Liverpool v Everton: Premier League – live! – The Guardian

Andy Hunter’s match report has landed, so it’s time to wrap up this blog. Thanks for your company, goodnight!

And here’s a smiling Carlo Ancelotti

“I’m really happy for the club, for the supporters. I couldn’t imagine if our fans were here, but I hope they will celebrate tonight. It was a good performance, with a lot of spirit. Richarlison is back – he is scoring and playing with a lot of consistency. James is always the same, he doesn’t have physicality but he has quality.

“We have played well away but we have to find more consistency at home. [Can you finish in the top four?] Top four? Wait! We are fighting for Europe and now we are in a good position, and a performance like this deserves to increase the belief of the team.”

Here’s Seamus Coleman

“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s been hard, coming here for so many years and letting the blue side of the city down. I was fed up coming out with the same cliches afterwards. We have to thank the manager for the way he set us up, the players put in an unbelievable shift and that was against the champions so we’re delighted.

“The manager told me to follow Andy Robertson, and as a team he told us to compete and try to break the press when we could. Listen, when you’re holding a lead it is difficult to be brave, and we probably didn’t play as much as we would like. But Dominic came on and made a difference and we got the result.

“We need to move on now. This can’t just be a celebration – we need to start moving the football club forward and that goes back to games like Fulham and West Ham at home. We need to be better all round.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t looking at the clock a few times when it was 1-0. I thought Jordan [Pickford] but in saying that it did feel comfortable in the match as well. That’s for all the Evertonians who have suffered in the last 10 years.”

A delighted Duncan Ferguson is hugging every single Everton player. Carlo Ancelotti, cool as ever, strolls on in his own time to fistbumb the officials and then embrace Seamus Coleman. This win will do so much for an emerging Everton team, both in the short- and long-term. They are now level on points with Liverpool, and they have a game in hand. A Champions League place is a realistic ambition. He’s quite good, this Ancelotti fellow.

Peep peep! Everton have won at Anfield for the first time since 1999! It was a classic away performance: an early goal from Richarlison, a late penalty from Gylfi Sigurdsson and lots of cool, determined defending inbetween. The three centre-halves – Holgate, Keane and Godfrey – were outstanding, while the under-pressure Jordan Pickford was flawless.

90+6 min Sigurdsson almost makes it three, curling just wide from 20 yards.

90+2 min Wijnaldum hasn’t given up: he lofts a fine curling shot from the edge of the area that is tipped over by the leaping Pickford. This game couldn’t have gone any better for Pickford, who has made a few good saves and a couple of outstanding ones.

89 min The penalty stemmed after a majestic surge from Calvert-Lewin, who outpaced Alexander-Arnold in a 40-yard race. He is turning into a seriously good centre-forward, and must be a nightmare to play against.

88 min After going almost four years without a home defeat in the league, Liverpool have now lost four in a row. That is utterly bonkers.

87 min “Oh My God!!!!!!” says Mary Waltz. “I am going to buy a lottery ticket because the odds of Everton winning are about the same. I am playing that horrid Wilson Phillips song on a loop. The world has turned upside down!!!!!!!!!!”

86 min Alex Iwobi replaces Richarlison, who scored the first and started the counter-attack for the second with a brilliant turn away from Phillips.

85 min “It felt like this period would be defined by Liverpool,” says Andrew Hurley, “but City will shortly have won three of the last four Premier Leagues. The point was well-made about Klopp driving his players into the ground, but isn’t his mentality also to blame, constantly looking to be the victim/complaining in the first half of the season. This can’t transmit anything but negatively to his team. And, Thiago – he is literally the opposite of how Liverpool played the past four years, I never understood it.”

Siege mentalities can be extremely effective, but I agree that you have to be really careful not to let it tip over into defeatism. It can be healthy to think it’s you against the world. But it’s dangerous if you think the world is against you.

85 min Firmino zig-zags past three players and shoots just wide. A corner is given, erroneously, but nothing comes of it.

83 min I’m still not about sure that penalty decision. Alexander-Arnold slid in an attempt to stop the first shot, and was still sliding when Calvert-Lewin ran over him and fell over. The interesting thing it that, having been advised to go over to the monitor, Chris Kavanagh only had a cursory look and then stuck to his original decision.

Alisson went the right way, but Sigurdsson rolled the ball softly into the corner. Everton are 2-0 up at Anfield!

VAR check Chris Kavanagh is advised to look at the monitor – but he sticks to his original decision and gives the penalty!

PENALTY TO EVERTON! Calvert-Lewin storms through on goal and forces a fine save from Alisson. The ball runs loose, and Calvert-Lewin is about to tap it into the net when he falls over the sliding Alexander-Arnold. Is that really a foul?

80 min Everton’s formation is now a freestyle 8-0-2. Liverpool continue to dominate, though they are still struggling to create clear chances.

77 min “Rob,” says Matt Dony, “could I possibly redact my earlier comment about revenge? I mean, revenge is a petty, messy concept. It’s driven by negativity and looking backwards. Much better to take the moral high-ground and not worry about revenge. At all.”

76 min Alexander-Arnold’s cross-shot is blocked by Godfrey, who has had a fine game. In fact all three Everton centre-halves have been excellent.

75 min Everton have possession in the Liverpool half. Two touches later, the ball is back with Jordan Pickford. It’s probably fair to say they would settle for a 1-0 win.

73 min A loose ball falls nicely for Firmino, 20 yards out, but he smacks a desperate shot high and wide.

72 min Calvert-Lewin bursts into the area from the left, but then loses concentration and runs the ball out of play.

69 min: Vital save from Pickford! Firmino and Shaqiri combine nicely to put Salah through on goal. His first touch is superb, across Keane, and then he whips a close-range shot that is smothered by the outrushing Pickford. Salah didn’t have much room to work with but it was still excellent, decisive goalkeeping from Pickford.

69 min Everton are playing a straight 5-3-2 now, with Richarlison up front alongside Calvert-Lewin. It hasn’t made much difference, though – almost all of the game is taking place in their half.

67 min Mane is booked for dissent after being penalised for fouling Holgate.

65 min Mane plays a good ball to the overlapping Alexander-Arnold, whose low first-time cross flashes past everyone in the six-yard box. Close close close.

64 min Sigurdsson, on the left side of the area, drives a bouncing ball straight at Alisson. It was a half chance at best.

63 min Liverpool make their second substitution as well. Xherdan Shaqiri is on for Curtis Jones.

62 min Another Everton change: Dominic Calvert-Lewin replaces James Rodriguez, whose lovely pass created the goal.

61 min: Chance for Everton! Coleman lofts a pass in behind the defence for Richarlison, who takes too long and loses the ball. He looked offside but the flag didn’t go up, and replays show he was definitely onside. That was a great chance – he should have hit it first time but tried to turn back inside Phillips.

59 min A change for Everton: Glyfi Sigurdsson replaces Andre Gomes, who has been booked.

58 min Salah dives just outside the area after feeling a slight touch from Digne. Chris Kavanagh isn’t interested.

57 min Liverpool have had 83 per cent of the possession in the second half.