Everton return to Premier League action this week.
After a lengthy international break, David Moyes’ men are back in action on Wednesday evening as they make the short trip across Stanley Park to face fierce rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
The last encounter produced a dramatic 2-2 draw, with James Tarkowksi netting a stoppage-time equaliser.
Abdoulaye Doucoure sparked a brawl at the full-time whistle as he celebrated in front of Liverpool fans and was ultimately sent off.
Arne Slot was shown a red card, too, so the reserve fixture is certainly highly anticipated by fans of both clubs and around the Premier League.
With that said, ahead of Wednesday’s clash, Paul Merson has just issued his score prediction.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Paul Merson predicts Liverpool to beat Everton
Writing in his Sportskeeda column, Paul Merson has predicted Liverpool to beat Everton in the Merseyside derby.
“I’ve got to go with Liverpool here,” Merson explained. “David Moyes has done a mind-blowing job at Everton. He proved me wrong when I said it won’t work for him the second time at Goodison Park. I had no doubts about him being a top manager, no question about that! I just thought Everton as a club changed a lot from the last time he was here. It just shows how top managers can work their magic whenever they want!
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“I expect Everton to make it hard for Liverpool, but I look at them and I don’t see an X-factor that can hurt the hosts at Anfield. Liverpool have not consistently blown teams away this season. They have just been efficient and consistently better than the others. I don’t want to make it sound like Liverpool are not a good team or that they don’t deserve to win the league. But they are not like the best Manchester City side that dominated the league under Guardiola.
Liverpool were looking a bit leggy before the international break, so the rest came at the right time for them. The holy grail for Liverpool is winning the league and I expect them to do it. If you asked any Liverpool fan what trophy they wanted to win at the start of the season, they would’ve picked the Premier League.”
Merson predicted Liverpool to win 2-0.
Everton vs Liverpool: Last five meetings
Everton’s recent record against Liverpool actually makes for pretty decent reading, as they’ve picked up a result in three of their last five meetings, despite being in a difficult period in the club’s history.
03 Sep 2022 Everton 0-0 Liverpool Premier League
13 Feb 2023 Liverpool 2-0 Everton Premier League
21 Oct 2023 Liverpool 2-0 Everton Premier League
24 Apr 2024 Everton 2-0 Liverpool Premier League
12 Feb 2025 Everton 2-2 Liverpool Premier League
In fact, Liverpool haven’t beaten Everton since October 2023, with Everton claiming the bragging rights in recent years.
The Toffees could have Iliman Ndiaye back for the crunch clash, too, as he’s now returned to first-team training.
Armando Broja has also returned to fitness and impressed on international duty with Albania.