Arne Slot’s Liverpool side were able to hang on to clinch a 2-1 victory against city rivals, Everton, to continue their 100% start to the Premier League season.
Liverpool raced into a two goal lead and looked assured in the first half but it was a different story in the second half, with Everton coming back into the game but being unable to find the elusive equaliser.
It was another virtuoso performance, particularly in the first half, from Ryan Gravenberch as he continues to impress in his central role for the Reds.
Everton were able to generate 0.60 xG in the match, compared to Liverpool’s 0.84 xG, with both sides having long periods of dominance throughout the game.
In this article, we’ll cover
Gravenberch’s attacking impact
Gravenberch was the standout performer for the Reds, getting his name on the scoresheet and adding an assist to his tally, in the first half. He was less influential in the second half, with Liverpool dropping deeper to try and restrict Everton’s impact in the final third but it was a fine performance, once again, from the 23-year-old.
The Dutch midfielder, who generated 0.12 xG from his goal, looked assured on the ball and it took until just the 10th minute for his goal to come, running through onto a Mo Salah through ball to fire across Jordan Pickford and into the far corner. It was a fine finish, across his body and bouncing, and no more than his impact deserved.
Less than twenty minutes later, Gravenberch added an assist to his name, slipping Hugo Ekitike into the box, where the Frenchman finished with assured quality. It ended a nice passing move from Liverpool and the Reds looked to be in total control.
Gravenberch’s impact wasn’t just restricted to goals and assists, though. He acted as the metronome in the Liverpool midfield, collecting line breaking passes from his centre backs, eluding Everton midfielders and feeding the ball forward. This was highlighted by his 83.9% passing accuracy and, crucially, his 16 passes in the final third.
It was another in a long line of fine performances from Gravenberch, who is establishing himself as one of the midfield elite in the Premier League. His contribution in a defensive context was, also, hugely beneficial to Slot’s side, with the Dutchman winning seven of his 11 duels, producing one interception and one clearance. He also managed all of this without giving away a single foul.
Grealish establishes himself as Everton’s attacking outlet
Everton, who grew into the game in the second half, consistently looked towards the left hand side to try and break through the Liverpool defence. As the passing network below shows, there was a constant desire to feed the Englishman and he duly delivered.
Grealish led the way when it came to touches in the opposition box, having at least two more touches than any of his teammates and he was a constant source of trouble for Conor Bradley. He was the man to put the ball into the box for the Everton goal, with his cross allowing Iliman Ndiaye to knock the ball down for Idrissa Gueye to fire in.
There were three additional chances created by the 30-year-old, who won six fouls allowing Everton to apply pressure from set pieces, and he will be hoping to continue his good form and force his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s England plans ahead of the World Cup.
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Liverpool’s lack of defensive control
For the vast majority of the first half, Liverpool looked in total control of the contest, restricting Everton to half chances or pot shots from distance. That all changed in the second period, with Everton coming out with increased impetus.
Slot will be concerned with the way his side lost control of the game in the second half, with wayward passes and poor judgment calls punctuating the display from the Reds.
Liverpool’s passing accuracy dropped from 88.3% in the first half, with the Reds holding almost 60% possession of the ball, to 80.8% in the second half. Perhaps, most alarmingly, the number of passes Liverpool made in the final third dropped dramatically after half time, with the Reds making 23 less passes in the second half compared to the opening 45 minutes.
Ultimately, a win is a win and Slot will be happy that his side didn’t have to rely on another late goal to secure all three points this week but there are still some causes for concern for his side, notably their inability to kill of games effectively.
It feels like there is still more to come from Liverpool but, with a tough run of fixtures coming up including ties against Chelsea, Man Utd and Real Madrid, they’ll need to up their games to continue their 100% start to the season.