Andrew Robertson and Divock Origi -- who else? -- scored second-half goals as Liverpool kepts its quadruple quest alive and kept rivals Everton in the bottom three with a 2-0 Merseyside derby win at Anfield on Sunday.
Frank Lampard’s Toffees started the match in 18th place after Burnley beat Wolves and played in pursuit of a point, giving Liverpool more than 80 percent of the ball. The visitors will feel aggrieved not to have had the chance to go ahead from the spot when Joel Matip shoved a breaking Anthony Gordon to the turf, but neither referee Stuart Atwell nor VAR wanted a part of it.
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So Mohamed Salah cued up Robertson for an opening goal after the hour mark and super sub Origi continued his Everton mastery when he nodded Luis Diaz’s overhead kick inside the back post.
Liverpool moves back within a point of Manchester City and improves its goal differential to 63, four better than the Premier League leaders.
Everton finishes the day as it started with 29 points, two back of 17th-place Burnley and four behind Leeds United.
WATCH LIVERPOOL vs EVERTON FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM - LINK
Liverpool vs Everton final score, stats
Liverpool 2, Everton 0
Scorers: Robertson (62'), Origi (85')
Shot attempts: Liverpool 18, Everton 9
Shots on goal: Liverpool 4, Everton 0
Possession: Liverpool 83, Everton 17
Three things we learned from Liverpool vs Everton
1. Salah the difference: Everton frustrated Mohamed Salah - and the rest of the Reds - for an hour of play, giving Liverpool the ball but daring them to find their Egyptian star. Fittingly, Salah was in barely a yard of space when he got a hold of Divock Origi’s turn at the near post and lofted a perfect cross to the back post for Robertson to thump home for the game’s first goal. The world’s best players only need a moment, that’s all Everton gave Salah and it was more than enough for 1-0.
2. Time wasting masterclass, but then what? Frank Lampard set up his Toffees to hit on the counter with vigor and it nearly worked a few times. But Everton looked bamboozled for a bit once Liverpool opened its account and Origi’s second goal forced the Toffees faithful to confront their status as a bottom three team with very little time to rectify it.32 - Everton completed 32 passes in the first half at Anfield, the fewest by a team in the opening period of a Premier League game since November 2006 (30 by Watford against Portsmouth). Shell.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 24, 2022
3. Penalty controversy: You can guarantee that Lampard will gloss over any mistakes from this game and point to a penalty you’d expect to be given 10-of-10 times but wasn’t whistled on Sunday, as Anthony Gordon -- carded earlier for diving -- was shoved to the turf in the box on a 1-v-1 break against Joel Matip. No foul was given, VAR did not step in, and Everton did not get its chance to make it 1-0 from the spot,
Man of the Match: Andrew Robertson -- Granted all of Liverpool’s players collected touches on the ball, but Robertson had almost 100 by the 75th minute and of course his goal was the decisive moment in the match.
Tempers boil over after first-half timewasting clinic
Tempers are flaring in this Merseyside Derby. 👀 #LIVEVE | #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/0ze6GKxZeG
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 24, 2022