Liverpool’s league title hopes slipped away, much to the delight of the home fans in Jurgen Klopp‘s final Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park
Everton 2-0 Liverpool
Premier League (34), Goodison Park
April 24, 2024
Goals: Branthwaite 27’, Calvert-Lewin 58’
Taking chances — or not
It’s been a familiar tale for Liverpool in front of goal. Normally they end up creating enough chances that they can afford to miss a few, but when none of the strikers are finishing, it becomes a problem.
Sadly, it’s become expected that Darwin Nunez will miss an easy chance or two in each game, but that has become even more of an issue as taking or missing chances is the difference between winning a trophy or not.
In order to win the league, a team needs clinical forwards putting chances away, and firing in goals they wouldn’t be expected to score.
Nunez has his obvious strengths, but the finishing issue has become even more pertinent as Liverpool become desperate for goals as they challenge for trophies.
The Reds created two big chances in the first half, and their xG after the first 45 minutes was 1.29, per FotMob.
Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz also missed good opportunities in the opening period, and this kind of wastefulness looks like it will ultimately cost Liverpool a last tilt at the title under Jurgen Klopp.
It’s not all on Nunez, and Salah, as the team’s star player — someone Klopp has described as the club’s best finisher by some distance — has been disappointing in key moments.
Andy Robertson mis-kicking a volley in an offside position summed up the lack of threat.
You might expect it from a left-back who rarely scores, but the forwards were no better.
Liverpool’s lost momentum
Players coming back from injury should always be a good thing, but this Liverpool side has looked disjointed as several players have all returned to the team at the same time.
Just as Caoimhin Kelleher was rusty in his early starts deputising for Alisson, Liverpool’s No.1 has not looked at his usual world-class best since re-taking his place between the posts and made an error for the first goal.
Trent Alexander-Anold has returned and been an obvious asset, but Liverpool did look like a more orthodox, maybe even more reliable, threat when the playmakers were further forward, as Trent might be were he bombing down the right rather than dropping in.
There was a togetherness about the patchwork version of Klop’s side that doesn’t seem to be quite there since players have returned.
The two sides of Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Alister was far from the worst player in red, but his position in midfield can affect so much of the dynamic of Liverpool’s play.
He was second to things in defence, sometimes resorting to fouls, and his long balls were hit and miss in this game.
This is as much a tactical issue as it is a Mac Allister one. Liverpool spent much of the game with their playmakers too deep.
By the time Wataru Endo came on in the second half, in an attempt to remedy the situation and push Mac Allister further forward, the game felt like climbing a mountain.
Endo’s first touch led to an Everton chance, which summed up the atmosphere into which these substitutes were arriving.
Failing to silence Goodison Park
It was an atmosphere in which Liverpool wilted. The games against Man United and Everton always looked potentially awkward in this run-in, and they proved to be so.
Ultimately, the first impressions of this game were what set the tone, and Liverpool’s wasn’t good enough to silence the Goodison crowd, and gave Everton too much hope.
When their team are under the cosh and making mistakes, the Goodison crowd can get on top of their own team in a negative way.
But when the opposite is true, when the opposition give Everton a chance to not only stay in the game but take the lead in it, the old stadium can be a cauldron.
Once that happened, Liverpool struggled to silence it. In fact, the mistakes and misses, the annoyance and the complaints from Klopp’s players, only gave Everton and their crowd more to cheer.
“You lost the league at Goodison Park,” sang the Everton fans at the end of the game, and though Liverpool lost the league through a string of bad performances and results, this game will in many ways define the end-of-season collapse.
What next?
Manchester City, with two games in hand on Liverpool and Arsenal, still have the league title in their hands but Arsenal have looked solid in the run-in.
All Liverpool can do is win their remaining games, but on this display that in itself looks like it will be a huge challenge.
Games that once would have been looked at and points totted up to see how many they would get in the title challenge, now look more difficult.
West Ham could pose a similar threat to Everton, while Spurs, Villa, and Wolves have some really good players who could cause Liverpool problems.
It is safe to say Liverpool’s season has petered out, but the players owe it to Klopp to end on a high, even if it won’t end it with the trophies they wanted.
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