The player ratings for the 227th Merseyside Derby are brought to you by Jack Hallows.
Simon Mignolet – 7 – Didn’t have huge amounts to do in truth but dealt with what he needed to deal with. Didn’t flap at or drop anything and his distribution – barring one half-volleyed skew – was decent enough.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6.5 – Defended very well throughout but his use of the ball was, at times, a little questionable. Looked a little like a rabbit in headlights whenever he was pressed. He was, however, unlucky not to grab an assist in the first half when Origi couldn’t keep his effort down from a cutback.
Dejan Lovren – 8 – Very good game as he grew into the match across the 90 minutes. Marshalled Lukaku well and used the ball intelligently on most occasions. Looked a much more confident man than he has in recent weeks.
Ragnar Klavan – 8 (Man of the Match) – His best match in a Liverpool shirt hands down. Marshalled Lukaku when he had to, used the ball smartly and to the joy of us Reds fans, he tackled hard when called upon.
James Milner – 6 – Sloppy in possession and his crossing was lacking its usual accuracy. Didn’t do badly on the back foot but was caught out down his side a couple of times early on when failing to track Coleman’s runs in behind.
Jordan Henderson – 6 – A quieter game from the captain who was lucky to make it through the 90+ minutes after a horror challenge from Ross Barkley. Wasn’t as stuck in when going in for the tackle as we’ve become accustomed to in recent weeks and his passing was less inventive than usual.
Gini Wijnaldum – 7 – My pick for the best of the midfield three. Kept possession ticking over and retained possession generally very well throughout. Could’ve been a little more incisive in his passing or offered a little more goal threat but he didn’t do a lot wrong.
Adam Lallana – 6.5 – Failed to really influence the game mass amounts throughout and was marked heavily by Gueye whenever he drifted right. Had a few nice touches and pressed the opposition well but it was one of those nights where things just didn’t come off for him no matter how hard he tried.
Sadio Mane – 7.5 – Wasn’t the Reds’ best player but was far from their worst. His pace and direct running caused Everton a number of problems and after a quiet opening 30 minutes, he really grew into the match. Was on hand to tap in the winner for his eighth goal of the season.
Roberto Firmino – 6 – Was increasingly frustrating throughout, giving up possession far too easily and failing to showcase his usual slick passing and stylish touch. That being said he was incredibly unlucky to be denied from a low volley and having an effort cleared off the line by Seamus Coleman. Looks very tired currently.
Divock Origi – 5.5 – He’s been on a hot streak lately but it’s no secret our front three just doesn’t flow quite as well when he’s starting and he really struggled at Goodison to make an impression. Passing was off and his touch let him down on numerous occasions. Needs to release the ball quicker.
Substitutes:
Daniel Sturridge – 7 – A few loose touches showed him for what he is – a man who hasn’t played in quite a while – but he still delivered when needed with his shot bobbling onto the post and falling for Mane to tap in. Deserves more credit than he’s being given on Twitter.
Emre Can – 5 – Didn’t really contribute much during his time on the pitch but like Sturridge is coming back from injury so it wasn’t a true representation of his talents.
Lucas Leiva – N/A – Didn’t concede a late penalty. Nice one.
Manager:
Jurgen Klopp – 7 – Made his substitutions a little late for my liking and didn’t seem to give his players enough stick during a poor opening 30 minutes. However, his half time talk seemed to lift the team and once he made the subs you can’t argue that they didn’t affect the game – well one of them anyway.