Well, there we have it! 1-0. Not a wide margin by any standards but still one that resonates with layers of concealed implications for the new Everton boss and his charges.
Everton’s latest winless campaign at Anfield has hit the floorboards. The score wasn’t something to lose too much sleep over. It’s how the match was played by the Toffees that’s the real cause for concern!
It was uplifting to see the Everton boys assailing Liverpool’s goal in the first half although with no fruits to show. It was the sudden, total dissipation of energy, resolve and purpose in the second half that was agonizing to watch despite Liverpool fielding a seemingly weakened side.
The visitors to Anfield, although in full-strength, squandered all four excellent opportunities in the first half and was never able to recover from their near misses after that.
The Liverpool young guns, particularly Curtis Jones and Takumi Minamino, announced their presence with flagrant disregard for the Everton seniors and brought their A game to the pitch, dazzling with bursts of speed, creativity and flair. It was truly heartwarming to see them strut their yet unharnessed skills, unmitigated vibrance and youthful zeal.
For his brilliant play, Curtis Jones currently stands as Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer in a Merseyside derby since Robbie Fowler in the Premier League in March 1994.
Klopp had only boundless praise for his young wunderkind who stole the day. On Jones’ goal, “It was an absolutely sensational goal, I love it.
An unbelievable player, Scouser, very confident, can’t wait to play in the first team. And rightly so. He is in a very good way. He has made big steps, I’m not surprised he scored that kind of goal. He has still things to learn and improve, but you sometimes forget, and we forget it in training, that he is only 18. Unbelievable.”
He was also buoyant that Takumi Minamino showed he is ‘exactly the player’ Liverpool wanted after the youngster made his debut. Klopp’s uncanny knack for fielding the right selection merits praise despite it being not his A-team choice. His radiant countenance after the game was understandable as his calculated gamble of letting most of his first-team stars off to rest up paid dividends.
“I saw a sensationally good performance from a not-very-experienced team, with a lot of players for the first time playing on this stage in front of this crowd and this type of opponent,” he said. “It was outstanding. I loved each second of the game.”
Ancellotti was understandably hard on himself and his Merseyside blues. He knew only too well that they would have to dig much deeper from now onwards to build the formidable team he needs for the future.
“The line-up of Liverpool didn’t affect our idea,” he added. “We knew Liverpool would put fresh players in and the intensity could be high. The defeat arrived because we were not able to keep a high intensity in the second (half). We lost energy and confidence.”
He broke his customary habit of not speaking to his boys after a game and confronted his players post-game immediately after the match to voice his dissatisfaction with their “not good enough” performance. That indeed says a lot.