Liverpool player ratings v Everton – Van Dijk leads the way, four Reds get 3/10
Liverpool saw their title chances all but extinguished with a disappointing 2-0 away loss against rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday (24 April).
Jarrad Branthwaite opened the scoring in a highly-charged first half before Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubled the advantage in the second half.
Liverpool enjoyed 77% of the ball on the night but squandered plenty of chances to get back into the game.
The Reds had 23 total shots in the encounter but could only get seven on target, with Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah guilty of missing the game’s biggest opportunities.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are still second in the Premier League table but have handed a huge advantage to rivals Man City and Arsenal.
Szoboszlai, Salah and Nunez were awful in crushing Everton loss
Football Insider has evaluated the Reds’ performances in the derby loss.
PLAYER RATINGS
Alisson [6]
Got lucky early on after fouling Calvert-Lewin for a penalty, only for him to be ruled offside. The goalkeeper made four saves, including three inside his box.
Trent Alexander-Arnold [6]
Promised to be Liverpool’s creative spark with glimpses of brilliance in the first half, but couldn’t maintain it in both halves and was shredded in defence. He lost possession 25 times and was beaten to the header for Calvert-Lewin’s goal.
Ibrahima Konate [3]
Yet another shocker from the centre-back, who was run ragged by Calvert-Lewin. Konate won six of his nine duels but was bullied by the Everton star throughout and was substituted on 63 minutes.
Virgil van Dijk [6]
Was much better than his defensive partners, but must step up and take responsibility for yet another defensive disaster. Van Dijk won 10 of his 13 duels and recorded five defensive actions.
Andy Robertson [5]
One of Liverpool’s most dangerous outlets going forward, but was extremely wasteful in attacking positions. He completed just 81% of his passes and lost possession a ridiculous 28 times.
Alexis Mac Allister [4]
Has been run into the ground by a stuttering Liverpool in recent weeks. The central midfielder won just five of his 12 duels and like Konate, was bullied by his Everton counterparts.
Curtis Jones [3]
Another anonymous display from Jones, who may have an uncertain future when Klopp’s successor arrives. He won just one of his seven duels and had just 55 touches in central midfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai [3]
Awful. Just like Jones, he couldn’t stamp his authority on the game and managed just 43 touches before being hooked just after the hour mark. He was also guilty of multiple embarrassing dives as Liverpool chased the game.
Mohamed Salah [3]
What happened to him? Another abysmal performance from someone who looks a shadow of the player he was even earlier this season. Salah had seven shots but failed to work Jordan Pickford with any of them and was a complete non-entity down the Liverpool right, only becoming involved when he drifted inside.
Darwin Nunez [4]
Nunez was guilty of yet another highlight-reel miss at 1-0 in the first half, blasting the ball straight at Pickford from close range. The forward’s movement was effective but he somehow managed to touch the ball just 19 times in 90 minutes.
Luis Diaz [5]
Diaz was the bright spark in the Liverpool attack, hitting the woodwork in the second half. He also battled well defensively, winning two tackles.
SUBSTITUTES
Jarell Quansah [6]
Was an upgrade on Konate after replacing him, but the damage was already done for Klopp’s side.
Wataru Endo [4]
Replaced Szoboszlai in midfield but struggled to get up to the pace of the game. He was guilty of committing cheap fouls which broke up Liverpool’s momentum.
Harvey Elliott [5]
Had one shot tipped over which was more potent than all of Salah’s seven efforts combined, but was otherwise ineffective.
Joe Gomez [N/A]
Replaced Alexander-Arnold late on.
Kostas Tsimikas [N/A]
Came on in place of Robertson with minutes remaining.
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