Blood and thunder is usually the order of play in the Merseyside derby, and the 246th iteration was no different. In the last derby in which Everton simply had to cross Stanley Park to reach enemy territory, James Tarkowski was keen to leave yet another mark on the contest after his famous late equaliser in the reverse meeting.
This time around, he left his mark inside 10 minutes, only on Alexis Mac Allister, who was on the receiving end of a calf-high challenge that was incredibly only punished with a yellow card despite being reviewed by VAR – winning the ball was seemingly his only saving grace.
If the Anfield crowd were angered by the fact he wasn’t dismissed, they’d have been seething to see the Toffees' centre-back tease an inch-perfect ball in behind for Beto to score in front of the Kop.
Fortunately for those of a red persuasion, the official’s flag cut short the Everton forward’s joy, ensuring the scores remained level.
Another gilt-edged chance then presented itself for Beto, and this time, he was onside, but when Abdoulaye Doucouré played him clean through on goal, he could only watch on with angst as Beto crashed an effort against the post.
Everton boss David Moyes was made to rue those missed opportunities in the second half, especially frustrating for him considering he’d won none of his 19 prior managerial visits to Anfield.
His worst fears were realised within 15 minutes of the restart when Diogo Jota pounced upon a loose ball, tiptoed his way into the area, and hammered home in front of the Kop to raise the Anfield roof.
The Toffees’ route back into the game was always likely to be tough from there, but welcoming Iliman Ndiaye back from injury did serve as a timely boost, even if he was unable to change the tide in Everton’s favour.
Protecting a one-goal lead in the closing stages was always likely to leave the Anfield faithful a little nervy, but Luis Díaz was keen to ensure they could sit a little more comfortably, seeing his goalbound effort blocked on the line by Tarkowski 10 minutes from time.
Ultimately, there was nothing stopping Liverpool from preserving their advantage and securing a 26th successive unbeaten league game, as Everton missed the chance to avoid defeat in both Merseyside derbies in a single season for the first time since 2020/21.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luis Díaz (Liverpool)