Merseyside | Narrow win for Liverpool on derby day

Liverpool 2 - 1 Everton 

Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the season with a fifth consecutive victory, defeating Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Author | William G

Stadium | Anfield

Arne Slot’s team asserted themselves early as Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring with a deft lob from Mohamed Salah’s pass inside 10 minutes. The Dutch midfielder then turned creator shortly before the half-hour, threading a pass through for Hugo Ekitike to finish low beyond Jordan Pickford.

Liverpool’s strength in depth was underlined by the fact that £241m worth of summer signings, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, remained on the bench until the second half.

Everton gradually found their footing and were rewarded just before the hour. Jack Grealish’s cross was met by Iliman Ndiaye, who laid the ball back for Idrissa Gueye to lash home a rising strike that left Alisson with no chance.

A closer look at what happened

Arne Slot’s champions were short of their best but did enough to claim another victory, achieved without Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak in the starting line-up.

In their absence, two of Liverpool’s early-season standouts took centre stage to punish Everton during a dominant opening spell. Ryan Gravenberch continued his fine form with a composed finish beyond Jordan Pickford, before turning provider for Hugo Ekitike to add a second.

Ekitike, a £70m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, showed the sharp instincts that make him a natural fit for the central role, regardless of the record arrival of Isak. While Slot has hinted the forward could feature on the left, his assured finishing offers a strong case to be used through the middle more often.

Liverpool laboured after the break as Everton improved, yet once again they found a way to close out the contest and extend their stay at the top of the Premier League table.