Everton 2-0 Liverpool: Player ratings as Toffees claim huge Merseyside derby victory

Everton effectively ended their relegation fears and all but killed Liverpool's Premier League title hopes with a 2-0 victory over their rivals at Goodison Park.

Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin handed the Toffees a deserved victory that moves them eight points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.

The Reds, meanwhile, now need a miracle to nullify the advantages of both Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

How the game unfolded

Having lost Diogo Jota to injury last weekend, the Reds' attacking options were further depleted as Cody Gakpo withdrew from the squad ahead of his wife giving birth.

Everton, meanwhile, welcomed Ben Godfrey and James Garner into the side that had earned a crucial 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest last time out.

Buoyed by that confidence-boosting victory and with a passionate crowd behind them, it was the hosts who started the brightest.

Abdoulaye Doucoure failed to give them an early lead when he passed a simple chance wide, before a penalty award against Alisson Becker for a trip on Calvert-Lewin was overturned due to an offside in the build-up.

But Everton kept coming, with Calvert-Lewin and Godrey failing to take presentable headed opportunities before Branthwaite broke the deadlock.

The defender capitalised on chaos in the Liverpool box, particularly a poor Ibrahima Konate clearance, to squeeze the ball home and send the home crowd wild.

Liverpool recovered to create chances of their own before the break, but Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz both hammered the ball straight at Jordan Pickford before Mohamed Salah blasted over.

The Reds looked ready to begin turning the screw after half-time when Virgil van Dijk met an early corner and nodded it straight toward Pickford.

But Everton roared straight back, Dwight McNeil forcing Alisson to tip over the bar before Calvert-Lewin was given the freedom of the box to head a corner in at the back stick.

At that point, Liverpool's hopes looked lost, and optimism over an unlikely comeback only shrunk further when Diaz hit the inside of the post from the left-hand side.

From there, the visitors largely went out with a whimper, as Everton easily saw the game out to claim a victory that all but secures their top-flight future for another season.

Everton player ratings (4-4-1-1)

GK: Jordan Pickford - 7/10 - His key contribution was making two big saves from Nunez and Diaz in the first half to keep Everton in the ascendancy.

RB: Ben Godfrey - 7/10 - Set the tone with a few meaty early challenges and largely dealt well with Diaz.

CB: James Tarkowski - 7/10 - Seemed to win anything that came his way, including set-piece deliveries into the opposition box.

CB: Jarrad Branthwaite - 8/10 - Took his goal well and was part of an impressive defensive performance from the Toffees. What a talent he is.

LB: Vitaliy Mykolenko - 6/10 - Played well until being forced off with injury at half-time.

RM: Jack Harrison - 6/10 - Faded a little as the game went on but as a constant menace as well as working hard on the defensive side of things.

CM: James Garner - 7/10 - Helped swarm Liverpool's midfielders and kept it simple with the ball.

CM: Idrissa Gana Gueye 7/10 - A major part of Everton's control of the centre of the park. Ran himself into the ground and

LM: Dwight McNeil - 7/10 - Always there to help out defensively or get Everton up the pitch and his set-piece deliveries were brilliant.

AM: Abdoulaye Doucoure - 6/10 - Not always neat and tidy in possession but was always an outlet and got close to Calvert-Lewin to make the most of his flick-ons.

ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 8/10 - Made something of every ball lofted up towards him, giving Liverpool's centre-backs hell in the process. Deserved his goal.

Substitutes

SUB: Ashley Young (46' for Mykolenko) - 6/10

SUB: Andre Onana (75' for Gueye) - 6/10

SUB: Youssef Chermiti (90+3' for Calvert-Lewin) - N/A

Subs not used: Virginia, Keane, Gomes, Warrington, Danjuma, Hunt.

Manager

Sean Dyche - 8/10 - Got his tactical plan spot on, setting Everton up to dominate their neighbours in a manner rarely seen in the last decade.

Liverpool player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Alisson Becker - 5/10 - Set the tone for the night in clumsily giving a penalty away before the let-off of a VAR offside call. Takes no blame for the goals, though.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6/10 - Liverpool's best creator during his time on the pitch but frequently let down by those around him.

CB: Ibrahima Konate - 3/10 - Completely bullied by Calvert-Lewin and poor in possession along with it. Deserved to be hooked just past the hour mark.

CB: Virgil van Dijk - 5/10 - Not quite as ineffective as Konate but it's rare you see a defence he is part of dominated in this way.

LB: Andy Robertson - 5/10 - Got into so many promising positions going forward but was found wanting in terms of quality in key moments.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister 5/10 - One of Liverpool's better midfielders, which isn't saying much. A shadow of the player seen earlier in the season.

CM: Dominik Szoboszlai - 4/10 - Wasteful with the ball and physically meek off it. The Hungarian's form has gone off a cliff since his mid-season injury.

CM: Curtis Jones - 5/10 - Another one who seems to be suffering a hangover from a recent injury. Could not wrestle control of the game back from Everton.

RW: Mohamed Salah - 3/10 - Just hasn't been himself since that injury at the Africa Cup of Nations, as he showed in missing several chances here. Liverpool may have an interesting decision to make on his future this summer.

ST: Darwin Nunez - 2/10 - Has never shaken off that knack for missing big opportunities and did it again here. Rarely troubled Everton's centre-backs, either. A puzzle for the new manager to solve.

LW: Luis Diaz - 5/10 - Did about as well as any Liverpool attacker but that only amounted to missing a one-on-one and hitting the post.

Substitutes

SUB: Harvey Elliott (63' for Jones) - 6/10

SUB: Wataru Endo (63' for Szoboszlai) - 5/10

SUB: Jarell Quansah (63' for Konate) - 6/10

SUB: Joe Gomez (84' for Alexander-Arnold) - N/A

SUB: Kostas Tsimikas (84' for Robertson) - N/A

Subs not used: Kelleher, Gravenberch, Clark, Danns.

Manager

Jurgen Klopp - 4/10 - Appears to be working with a hugely fatigued squad but his lack of answers for this recent stumble has been surprising.

Player of the match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)

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