Everton fired shots and took a big step towards safety and may as well have ended Jurgen Klopp’s title hopes
For the opening half hour, Everton were running harder, jumping higher and winning the 50-50s, the 40-60s and, even the 30-70s.
While Jurgen Klopp was berating fourth official Simon Hooper on the touchline, his opposite number can only have been delighted with how his side imposed themselves on this game. They weren’t going to let Liverpool ease into it and dictate the tempo. They turned up the heat and Liverpool struggled to handle it.
Branthwaite’s opener rather summed it all up. The visitors didn’t deal with the first ball, were beaten to the second and third, Konate’s sliced clearance was panicked, and while a sprawling Alisson did his best, he couldn’t keep it from going underneath him and squirming over the line.
In a different universe, one where he hasn’t suffered numerous injury issues and remains at his 2020-21 best, Euro 2024 would see Dominic Calvert-Lewin as back up to Harry Kane.
Instead, he’s got just 12 goals in his last 63 Premier League appearances – across three seasons coming into tonight – and is nowhere near. But on this night, maybe he rediscovered a little something.
Everton’s early aggression and physicality was epitomized by their No.9. He rattled both Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, holding strong and standing firm, enjoying the physical battle, winning fouls and free-kicks, getting his side up the pitch and looking as sharp as he’s looked in his long time.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’ve been beat up,” declared Gary Neville. “But they’ve been ruffled. Harassed.”
That changed in the second half to: “He’s beating Liverpool’s centre-halves up. He’s on fire.”
Calvert-Lewin’s goal was him at his best in the penalty area, a towering header after a prodigious leap at the far post.
Perhaps, indeed hopefully, after an almost cursed last two-and-a-half years, the 27-year-old is finally starting to trust his body again. If that’s indeed the case, and we start seeing this Calvert-Lewin on a more regular basis once more, it’ll be huge for Everton for the rest of this season and beyond.
Jurgen Klopp had never lost a Merseyside derby in the Premier League. He has now.
And with his unbeaten record at Goodison, a second Premier League title has likely gone too.