ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Diogo Jota was the Liverpool hero in the latest edition of the Merseyside derby, with the Portugal striker scoring the only goal of the game to send the Reds a full 12 points clear again at the top.
Everton defender James Tarkowski, who scored a late equalizer at Goodison Park a couple of months ago in the reverse fixture, was fortunate to escape a red card— and Alexis Mac Allister lucky not avoid a serious injury — early in the game. But after that, Liverpool was well in control of things.
The question was whether or not the Reds could find a way to get past Jordan Pickford and it was Jota who had the answer. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Arne Slot’s big forward line call pays off
Diogo Jota has not been in good form lately: his last goal for Liverpool was in mid-January when he popped up with an instant equalizer against Nottingham Forest when he and Kostas Tsimikas came off the bench.
Luis Diaz has played through the middle but is better off the left (as he showed in parts here) and Cody Gakpo, now fully fit again and looking sharp while he was on international duty, seemed likely to start in the forward line. Arne Slot, though, had other ideas.
The Liverpool head coach was spot on with his decision and it proved a stroke of genius. This was the best Jota has played for some time and it was his weaving dribble that led to the opening goal as he slid the ball into the back of the net at the Kop End.
Given he has admitted himself a couple of times that injuries have stunted his progress this season, this was something of a message as the final few games of the campaign near. This was a big step in the right direction.
(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
James Tarkowski gets away with blatant red card
Inexperienced referee Sam Barrott was the man in the middle and his call of a yellow card for Tarkowski was understandable on the field. What wasn’t so understandable was the lack of an intervention from the VAR, Paul Tierney.
The contact on Alexis Mac Allister was clearly more than “reckless” and went well into the category of endangering an opponent. The Argentine was very lucky that he didn’t sustain a serious problem. Even Duncan Ferguson and Gary Neville said it was a nail-on red card. Now that is saying something…
(Image: Getty Images)
Curtis Jones does his job
In the absence of ‘proper’ right-back options, Curtis Jones was moved back into the full-back role. Trent Alexander-Arnold made the move from midfield to full-back and might be making the move away in the summer— could Jones be a wildcard solution?
He wasn’t 100 per cent comfortable and there were moments where you wondered if he might be tested to his limits, but he came through. Going forward, it was useful to have his ability to keep possession, which he is definitely better than Jarell Quansah at.
This isn’t the first time Jones has played full-back. He did it under Jurgen Klopp when required, and he has a skillset that suggests he can do it. He’s a clever footballer, even if he won’t be making the switch permanently.
(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Mohamed Salah improved
Mohamed Salah did not play well against either PSG or Newcastle before the international break. He would have known that his high standards were not matched in those big games and he seemed determined to put that right.
Salah can play better than this and clearly will do again, but he did well enough and was markedly better than he has been of late. With Vitalii Mykolenko back in the Everton team after injury, the Ukrainian a resolute full-back didn’t make things simple.
Leading the race for the Golden Boot, Salah didn’t extend his lead over Erling Haaland. He isn’t going to be caught, though, and neither is Liverpool in its pursuit of a 20th title.
Premier League title within reach
There were murmurs — from nervous Liverpool supporters keen not to tempt fate, and non-Reds fans desperate for a slip-up — that Slot’s men might not get over the line in the Premier League this season. Losing to PSG and Newcastle before the international break but having a 12-point lead at the top, that was never likely.
Arsenal beating Fulham with a goal from the returning Bukayo Saka on Tuesday only served to remind everyone that nothing is done yet, but that was why Liverpool needed to get a positive result: to put an end to the chatter. That it was a derby that came first after the international fixtures was almost irrelevant, at least in the title picture.
That is never irrelevant when it comes to bragging rights and whatnot, but for Slot, the three points were all that mattered. Get another victory at Fulham at the weekend and the title will be right within touching distance.
