Goodison Park Enjoys Goalless Derby

Sports - Football - Premier League - EVE 0:0 LIV

Liverpool have taken their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions against Everton - W8 D9 - their longest ever run without defeat against their Merseyside rivals after a goalless draw at Goodison Park in the lunchtime kickoff on Saturday.

Click here for my full ByTheMinute match coverage.

Jürgen Klopp made five changes for the Reds with their eyes on the Champions League second-leg clash against Manchester City next week.

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were the most notable absentees, the prior due to injury, the latter dropped onto the bench.

Big Sam made just one change for the Toffees from the side that lost 3-1 to Manchester City last weekend, Tom Davies replacing Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The visitors dominated throughout, hardly giving the home side any time on the ball, but pace was noticeably missing on both sides.

Toffee keeper Jordan Pickford denied Dominic Solanke point blank after just over quarter of an hour gone.

On the other side of the pitch, Loris Karius punched Yannick Bolasie's magnificent curl full-stretch out for a corner halfway through the first half.

After half an hour, man of the match James Milner took a chance from the left, what a take and stop it was, Pickford with another strong save.

As much as Liverpool had the ball, it got more and more frustrating watching kick-about after kick-about, nothing coming from it.

Sadio Mané put a chance high from outside the box just before the break and Virgil van Dijk missed a couple of chances as well,

Bolasie, skipper Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman were all guilty of being reckless with their tackling and wasting the rare chances the Toffees got, but the referee kept the book in his pocket.

Wayne Rooney wasn't happy coming off with just under an hour gone, Idrissa Gueye replacing him, but the home side actually improved afterwards and got more into the game.

Coleman and Danny Ings clashed, but referee Michael Oliver just had a word with both captains Jagielka and Jordan Henderson respectively, no cards, no nothing.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Milner with just over 20 minutes to go and tried to replicate his Wednesday Champions League cracker from outside the box, but it wasn't quite the same, going out high for a goal kick.

Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott and substitute Calvert-Lewin wasted chances from close range late on, Liverpool's defensive changes going for the draw.

It ended goalless, Everton finishing on a high after Liverpool rode the show - plenty of chances missed, wasted and went begging, frustrating to watch.

The second half saw no shots on target by either side and it was only the second Merseyside derby in PL history without a single booking, first since their opening clash in December 1992.

The home side will definitely have been happier with the point, the visitors' heads lost in Europe.

Two points dropped for the Reds, keeping them in third, one point behind the Red Devils in second before their evening kick-off against local rivals City.

HT Stats: EVE 0-0 LIV
Possession: 34%-66%
Shots: 3-7
On target: 1-3
Corners: 2-2
Fouls: 7-2

FT Stats: EVE 0-0 LIV
Possession: 38%-62%
Shots: 6-10
On target: 1-3
Corners: 3-2
Fouls: 12-7

Everton Team: 1 Pickford; 3 Baines, 4 Keane, 6 Jagielka (c), 23 Coleman; 2 Schneiderlin, 10 Rooney (17 Gueye 57'); 7 Bolasie (29 Calvert-Lewin 61'), 26 Davies (54 Baningme 79'), 11 Walcott; 14 Tosun. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 15 Martina, 19 Niasse, 25 Funes Mori, 33 Joel.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 17 Klavan, 4 van Dijk, 6 Lovren, 2 Clyne; 6 Milner (21 Oxlade-Chamberlain 68'), 14 Henderson (c), 5 Wijnaldum; 19 Mané (9 Firmino 74'), 29 Solanke, 28 Ings (66 Alexander-Arnold 89'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 22 Mignolet, 63 Masterson, 48 Jones, 64 Camacho.

Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: James Milner
Ground: Goodison Park
Attendance: 39,220

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Sky Sports app, Twitter and SFR coverage.

Rooney Grabs A Point From The Spot

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 1:1 EFC

Here are my live match notes, stats and facts:

Pre-match surprise: Coutinho and Firmino dropped to the bench, part of six changes for the Reds!!! (See the full line-ups at the bottom of these live match notes.)

15' 76%-24% possession, Reds pushing, Toffees leaving too much space at times, Big Sam going ballistic on the sideline, even Jürgen Klopp was taken aback next to the big raging boss.

23' 93%-46% passing accuracy, quality and dominance but still no real danger nor breakthrough.

29' 5-0 attempts, 0-0 on target, on top but somewhat disappointing so far for the Reds.

36' first BOOKING of the derby goes to Sigurdsson for a late tackle on Henderson, studs on ankle, ouch.

42' second BOOKING Gueye, late tackle from behind on Senegalese team mate Mané, free kick for the home side on the left -

GOAL - Salah fights his way through from the right, lifts and swerves a beauty up, away and into the left corner with his magical left foot, keeper no chance, 1-0!

Two minutes added on.

MISS - Mané skips past the last Toffee, runs in from the left, has three other Reds free in front of goal to choose from, but the Senegalese striker puts it wide instead. Should have been 2-0!

HT LFC 1-0 EFC
Possession: 80%-20%
Shots: 12-1
On target: 1-1
Corners: 3-0
Fouls: 4-6
Yellow cards: 0-2

Two CHANGES made by Big Sam after the break, Lennon and Schneiderlin on for Davies and Niasse. Rooney has gone from useless right-back to up front. Will it bring Everton into the game?

49' Salah header JUST wide, brilliant Milner cross. Liverpool continuing the way they were going, on top, dominant.

50' Sigurdsson puts the ball wide from the left, no real threat.

52' Fifth corner to the Reds, looking dangerous, Toffees struggling, crumbling, sixth corner, headed away, threat still not cleared, all Liverpool at the moment.

55' Seventh and eighth Liverpool corner, Salah fires it high from the edge of the box. 15-1 shots, but just 1-1 on target.

63' 77%-23% possession, I don't know how that has gone down, it's still all Red, one-way traffic. 35-2 touches in the opposition box.

65' Pickford was just watching there as Gomez headed the ball over off a free kick on the left, close one.

67' First CHANGE made by Klopp, Firmino replaces goal scorer Salah. Calculated gamble by the German boss, the commentators ask.

73' 11-1 corners, first one for the visitors, the fans cheer as if they've scored, nothing from it.

76' PENALTY TO EVERTON Lovren pushed down Calvert-Lewin in the box, no one else near, no threat as they were running towards the corner, clumsy one, soft one, a present. The visitors' first penalty at Anfield since 1988!!!

77' ROONEY EQUALISES from the spot, his first EVER goal in the Merseyside derby, Liverpool punished for their misses and clumsiness.

80' CHANGE Klopp brings on Coutinho for Oxlade-Chamberlain in response to that equaliser, Lovren had been booked for the penalty offence.

82' CHANGE Solanke is replaced by Ings, final dice thrown by Klopp.

82' Last CHANGE for Everton as well, Rooney handing the captain's armband over to Jagielka.

85' Schneiderlin BOOKED for felling down Milner. Coutinho to take the resulting free kick, Pickford saves and collects it to his top right. 22-3 shots, only 3-2 on target.

88' Lovren heads another Liverpool corner high. He will be kicking himself for giving away the win.

Four minutes added on, Firmino on the stretch, ball goes out for a goal kick. Henderson fires high late on, disappointing.

Full time whistle blows, Lovren still protesting to the officials, but he can moan as much as he likes, he has given the win away with the penalty foul. 1-1 and one point each, all the dominance and chances don't count for anything!

Positive note: Liverpool remain unbeaten in the last ten matches in all competitions and have equalled their longest-ever unbeaten run against the Toffees in all competitions = 15 games, set between March 1972 and April 1978.

FT LFC 1-1 EFC
Possession: 79%-21%
Shots: 23-3
On target: 3-2
Corners: 2-1
Fouls: 8-11
Yellow cards: 1-3

Klopp's post-match interview!!! Wow! The German normal and usually smiley one didn't take the questions about the spot kick lightly!!! No matter how angry he is about the referee, he can't ignore his side's weaknesses and how they couldn't take the game away from Big Sam's side. Next: West Brom at Anfield on Wednesday!

Liverpool team: 22 Mignolet, 12 Gomez, 6 Lovren (booked 76'), 17 Klavan, 26 Robertson, 14 Henderson (c), 7 Milner, 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain (10 Coutinho 78'), 19 Mané, 11 Salah (9 Firmino 67'), 29 Solanke (28 Ings 82'). 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can, 66 Alexander-Arnold.

Everton team: 1 Pickford, 43 Kenny, 15 Martina, 30 Holgate, 5 Williams, 17 Gueye (booked 42'), 29 Calvert-Lewin, 26 Davies (12 Lennon HT), 10 Rooney (c) (6 Jagielka 82'), 18 Sigurdsson (booked 36'), 19 Niasse (2 Schneiderlin HT, booked 85'). 4-3-3
Subs not used: 33 Robles, 4 Keane, 27 Vlasic, 31 Lookman.

Referee: Craig Pawson
Man of the match: Jonjoe Kenny
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,082

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

All facts and stats were taken from the BBC match report, Twitter and Sky Sports live match coverage.