It was one of those matches where you wondered if the manager would get away with resting some of his big stars on the bench. It was one of those matches where you always felt the team in the lead would regret not adding a second or third. It was one of those matches where you weren’t shocked at all to see the road underdog score an equalizer to steal a point.
Wayne Rooney scored his first ever goal in a Merseyside Derby to cancel out a magnificent solo goal from Mohamed Salah as the Liverpool vs. Everton match finished 1-1 in a disappointing finish for the fans at a beautifully snowy Anfield on Sunday.
Salah may be the best African player in the world right now — heck, he’s probably in the top five goal scorers in the world currently — but snow did not hinder the Egyptian, who struck one of the prettiest goals of the season late in the first half.
The goal was Salah’s 13th in the Premier League this season, taking him back ahead of Harry Kane into first place in the race for the EPL’s golden boot.
Best player in the EPL? Definitely the best in the Merseyside Derby. Photo: @LFC | Twitter
Liverpool dominated the match from start to finish, totaling 79 percent possession while outshooting Everton 23-3. It was one-way traffic for pretty much the entire match.
However, Liverpool never did add to its lead, unable to find the back of the net after Jurgen Klopp left Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino on the bench to start.
One of the most glaring missed chances came when Sadio Mane opted to shoot on a breakaway when he could have easily passed to one of three teammates for a tap-in. Mane also missed a spectacular bicycle kick attempt.
When you fail to put away an opponent in the Premier League, especially an archrival in a big derby, you will be punished.
With about 15 minutes to play, Rooney picked out a long ball into the box to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was — depending on your allegiances — either bundled over by Dejan Lovren or guilty of a dive in the box.
The moment that changed the game... should it have been a penalty? #LIVEVE pic.twitter.com/g4Y7FcIUFU
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 10, 2017
In the referee’s defense, Lovren put his hands on Calvert-Lewin’s back. In Lovren’s defense, he barely bumped Calvert-Lewin, who went down awfully easily. The referee was also lagging far behind the play and should have been closer to the action to better see the incident. Either way, Lovren should never have made that much contact with a player in the box running away from the goal, giving the ref a chance to make such a decision.
Rooney smashed the ensuing penalty kick into the back of the net and despite Coutinho coming on moments later, Liverpool couldn’t find a way past Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal.
The draw meant both Arsenal (a 1-1 draw against Southampton) and Liverpool failed to take advantage of Chelsea’s shock 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday. And it also means Calvert-Lewin will be booed by the red half of Liverpool for the rest of his life.
The18 Recommends For You
