Three things learned about Everton in 4-1 loss v Liverpool
By Tom Griffin
It was Merseyside derby despair at Goodison Park for Everton, as an imperious Liverpool side ran away with a 4-1 victory on Wednesday night.
Mohammed Salah sought revenge after last seasons derby defeat and he ruthlessly dispatched two goals past Jordan Pickford, who was criticised heavily for his performance on the night.
Defeat against his former club has piled further pressure onto Rafael Benitez, with the Blues becoming embroiled in an unneeded relegation tussle.
Here are three main talking points from last nights Derby defeat.
Gray the rare shining light
Demarai Gray has been Everton’s only success story in what has been a bitterly disappointing campaign for the Toffees.
But last night – even through the darkness of a humbling – Gray came out the other end of the tunnel as a rare beam of shining light.
He offers Everton hope, where there is little, and having scored the third goal on the night, he offered a passage back into the game for his club, but it was one that soon closed.
The 25-year-old earns recognition for driving forward with the ball while his intelligence to make bold inside runs is how Everton found a route to goal on Wednesday night.
Pressure piled on Benitez
The humbling has left Everton five points above the relegation zone in 14th place and in normal circumstances, would leave Benitez on the brink of losing his job.
Everton are equalling records for all the wrong reasons, and defeat against Liverpool has extended their winless run to eight matches, their worst sequence since 1999.
Benitez is only a minor blotch in the copybook of reasons why the Blues have fallen by the wayside in recent times and although the blame can’t be pinned on just one person, supporters know Benitez is a victim of the mismanagement at the top of the football club.
There have been calls for huge change at the football club from supporters and the cries bellowing from the stands on Wednesday would suggest that they feel it’s time for Benitez to go.
But owner Farhad Moshiri has insisted that the Spaniard will not be sacked, despite the club falling perilously close to the relegation zone.
Defensive errors prove costly
When matched against superior opposition, it is important to get the basics correct and limit the opposition to half chances.
Everton, however, did what you shouldn’t do, and that was present an imperious Mohammed Salah with two opportunities that he wasn’t going to pass up.
First, he caught Lucas Digne out of position and broke down the right channel, before driving into the box and burying the ball into the far left corner.
Then he dispossessed Seamus Coleman on the halfway line, capitalising on a sloppy touch, before bearing down on Jordan Pickford’s goal and sliding the ball beyond his grasp.
Although Pickford’s goalkeeping is at fault for both goals, Liverpool were presented with several golden opportunities far too easily and against world-class opposition, you can ill afford to do that, and they were punished for doing so.
In other Everton news, Simon Jordan has slammed this ‘Irresponsible’ Blues ace live on-air ahead of the Merseyside derby.
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