Jonathan Liew on Everton.
Lampard reacts.
That’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with Andy Hunter’s match report from Anfield - bye.
Here are the goals
Deadlock broken 🔒
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 24, 2022
Liverpool take the lead in the Merseyside Derby #LIVEVE |🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/2oTGf8ibhT
🗣️ "Where do you want your statue Divock Origi." 👏
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 24, 2022
Origi adds another goal against Everton to his repertoire ✅✅ pic.twitter.com/cS1s4XvC1v
“Hi Rob,” says Neil Hattersley. “My counterpoint to some of the views on the blog (from behind my red glasses) would be that if Gordon had made any effort to not hit the turf every time a breeze blew past he might have had more sympathy from the officials.”
That’s a fair point; I’m sure it was in Stuart Attwell’s mind. I still think it was a penalty though. I hate saying this, but diving is a skill - some players are much subtler, so they are more likely to be rewarded for it.
Post-match quotes
Andy Robertson
“It was so hard. In the first half we weren’t at our best. We started playing their game instead of our own game – too many stoppages and things like that. I’ve been in a relegation battle so I know what it’s like. We had to play football, be patient and create chances, and thankfully we managed it. Patience was key.
“Back-post headers are rare for me! It’s my first goal at the Kop End which is an amazing feeling. I’m delighted with all our contributions – it’s been a big week, we’ve come through it unscathed, and now we’ve got another huge week coming up.
Divock Origi
“It’s a nice record [against Everton]. Today we needed it, and in the end we got the three points which is the most important thing. I think it was my first touch, yeah [in the build-up to Robertson’s goal]. We had to work hard to win – we know all the games are tough. It’s a good feeling because we have some momentum, but we have to keep focussing.”
According to the official Premier League site, Liverpool had 82.7 per cent of the possession today. The Premier League record is, or certainly was, Manchester City’s 82.9 per cent against Swansea in 2017-18.
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“Is it wild hyperbole to think Diaz meant that assist?” says Gerard Aston. “He looks and plays like a champ man attacking regen of Dani Alves and that touch to control the ball on the wing changed the whole mood - it said, ‘We’re better than them let’s get this done’.”
I would have said no chance, had he not already produced one of the best first touches I’ve ever seen. Modern players are scarily good, so it wouldn’t shock me if he meant it.
“I sympathise with Philip Malcolm’s observations of the uneven application of VAR,” says Rick Harris. “Football is no longer really sport though is it, but just another branch of entertainment and as such there is a tendency to follow the narrative of the sports broadcasters. Everton aren’t the only club who have been on the wrong end of decisions that VAR did or didn’t influence.”
I don’t think it’s a conscious bias, nor is it new, though maybe it is even more apparent in an age of VAR.
Full time: Liverpool 2-0 Everton
Peep peep! Liverpool move to within a point of Manchester City after a tense, hard-fought victory at Anfield. The introduction of Divock Origi on the hour changed the game. Within two minutes he helped make a goal for Andy Robertson, and he scored the second with five minutes remaining.
Everton will feel they should have had a penalty at 0-0, and that Sadio Mane and Joel Matip might have been sent off. It was a wildly emotional game.
90+1 min Richarlison shoots straight at Alisson, who copies Jordan Pickford earlier in the game by falling dramatically on the ball. The home crowd absolutely loved that.
90+1 min Richarlison is booked. I think there was a row between Coleman and Pickford afterwards as well.
90 min Richarlison could be in trouble here. He was fouled by Henderson, and then pushed his studs into the side of Henderson’s leg. It’s halfway between a yellow and a red card I’d say.
89 min Dele Alli is booked for leaving one on Henderson.
88 min I still think this is a good day for Everton. They’ve played really well, shown great spirit and avoided the kind of doing that could have shattered their morale. And Anthony Gordon has been wonderful.
87 min Divock Origi has changed this game. He got the crowd going even before he came on, played a good part in the first goal and then scored the second.
Divock Origi seals victory with yet another goal against Everton. A corner was half cleared to Henderson on the right, and he clipped it back towards Diaz at the far post. Diaz’s spectacular overhead kick went straight into the ground - but it bounced up perfectly for Origi to head into the net from four yards.
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Everton (Origi 85)
Guess who.
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84 min After a fine run from Salah, Thiago’s deflected shot is punched behind by Pickford.
83 min Liverpool make their final substitution: Jordan Henderson replaces Diogo Jota, which makes a return to 4-3-3.
82 min “I’m not much of an Allan fan at all, but he can hold his head high after the shift he put in today,” says Eric Peterson. “The lack of pace that’s usually so easy to exploit becomes irrelevant when the defence stays as compact as Everton’s has, and he kept a good lid on that cauldron of emotion in him that’s prone to boil over a bit too easily. He was at the heart of why Liverpool had such a rough time for so much of the game trying to break Everton down.”
81 min Salah plays a one-two with Origi and puts in a low cross that is shanked towards his own goal by Holgate. Happily for him, it goes straight at Jordan Pickford.
79 min: Brilliant defending from Robertson! A loose ball is picked up on the left of the area by Dele Alli, who walks away from Alexander-Arnold and pokes a low cross that is booted away by Robertson in the six-yard box. I think Iwobi would have scored without Robertson’s intervention.
79 min Mykolenko’s free-kick from the left is punched away unconvincingly by Alisson. The ball hits Matip and rebounds safely for Liverpool. That could have gone anywhere.
78 min “While I agree Everton can take heart from this performance, so far,” says Rob Moore, “I’d imagine it’s a lot easier getting up for a derby against your title-chasing rivals than it is against Leicester or Brentford, for instance. And that’s only to do with rivalry, and not a slight against either of those two respectable teams.”
I would agree with that if they weren’t slap-bang in the middle of a relegation battle. Every game should be of equal importance, both consciously and unconsciously.
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78 min Another Everton change: Salomon Rondon replaces Demarai Gray.
77 min Origi plays a give-and-go with Salah and runs into Keane in the area. Liverpool want a penalty; Stuart Attwell isn’t interested. At worst it was obstruction.
76 min A quiet little spell. Liverpool have the game under control at the moment, though they would like a second ASAP.
75 min “Sorry to be the classic bitter blue, but why does nobody in the media EVER point out the clear advantage of being a title-chasing team playing at home with the current standard Premier league officiating?” says Philip Malcolm. “Jota could have had two reds in the first half and if it’s Michael Keane hauling down Salah in front of the Kop, that’s a penalty all day.”
Everton have been very unlucky with decisions today. It’s hard to place it in a wider context though. We all think we know the best teams get more favourable decisions, because apparently referees are human beings as well, but I don’t know how you quantify it.
73 min A change for Everton: Dele Alli replaces Allan, who has worked his nylon/elastane socks off.
72 min: So close from Gray! What an effort that was. The brilliant Gordon held off Matip and found Iwobi, who squared it to Gray 25 yards out. He took a touch and sweetspotted a rising drive that flashed just wide and smacked the post behind the goal. Alisson’s desperate dive betrayed how worried he was.
71 min “According to my weather app, it’s 62 degrees in Liverpool,” says Joe Pearson. “Why on earth is Klopp wearing a long puffy coat!?”
There’s nothing underneath though. Nothing.
70 min Diaz’s shot takes a deflection and spins onto the roof of the net. He has been spectacularly good since coming on.
67 min Alexander-Arnold’s left-footed cross is glanced wide by the backpedalling Origi. It’s all Liverpool now, both in terms of possession and chances. This game is probably over.
66 min: Off the line by Holgate! Matip’s header is cleared off the line by Holgate, and Salah volleys the rebound over the bar. That was a really good chance for Salah. Pickford was all over the place, having climbed over Jota to punch the ball clear. He thought he was fouled.
65 min That first touch!
64 min Diaz kills Alexander-Arnold’s crossfield pass with an unbelievable first touch - a kind of flying rabona - then hares past Coleman and stabs a cross shot that is blocked by Pickford. That first touch was outrageous. He was in mid-air, his right foot wrapped round his left, and cushioned it with the side of the foot.
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64 min I was just about to say before the goal that, whatever happens from here, Everton should take so much heart from their performance today. If they can play like this at Anfield, away games really shouldn’t be such a trial.
63 min Apparently that was Origi’s first touch of the game.
Liverpool worked the ball brilliantly in a very congested area. Salah played a give-and-go with Origi and stood up an excellent right-footed cross to the far post. Jota couldn’t reach it but Robertson arrived to plant a downward header back across Pickford.
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Everton (Robertson 62)
Andy Robertson has broken Everton down!
Updated
60 min Two changes for Liverpool: Luis Diaz and Divock Origi replace Naby Keita and Sadio Mane. I guess that means a switch to 4-2-4: Diaz left, Salah right, Origi and Jota up front.
59 min The resulting free-kick is headed across goal and wide by Iwobi. Wasn’t much of a chance. The liverpool supporters are chanting Divock Origi’s name.
58 min Alexander-Arnold is booked for scything down the outstanding Anthony Gordon, who had run 60 yards on the break. His attitude and fighting spirit are so impressive.
57 min If Everton do lose this, and that remains the likeliest scenario, Frank Lampard will have plenty to complain about. Sadio Mane might have been sent off, and because he wasn’t trying to play the ball, Matip would have walked as well had he been penalised for pushing Gordon.
56 min: Just wide from Gordon! Another chance for Everton on the break. Iwobi flips a clever pass over Matip and Alexander-Arnold to find Gordon, who drags wide with his left foot from a tight angle.
53 min: Everton penalty appeal! Everton break three on two, with Iwobi playing Gordon in on the left of the area. Matip comes across and leans into Gordon, who falls over. Stuart Attwell decides it’s neither a dive nor a penalty. It’s definitely not a dive but it could easily have been a penalty - it was halfway between a lean and a shove. I think that’s a foul. It probably wasn’t a clear and obvious error, though, so I can understand why VAR didn’t get involved.
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52 min Jota’s backheel almost falls for Keita, with Mykolenko booting the ball away. It’s all Liverpool, as it has been throughout. But they still haven’t had a shot on target.
51 min A superb, imaginative pass from Doucoure releases Iwobi on the left. He darts into the area but then panics and is dispossessed with ease by Matip.
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49 min “I would also do what Everton are doing,” says Ian Copestake, “if my team was this bad.”
How quickly you forget. I watched this game in its entirety, and I’m still waiting for a refund.
47 min Robertson’s corner is headed away to Keita, who splashes a half-volley wide from 25 yards.
47 min “At what minute exactly, if the score is still 0-0, am I allowed to genuinely hope that Liverpool will drop points in this game?” asks Jazi Zilber. “My psychiatrist advised me to be careful with those kinds of hopes, so would love to use professional advice.”
Updated
46 min Peep peep!
I didn’t realise that Mane also put his hand in Holgate’s face, poking him just below the eye. He should probably have received a yellow card for both, but it’s complicated by the fact that VAR can only intervene for incidents that merit a straight red card. Mane is lucky to still be on the pitch though, and I suspect we’ll hear more about it after the game.
Updated
“On U.S. TV, Lee Dixon is pondering if Jordan Pickford is going to ask Stuart Atwell if he can check the ball pressure,” says Nick Blank. “Everton are truly Athletico-ing this fixture and why wouldn’t they?”
Half-time reading
Half time: Liverpool 0-0 Everton
Peep peep! No goals and no shots on target for either team. Liverpool have been frustrated by an Everton side who have defended with admirable discipline and some unashamed cynicism. Liverpool had around 86 per cent of the possession, yet Jordan Pickford has had little to do except waste time before every goalkick.
45+2 min Mane is also booked. It was actually Allan whose face he shoved. It wasn’t particularly violent, but you always risk a red card when you put hands on someone above the neck. Stuart Attwell has called the captains over in an attempt to restore order.
Updated
45 min: It’s kicking off! Richarlison goes down holding his head again. Stuart Attwell has had enough and allows play to continue. This is counter-productive from Everton because it has really got the crowd going.
Doucoure hacks Fabinho so that play will have to stop, and then it all kicks off. Robertson has pushed Pickford, Mane (I think) has just put hands on Holgate’s face. It’s all a bit pathetic. Doucoure was rightly booked for the tackle.
Updated
45 min “Hello from Pittsburgh!” says Eric Peterson. “This is a massive stretch, but yeah, this Toffee fan is desperate. There’s another club that no one seems to be yet considering a candidate for the drop but that I think warrants some consideration. Aston Villa are sitting on 37 points, have collected only one point in their last five games, and for the most part have looked like that’s a most deserved return. If Burnley keep their momentum going and Villa don’t turn it around, there’s that wafer-slim chance that the storyline becomes, ‘Well, they couldn’t figure out how to put Gerrard and Lampard in the same England side. Is there room for only one of them in the Premier League too?’”
It’s not impossible, but it would be quite a turn of events. They have Norwich at home this weekend as well. I think Leeds could become embroiled again though.
44 min Salah plays a one-two with Keita and shoots over from the edge of the area. It’s not happening for Liverpool. YET.
42 min “This isn’t a Frank Lampard team,” says Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, “it’s a Jose Mourinho team.”
41 min Richarlison is down holding his head, and the home crowd aren’t happy when Stuart Attwell stops play. There was nobody near Richarlison when he went down, which is a bit worrying. Or he might just be trying it on. He had just headed a corner away, if that counts for anything.
38 min Liverpool have moved Diogo Jota up front, with Mane coming out to the left.
38 min Everton’s attitude and work-rate have been beyond reproach. It might still end 4-0, because Liverpool are that good, but this is completely different to the game against Manchester United in the week.
Updated
37 min The Liverpool supporters need no incentive to boo or whistle Jordan Pickford, but he is giving them one by taking an age over goalkicks.
34 min: Just wide from Doucoure! Thiago is robbed by Richarlison in the Everton half. He runs forward and plays the ball around van Dijk towards Doucoure, who charges through the inside-right channel. Matip comes across and, with the angle getting tight, Doucoure shoots a few yards wide of the far post. It was a tame effort in the end but a really good break from Everton.
Updated
31 min Everton have frustrated Liverpool, and there’s a bit of needle in the game. Robertson drills a sharp cross to Jota, who steers a first-time wide of the near post from 12 yards. It was a tricky chance.
29 min “Everton currently enjoy a 95 per cent player wage to turnover ratio,” says Norrie Hernon. “Probably in the worst shape financially since Leeds. They really, really need to stay up.”
That’s an interesting point. And an interesting use of ‘enjoy’. I’ll be honest, I’m no spreadsheet junkie so I might be completely wrong, but I’ll be surprised if they don’t go up straight away (if they do go down).
27 min A frustrated Jota throws an elbow at Coleman, and the referee has words with both players. I think it ended up more as a forearm to the neck from Jota, though it wasn’t violent enough to interest VAR.
26 min According to the official Premier League site, Everton have had 14.7 per cent of the possession. But it’s still 0-0, both in goals and shots on target.
25 min Gordon is booked for diving in the Liverpool area, and now both sets of players are getting involved. He collected a brilliant long pass from Pickford, cut inside Keita and went over. There was a slight bit of contact, though it was probably instigated by Gordon. I think that’s a good decision from Stuart Attwell.
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24 min Richarlison wins a corner on the left for Everton. Gordon’s inswinger is headed away.
21 min Keita plays a nothing pass into Mane, on the edge of the D. He loses Allan with a masterful first touch and then whips a first-time shot just over the bar. That was a lovely effort which reflects Mane’s stratospheric confidence.
20 min “Re: Everton walking the Championship next season,” begins Matt Winter. “Remember Leeds saying that. And Derby. And Forest...”
And Spurs and Man Utd in the 1970s, which I think is more analogous. (Spurs didn’t walk it but they were promoted at the first attempt.)
19 min Frank Lampard will be thrilled with Everton’s start. Liverpool were well on top, of course they are, but Pickford still hasn’t had a save to make. Yet.
17 min “By my count there are 14 national teams represented on the pitch at Anfield at the moment,” says Peter Oh. “Who needs the stinkin’ HRWC 2022?!”
What’s the Huron River Watershed Council got to do with anything?
16 min Doucoure plays a dangerous pass inside Alexander-Arnold towards Gordon, who gets to the ball first and then falls over just inside the area. He thought he was shoved by Alexander-Arnold; Stuart Attwell disagreed. I think it was a foul, and might even have been a red card (though probably not as Matip was coming across). Gordon has been ever so impressive.
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15 min A good break from Everton. Gray runs across the line of the Liverpool area, beating two players before his shot is blocked by Matip.
12 min Doucoure is getting tight to Thiago, who was able to run the game against Manchester United. It’s not quite a man-marking job but it’s noticeable how close Doucoure has been.
11 min Everton are defending deep and working extremely hard when they don’t have the ball, which is about 80 per cent of the time.
10 min “Not that I want Everton to win (I really, really don’t),” says Sarah Rothwell, “but the slowly dawning realisation that this might well be the last Merseyside derby for a while is somewhat mind-blowing.”
If Everton go down (and I think they will), they’ll surely walk the Championship next season.
9 min Fabinho plays a smart one-two with Keita on the edge of the area, forcing Holgate to come across and make a good interception
8 min Loads of Liverpool possession, as you’d expect, but Jordan Pickford hasn’t yet had anything to do. Eight down, 82 to go.
6 min “Hi Rob,” says Julian Borrill. “With all the discussion of whether Ten Hag can turn things around at United, could Klopp have taken Liverpool to these heights if Gillett and Hicks were still the owners?”
No chance, I’d say. Klopp is clearly the most important man at the club, an utter genius, but there are so many other reasons for Liverpool’s success. It’s a cliché but their recruitment has been quite phenomenal, probably the best by an English club since the early days of Arsene Wenger.
5 min Gray’s free-kick hits the wall.
5 min Gordon runs at the Liverpool derfence and is fouled by Fabinho 25 yards from goal. This is a chance for Everton...
4 min Liverpool ahve made a swaggering start, every touch full of confidence.
2 min Salah scoots past Mykolenko, but Gordon gets back well to cover. That might be why he’s on the left.
2 min And Everton have started with Demarai Gray on the right wing and Anthony Gordon on the left.
1 min Peep peep! Allan gets the game under way. Liverpool have started with Sadio Mane up front, where he has been in blistering form, and Diogo Jota to the left.
Keane replaces Godfrey in Everton team
Ben Godfrey has pulled a quad muscle in the warm-up, so Michael Keane comes into the side. These are the revised teams.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Keita, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane.
Substitutes: Kelleher, Konate, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Jones, Tsimikas, Diaz, Origi.
Everton (4-3-3) Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Mykolenko; Doucoure, Allan, Iwobi; Gordon, Richarlison, Gray.
Substitutes: Begovic, Kenny, Delph, Branthwaite, Rondon, El Ghazi, Dele, Price.
Referee Stuart Attwell.
Updated
“Everton’s midfielders/attacking players must be in red-hot form if Dele Alli can’t even get a sniff,” says Yash Gupta. “Perhaps he doesn’t suit the Lampardian system.”
Apparently he played well when he came on the other night against Leicester.
A reminder of the teams
Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Keita, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane.
Substitutes: Kelleher, Konate, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Jones, Tsimikas, Diaz, Origi.
Everton (4-3-3) Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Mykolenko; Doucoure, Allan, Iwobi; Gordon, Richarlison, Gray.
Substitutes: Begovic, Kenny, Delph, Branthwaite, Rondon, El Ghazi, Dele, Price.
Referee Stuart Attwell.
Updated
“When people (and all the ‘experts’) talk about the unpredictable nature of Merseyside derbies, can they actually remember one?” says Joe Shelton. “It’s a lazy cliche that has no basis in fact. Liverpool win - that’s the cliche.”
You say that, but Liverpool have won only one of the last four derbies. But yes, it has been very one-sided since the turn of the century.
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The pre-match thoughts of Jurgen Klopp
“We have to treat it like a normal game [rather than a derby] against an opponent who are fighting to stay in the league. They will go for it and we have to do the same. It will be intense; it has to be.”
“Hi Rob,” says Matt Burtz. “You’ve don’t have to tell Everton fans that things are getting serious. This game is a write-off; it’s the three successive games in May against Brentford, Watford, and Crystal Palace, two of them at Goodison, that may very well decide survival. (And the hope that Leeds get sucked into it.) Frankly I’m not even sure why I’m watching today, aside from masochism. That, and it’s supposed to rain where I am.”
It might well rain goals at Anfield, boom boom.
“I’ve spent all week feeling completely confident about this game,” weeps Matt Dony. “And yet, here we are, counting down the minutes, expecting Everton to defend obstinately and sneak a scruffy winner in the 83rd minute. Football turns us all into idiots. (Admittedly, many of us don’t leave it much work to do…)”
Frank Lampard’s pre-match thoughts
“They’re a great team in great form. We just have to focus on ourselves and believe we can get a result. We have to be absolutely spot-on today to get something. We need to be brave, disciplined, stick together and put in a huge amount of effort.”
“Rob, it goes beyond squeaky-bum time,” writes Everton fan Mary Waltz. “Dark, bleak, gut-wrenching despair, Black Sunday would be more accurate. Well, how much worse could this day get? ‘Stunning election results from France...’”
It’s fascinating (and slightly alarming) how often we remember our team’s result on the day of a seismic global event. To most rounded human beings, 28 November 1990 is the day Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister; to me it’s the night Danny Wallace played like Romario and Lee Sharpe banged in a hat-trick.
“Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “Though I’m not a fan of Liverpool, I prefer them ever so slightly as league winners, if only because I enjoy watching them play more than their title rivals. So I’m worried that they might slip up today, given that local derbies are famously unpredictable, and that stepping on even a single banana peel might doom their chances. I’m currently watching Napoli’s faint hope of winning the scudetto go up in smoke, down 3-2 against Empoli after leading 2-0, and I hope it isn’t an omen for Liverpool. Enjoy the match!”
Full time: Burnley 1-0 Wolverhampton
Matej Vydra’s goal has given Burnley another precious victory, which moves them above Everton into 17th place. It pains me to say it, but so far the unpleasant decision to sack Sean Dyche has been justified.
As for Everton, this is getting serious. Seriously serious.
Keita v Henderson
“I would hazard the view that Naby has in fact gone ahead of our very captain in the team,” says Ian Copestake. “When disciplined manic pressing is required then Naby does not end up playing up front like our Hendo has tended to do. A changing of the guard is afoot.”
I agree it’s afoot - Henderson is 32 in June and has a gazillion miles on the clock - but I still think he would start, say, the Champions League final against Manchester City ahead of Keita.
More pre-match reading
It looks like Everton will drop into the relegation zone before this game kicks off. Burnley lead Wolves 1-0 at Turf Moor with just over five minutes remaining. If it stays like that Everton would be two points with two games in hand. Squeaky-bum time doesn’t come close to describing it.
Keita and Thiago both start for Liverpool today, which makes Will Unwin’s excellent piece even more clickable.
Team news
Jurgen Klopp decides to give Jordan Henderson a rest ahead of the Champions League semi-final first leg against Villarreal on Wednesday. He’s replaced by Naby Keita, and Diogo Jota comes in for Luis Diaz.
Team news 📋
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 24, 2022
How we line-up for today's Merseyside derby 🔴 #LIVEVE
Frank Lampard also makes two changes: Mason Holgate and Abdoulaye Doucoure replace Fabian Delph and the (presumably) injured Yerry Mina.
🔵 | Team news is in as the boss makes two changes from our last game.
— Everton (@Everton) April 24, 2022
COYB! 👊 #LIVEVE pic.twitter.com/GVK0YLXQDR
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Liverpool v Everton at Anfield. This is the 291st Merseyside derby, and in that time there have been a fair few thrashings: two 6-0s, five 5-0s, eight 4-0s and even a 7-4. But I’d be surprised if any of the previous 290 derbies felt like such a foregone conclusion.
Liverpool are sniffing a quadruple; Everton are in serious danger of relegation for the first time in 68 years. Liverpool have won their last 11 league games at Anfield; Everton have taken one point from their last 11 away games. I could go on, but we all know about the disparity between the teams.
It should be a mismatch, but then so should Tyson v Douglas, David v Goliath and Greece v everyone. You just never know, which is why all keep watching. That and because The Man applies an electric current to the cullions every time I try to leave the liveblog dungeon.
The worry for Everton is not that they will lose, but that they will be hammered in a manner that impacts their remaining six games. While it won’t sit comfortably with Frank Lampard, a dignified 2-0 defeat might be a decent result.
Kick off 4.30pm.
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