Zonal Marking II – Everton F.C. v Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool faced Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, but it did not turn out to be a thrilling return to Premier League football that supporters had been looking forward to. With that in mind, let us take a look at the performances from Liverpool’s defence, midfield, and attack after their 30th game of the season.

Defenders and Goalkeepers

Alisson Becker and Joel Matip returned from injury to start the game alongside Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander Arnold whilst James Milner stepped in for Andrew Robertson at left back.

Although Alisson made a crucial save in the second half, the Brazilian watched on for much of the game as Liverpool continued to dominate possession. Meanwhile, Joel Matip pushed further up the field before picking up an injury which ended his time on the pitch – a shame given that the Cameroon international has already spent much of the current campaign on the sidelines. Dejan Lovren replaced him and, like Watford away from home, he put in another shocking performance which allowed Carlo Ancelotti’s men to expose Liverpool from the wing.

Joe Gomez replaced Milner who also picked up an injury in the first half, meaning that Liverpool finished the game with three centre backs and the defence suffered from a lack of structure in the final minutes of the game because of this. Meanwhile, Trent looked rusty on his return to the Premier League with a number of poor crosses, but the Liverpool right back did manage to get a couple of free kicks in which could have broken the deadlock.

Overall, the defence picked up a number of injuries against Everton whilst Trent and Lovren both put in poor performances. They did manage to get the clean sheet though, and Alisson showed how reliable he is for Liverpool with his second half save.

Score: 6

Midfield

Naby Keita started a Premier League game for the fifth time this season alongside Fabinho and Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson. Thankfully, he looked like the brightest and most creative individual on the pitch at times and his cross in the second half of the game which skimmed along the box towards Sadio Mane could have put Liverpool ahead.

Henderson had little impact on the game and Fabinho picked up a yellow card after a number of poorly timed challenges, but there was no waiting around for Liverpool’s midfield in the second half of the game with the Reds determined to grab themselves a win against Everton.

Gini Wijnaldum had a forgettable performance after he replaced Keita, but in general, Liverpool’s midfield put in a decent shift at Goodison Park with a number of interceptions and tackles which helped to keep Liverpool hopes of securing all three points alive.

Score: 7

Attackers

It was a big day for Takumi Minamino after he was named in Liverpool’s starting 11 for the first time since joining the club in January, and it was the best performance we have seen from the Japan international so far. He did not get himself on the score sheet, but Minamino looked a real threat for Liverpool in the first half and gave supporters a glimpse of what we might see from him in the future. Likewise, Sadio Mane caused a number of problems for Everton to deal with on the wing and Carlo Ancelotti’s men struggled to cope with his presence.

Meanwhile, Bobby Firmino looked out of form on his return to competitive action for Liverpool and his strike in the first half travelled wide of the goal and into the stands, whilst Divock Origi wasn’t able to make a noticeable impact for the Reds when he came on in the second half. With this being said however, Liverpool did try their best up front to break down an Everton side who sat very deep and played their first game back with a defensive mindset.

Score: 7

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @MatthLFC