Everton Slowly Becoming Force to Be Reckoned With After Outplaying Liverpool

It's not often you hear the words, 'Everton deserved to win the Merseyside derby'. However, on Sunday, it was true. They really did.

The Toffees managed to shackle their rivals, at least helping to slightly postpone the Liverpool title party.

For those who hadn't watched the game, a first glance of the scoreline might have suggested that Everton had held on for dear life, it was, in fact, more like the opposite and Klopp's men were lucky to leave with a point.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Richarlison all missed big chances to seal a famous victory (Everton have not beaten Liverpool since 2010) in the latter stages of the match. However, despite some rustiness in front of goal, it was an encouraging all-round performance for the Toffees, who appeared to settle into the groove of playing again after a three-month hiatus quicker than the world champions.

Bit by bit, Ancelotti is extracting the best out of his players, picking up the pieces from the disastrous first half of the season. The prime example being the rise of Calvert-Lewin since the Italian's appointment back in December.

The reborn striker has 13 Premier League goals to his name so far, a run of form which could (and should) see him challenge for a place in the England squad.

In basketball, there are franchise players which are tasked with performing the bulk of attacking duties, you give them the ball and you, more or less, get out of the way. Richarlison is developing nicely into this role for the Toffees, his ability and desire to take on defenders and drive at goal makes him a constant threat.

Everton's future success may rely solely on whether or not they can retain their Brazilian talisman. Still only 23, Richarlison is entrusted with setting the tone for the rest of the squad.

With the club finally re-surfacing from the turbulence experienced in the latter stages of Steve Walsh's tenure, Brands has made some positive additions to the Everton squad as the club strive to become a top-four contender.

However, with the £450m spent by owner Farhad Moshiri since 2016, have Everton progressed anywhere near as much as they thought they would? The club has a considerable amount of deadwood to get rid of, the large wages on offer has seen the Toffees become the ideal destination for players who want money, but don't share the club's vision.

Brands will have the tough task of offloading the various peripheral players eating away at the wage bill from the shadows of the first team. In doing so, the club will have more leverage in the transfer market. The financial implications of coronavirus meaning Everton may only have the funds to make one or two signings in the summer window.

There's still a long way to go for Everton to achieve the lofty ambitions set by Moshiri, with Ancelotti at the helm, there aren't many mangers out there who are more suitable for lifting the team to the next level. Consistency is something that has eluded the Toffees, separating them from the Premier League's elite, new signings are needed in order to progress from their mid-table woes.

The inclusion of Anthony Gordon into the first team against Liverpool was an encouraging ploy, as the club move away from their dodgy string of transfers under Steve Walsh, the implementation of young talent is something that the club needs to press on with.

As Everton steer into a new era in their bid to become the Champions League side Moshiri dreams of, the hard work begins now, both on and off the pitch.