Premier LeagueMatch report: Liverpool beaten in 244th Merseyside derby

An eventful first 45 minutes saw the home side have a spot-kick awarded and retracted before Jarrad Branthwaite forced in an opener after pinball inside the Reds box.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed in a second for the Blues and while the visitors had chances – including Luis Diaz striking the woodwork – Jürgen Klopp’s final Merseyside derby ended with a loss.

Team news

There were six changes to the Liverpool XI, including Ibrahima Konate back in defence, three changes in midfield and Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah restored in attack.

Liverpool: Alisson, Van Dijk, Konate (Quansah, 63), Diaz, Szoboszlai (Endo, 63), Nunez, Mac Allister, Salah, Jones (Elliott, 63), Robertson (Tsimikas, 83), Alexander-Arnold (Gomez, 83).

Unused subs: Kelleher, Gravenberch, Clark, Danns.

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First half

The 244th playing of the Merseyside derby began at a frantic pace amid a Goodison Park din – and the hosts twice caused alarm within six minutes.

First, Dwight McNeil’s deflected cross from the left rolled to Abdoulaye Doucoure, who misjudged the angle of his side-footed effort and sent it well wide.

It seemed Everton had a penalty moments later, Alisson Becker bringing down Calvert-Lewin as the latter collected a pass in behind and nudged the ball past the Brazilian. But a VAR review confirmed offside in the build-up and a reprieve for the Reds.

At the other end, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s dink into the box was diverted across the front of goal by Salah, only for Ben Godfrey to clear before Nunez could convert.

Liverpool needed Alisson when a deep Blues free-kick to the left of their area was sent to the opposite post, where Calvert-Lewin’s firm header was clawed away.

Everton’s set-pieces were proving a consistent hazard, however, and yielded an opener on 27 minutes. A major scramble ensued inside the box and eventually the ball fell to Branthwaite, whose strike Alisson got some contact on but still squirmed over the line off the post.

The Reds carved out a big chance to level after industrious battling and dribbling from Diaz allowed Alexis Mac Allister and Salah to set up Nunez on goal – but the Uruguayan’s blast was blocked by Jordan Pickford.

And there were a series of possibilities to equalise as they dominated just before half-time.

A combination of Salah and Nunez headers reached Diaz at close range and his finish was kicked away by Pickford, then Salah fired over when a precise Alexander-Arnold forward pass got his side on the attack again, and several more blocks and saves kept them out.

Second half

Virgil van Dijk sent an early header too close to Pickford from a corner, while Idrissa Gueye sent a tame shot at Alisson at the end of an Everton breakaway led by Doucoure.

The Liverpool goalkeeper had to tip over a long-range blast from McNeil and, from the resulting corner, Everton doubled their advantage.

McNeil swung in a deep delivery from the dead-ball and Calvert-Lewin capitalised on space at the back post to power a downward header into the net.

A triple change was soon deployed by Klopp, seeing Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and Jarell Quansah replace Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Konate.

The Toffees’ tails were up now, though, and only a last-ditch block prevented McNeil from getting a clean strike in on Alisson’s goal as they threatened a third goal.

Diaz was desperately unlucky to clatter the right-hand post after driving into the area from the left flank and arcing the ball towards the opposite corner.

Pickford pushed over a dipping volley from Elliott in the last minute and saved a stoppage-time Salah effort, as Everton stood firm to take the points.