Everton hold the Liverpool title in a derby without a Merseyside goal
It wasn’t the result Jurgen Klopp’s men wanted upon returning to action after a three-month hiatus, but with a 23-point lead over Manchester City, the celebrations won’t be long in coming.
Everton, improved under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, most closely secured the win for Tom Davies, seeing his late attempt being shot on goal and Brazilian striker Richarlison forcing a smart defense by Liverpool goalkeeper Alison Becker.
Despite concerns that fans would gather near the stadium and Liverpool were less than a mile from Anfield, permission was given to continue the game at Goodison. But the empty stadium usually lacked a horrible derby atmosphere.
Also lacking clear chances for both sides, Liverpool left the not-quite-fit Mo Salah on the bench, rarely worrying home goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Joel Matip needed better from a free kick by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half, and Liverpool started the second half strongly, Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita combined well to create an opportunity.
But Everton survived the pressure and came very close to causing unrest in the final few minutes as Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s clever kick prevented Alisson on his first attempt to get Davies to hit the wooden structure for the first time and turn.
The draw leaves Liverpool undefeated in the last 22 derbies from Merseyside, but still five points from the guarantee of the coveted crown of the English Premier League.
The Liverpool coach said his team did not create enough chances during the time he owned the ball.
“We were dominant most of the time, but then they had the best chances from clear weather. We were lucky at that moment,” Klopp said.
“Both teams showed it was a derby, even without the crowd,” Klopp said.
Before the match, both teams knelt in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and stood a minute of silence in honor of those who died in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chelsea are boosting the Champions League offer
Earlier on Sunday, Chelsea solidified their fourth place with a 2-1 win in the threatening relegation of Aston Villa.
Kortney Hause put Villa ahead of the leading game just before halftime, but after the break it was still one-way traffic as Chelsea dominated possession without creating a series of chances.
Manager Frank Lampard sent American international Christian Pulisic in an attempt to distort his attack and this paid off almost instant dividends as he linked up with Cesar Azpilicuet’s cross until a semi-volley equalizer in the 60th minute.
The victory came just two minutes later as Olivier Giroud was allowed time to enter the penalty area and his deflected shot punched Orjan Nyland into Villa’s goal.
Villa had a late chance to equalize while Jota shot, but Dean Smith won brilliantly and remains second bottom in the standings.
The win brought a good week for Chelsea, who boosted their squad with the acquisition of RB Leipzig striker Tim Werner and moved five points away from Manchester United in fourth place and just three third-place advantages to Leicester City.
Manager Steve Bruce admitted before the match that it was a matter of “distraction”, but that did not stop his side from securing them an impressive victory, which was helped by his dismissal in the second half due to two yellow cards of visiting defender John Egan.
Lively Allan Saint-Maximin scored the opener shortly after Egan left, and Matt Ritchie doubled Newcastle’s lead 14 minutes later.
The yellow icing on the cake for Newcastle fans was third – a rare goal for Brazilian striker Joelinton, who had previously missed a chance from the first cast iron to put his advantage ahead.
It was his first league goal since August 25 against Tottenham, and only his fourth of the season after moving £ 40m ($ 44m) from Hoffenheim last year.
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