Cody Gakpo broke his duck because the whiff of derby cordite eventually sparked facet into motion. The Dutch striker’s first objective on the seventh time of asking since his £37m switch from PSV within the January window helped Liverpool to an emphatic win over an overrun Everton at Anfield.
With Mo Salah additionally rediscovering his scoring boots, it was a satisfying evening all spherical for Liverpool who appeared rather more just like the previous selves. It solely lifted them to ninth within the Premier League desk however after what had gone earlier than of late it was as heartening an evening for the crimson facet of the town because it was a actuality examine for the blue.
After their victory over Arsenal in Sean Dyche’s first sport in cost, there was optimism that Everton might do one thing much like an off-colour Liverpool who, heading into final evening’s sport, have been on the worst run of any facet within the Premier League with one level from their final 4 video games.
However Everton provided little at Anfield, not even a lot in the way in which of snap and chunk, and appeared what they're - a facet within the relegation zone.
With out the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dyche picked Ellis Simms - recalled from mortgage at Sunderland - as his arrowhead. However he reduce a lonely and remoted determine up entrance and was taken off after an hour of his second league look.
Liverpool didn't give their rivals as a lot as a sniff. First to every part, and with teenager Stefan Bajcetic displaying a maturity past his years in midfield, Liverpool dominated all through.
Nunez was an actual handful down the left for Liverpool and it was his surging break - after James Tarkowski had hit the put up for Everton from a nook - that arrange Salah for the opening objective within the thirty sixth minute.
With Everton caught upfield, Liverpool’s counterattack was lethal with Nunez exchanging passes with Salah earlier than haring off and delivering a exact cross for the fast-arriving Egyptian as goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, fixated on Gakpo for some cause, left his web unguarded.
After 5 clean Premier League video games, the dam lastly broke for the relieved Salah.
4 minutes after the break it was 2-0. Andy Robertson surged by way of the guts of the flimsy Everton midfield, launched Salah after which the overlapping Trent Alexander-Arnold rolled within the cross previous a hesitant Conor Coady for Gakpo to faucet dwelling.
Liverpool have been flowing by now and may have had extra. Pickford was known as upon to disclaim Nunez from a decent angle simply earlier than the hour mark and Nunez went shut once more after a terrific run from Gakpo.
For Everton substitute Tom Davies’s limp fist far-post header with ten minutes left from a uncommon alternative summed up their night. A part of the Liverpool stoop has been right down to the lengthy checklist of absentees however the wounded are on the mend.
Diogo Jota, lacking for nearly 4 months, got here on for the final 20 minutes and Roberto Firmino adopted him off the bench for his first look of 2023.
Virgil van Dijk, again amongst the subs too, made his presence felt in a mass shoving match late which noticed Robertson and Pickford booked.
On an evening when Liverpool have been on prime in each space, they shaded that struggle too.