international could not get his touch right; too many balls bounced off him, and attacks were breaking down at his feet.
The first half was not the best display from the team as a whole, but Beto was having a nightmare showing and was rightly replaced at half-time by Thierno Barry.
Barry came on and showed a side to his game that Beto did not. He showed some excellent moments with a lovely touch and composure on the ball to play it out wide. He kept attacks flowing, and Everton were much more threatening in the second half.
Barry has only started one league match so far this season, but Moyes must consider the option after the poor showings from Beto in the last two matches.
First half disaster
The first half display from Everton was one that all fans feared. The Toffees did not play anywhere near the level they have shown in the previous matches.
Moyes’ side attempted too many long balls to Beto, which inevitably fell into the arms of Allison, and too many players looked scared to get on the ball.
Set-pieces were equally poor, and the team just could not get going in the first half.
To their credit, Liverpool took full advantage of Everton’s lacklustre display and scored two great goals, which ultimately decided the match.
However, it all felt too easy from an Everton point of view, and it was the same old story of an Anfield derby.
Much better second half
Everton came out for the second half and played how they should have started. They started to get Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish on the ball, more and more, as the Liverpool defence retreated.
The Toffees were a much better threat in the second half, and Idrissa Gueye scored an excellently worked goal - but to no avail.
In the second half, Grealish showed just how good he is again and played a key role in the goal, providing the cross which Ndiaye laid back for Idrissa Gueye.
They nullified Liverpool’s attack to very little, other than a Mohammed Salah shot that was comfortably saved by Jordan Pickford - there were no other nervous moments for the Everton defence.
The frustration from an Everton perspective is why the team did not start the game the way they finished.
However, plenty of positives for Moyes to take from the second half into the upcoming matches.
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Referee nightmare
There are many questions around the referees in this country, and Darren England’s display in the Merseyside Derby was woeful.
The referee lacked consistency in booking Iliman Ndiaye, rightly, for his second foul of the match, but did not brandish the same to Conor Bradley, who ended the match with four fouls to his name.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was booked for taking a quick free-kick, a situation which Grealish called out, saying, “I have never seen that in my life,” and certainly one that left all spectators baffled.
There were several times that Everton tried to take a quick free kick, but the referee did not allow this.
The additional time added on was very confusing, as the average amount of added time, in the Premier League is nine minutes - a large amount of added time has come to be normal for fans.
However, there was a total of four minutes added on in the first and second halves combined.
Moyes called this decision out by saying, “I think if Liverpool were 2-1 down [I’m] not sure three minutes would have been put up.”
Gana Gueye’s importance
At the ripe old age of 35, Idrissa Gueye became the second-oldest goal scorer in Merseyside Derby history with his terrific right-footed effort.
The Everton midfielder was terrific again on Saturday, making seven recoveries in the match.
The Senegalese international continues to around the pitch very well and continues to be a key asset for the team and will continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Moyes.
Everton fans dread the day Idrissa Gueye is not available, as the team does not look the same without him in it.
Everton need to move on quickly from this defeat, and have a short break before their League Cup tie at Wolves on Tuesday, and their next league match is against West Ham at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the following Monday.
