Liverpool edged closer to the Premier League title with a 1-0 victory over Everton on Wednesday night. The Merseyside Derby took place at Anfield and a single goal from Diogo Jota in the second half was all it took for Arne Slot's men to come away with all three points. It stretches their lead at the top of the table to 12 points.
It was an entertaining affair with both sides pushing forward eagerly in search of the opening goal. David Moyes' men were lucky not to be reduced to 10-men just 11 minutes into the game when James Tarkowski lunged in with a crunching high tackle on Alexis Mac Allister. Former referee Mike Dean believed it should have been a sending off for the defender, but he was only shown a yellow card.
Everton had the best chance of the first half when Beto got beyond Ibrahima Konate and found himself one-on-one with Caoimhin Kelleher, but he struck the Liverpool post with his subsequent effort and was left with his head in his hands. Aside from that, neither team managed to conjure up any real clear-cut chances in front of goal and they went into the break on even footing.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, though, it was the Reds who found a breakthrough. Jota danced through the Everton defence and into the area before he lashed the ball past Jordan Pickford. Everton pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but never really looked like threatening Kelleher and Liverpool held on to secure all three points.
Liverpool Statistics Everton
3 Shots on target 0
4 Shots off target 2
74 Possession (%) 26
11 Corners 4
5 Fouls 12
2 Yellow cards 2
Match Highlights
Still to come...
Liverpool Player Ratings
Diogo Jota
Caomhin Kelleher - 6/10
Played his first Premier League game in 2025 and had very little to do if truth be told.
Curtis Jones - 7/10
Played out of position, but did an excellent job at right-back.
Ibrahima Konate - 6/10
Stood his ground nicely and made sure Everton were limited in the chances they were creating in and around the Liverpool area.
Virgil van Dijk - 7/10
Struggled to cope with Beto's strength early on, but soon took control of the game and was solid for the most part.
Andy Robertson - 7/10
Dealt with Harrison nicely and never looked to be under any sort of threat.
Ryan Gravenberch - 6/10
The Dutch midfielder was solid defensively, but failed to make much of an impact going forward.
Alexis Mac Allister - 7/10
Ran the show in the middle of the park for Slot's side and rarely put a foot wrong for Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah - 5/10
It was an uncharacteristically poor showing for Salah, who never really managed to get going. His only real chance on goal was a tame header straight into the hands of Pickford.
Dominik Szoboszlai - 6/10
It was a relatively quiet night for the Hungarian and he rarely had any form of impact on the game.
Luis Diaz - 8/10 (Player of the match)
It was a positive performance for Diaz who ran O'Brien ragged down the left side for Liverpool. Looked threatening throughout and caused Everton all sorts of problems.
Diogo Jota - 7/10
Led the lines for Liverpool and after a quiet first half, came to life in the second and gave Liverpool the lead after dancing through the Everton defence and lashing the ball past Pickford.
Darwin Nunez - 6/10
Replaced Jota with 15 minutes remaining, but didn't have chance to make much of an impact as his side held on to their lead.
Cody Gakpo - N/A
Brought on with just minutes remaining and didn't have chance to do much of note.
Wataru Endo - N/A
Replaced Salah in stoppage time.
Everton Player Ratings
Beto
Jordan Pickford - 6/10
Wasn't asked to do too much for Everton, but did his job on the rare instance he was called upon. There was little he could do to stop Jota's opener.
Jake O'Brien - 5/10
It was a tough evening for O'Brien and he couldn't quite keep up with Diaz on the Liverpool wing.
James Tarkowski - 5/10
Somewhat fortunate not to have been sent off in the first half for a brutal challenge on Mac Allister. Had several shaky moments at the back and never really looked sure of himself.
Jarrad Branthwaite - 6/10
Rarely put a foot wrong as he dealt with plenty of Liverpool pressure throughout. Made a crucial clearance as Salah looked to latch onto a rebound inside the Everton box.
Vitaliy Mykolenko - 6/10
Had the unenviable task of dealing with Salah, but more than held his own against the Egyptian superstar.
Idrissa Gueye - 6/10
Did a fine job in the middle of the park battling with the Liverpool midfielders. Made a number of crucial tackles and interceptions to prevent the Reds from conjuring much in front of goal.
James Garner - 5/10
Struggled to dictate proceedings and acted as more of a passenger than an active participant for large spells of the game.
Carlos Alcaraz - 6/10
Took a while to get into the game, but came alive towards the end of the first half and caused a couple of problems for the Liverpool defenders.
Abdoulaye Docoure - 7/10
Did a nice job carrying the ball into some promising positions for Everton and looked the most likely to create something for the Toffees.
Jack Harrison - 4/10
Struggled to get the better of Andy Robertson on the flank. Squandered a couple of excellent opportunities as Everton broke on the counter. Eventually replaced by the returning Ndiaye.
Beto - 6/10
Utilised his strength to great effect and got the better of Van Dijk on several occasions. Should have put Everton in front when he found himself one-on-one with Kelleher, but struck the post.
Iliman Ndiaye - 6/10
Made his return off the bench as Everton chased an equaliser, but didn't offer much.
Tim Iroegbunam - N/A
Brought on late as Moyes made a trio of subs in search of an equaliser, but didn't have chance to do anything of note.
Ashley Young - N/A
The former Manchester United man was introduced with just under 10 minutes remaining and didn't really have time to do anything of note.
Armando Broja - N/A
Introduced late and didn't have chance to do anything worth mentioning.