Having gained just one point from their last four league outings, Liverpool put in a much-improved display on a lively Monday night at Anfield to defeat local rivals Everton.
Mohamed Salah gave the hosts a 36th-minute lead when he poked home Darwin Núñez’s cross following an electric counter-attack.
That came immediately after James Tarkowski headed Alex Iwobi’s corner against the post at the other end, and that proved to be the closest the visitors came.
Off the back of their excellent 1-0 win over leaders Arsenal nine days earlier, this was a disappointing second match in charge for Sean Dyche as the largely blunt Toffees remained in the relegation zone.
Liverpool, meanwhile, looked a persistent threat and largely dictated the tempo. Their second came three minutes after the restart when another superb break ended with Cody Gakpo opening his account for the club as he converted Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross from the right.
It represented the highlight of a well-rounded display from the 23-year-old Dutchman, who was signed from PSV Eindhoven last month.
The result saw Jurgen Klopp’s team go up to ninth in the table, putting them nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle – who the Reds visit on Saturday evening.
Núñez and Gakpo come to the fore
This was a night that saw Liverpool find a level of coherence and tempo that we haven’t seen for a good while.
That was true both on a collective and individual level – something reflected by the impact that both Núñez and Gakpo had on the contest.
In the chastening 3-0 loss at Wolves nine days earlier, the former had started at the centre of the front-three while the latter operated from the left.
They switched roles this time around, and it seemed to pay dividends. Núñez regularly attacked the box from the left flank, while Gakpo provided a reliable focal point.
The Uruguayan’s role in the opener was a brilliant demonstration of his attributes. After cleverly exchanging passes with Salah just outside his own penalty area, the 23-year-old burst down the left flank.
His well-timed delivery evaded Vitaliy Mykolenko and allowed the Egyptian to guide a right-footed volley home from the edge of the box, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford puzzlingly misjudging the play to leave a virtually open net.
Núñez twice came close to finding the net himself in the second half, following good work from Salah and Gakpo respectively.
The summer arrival from Benfica may not have got himself that first Premier League goal since November, but he was a constant outlet – and threat – for the well-balanced hosts, before he made way for the returning Diogo Jota.
Gakpo, meanwhile, timed his arrival at the far-post perfectly to open his Anfield account and the second half saw him exploit the game’s increasingly stretched nature.
His dynamism and composure in possession has, steadily, become more noticeable in his last couple of outings and bodes well for the coming weeks.
Bajčetić shines within efficient midfield
Having put in several impressive individual displays over recent weeks – often within underwhelming collective showings – Stefan Bajčetić played a notable part in happier surroundings here.
This time operating on the left of the midfield three, rather than in the deeper pivot position that he has occupied recently, the young Spaniard adapted admirably.
With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson occupying the other midfield roles to his right, the 18-year-old seemed to thrive off the additional freedom.
His display, once more, was all action.
There were several well-timed interceptions and challenges to stop potential counter-attacks at source.
In possession, too, he offered plenty. There were eye-catching switches of play alongside plenty of sensible passes to keep things ticking over within a collective performance that was both exciting and, largely, secure.
His effectiveness – and, now, flexibility – looks set to continue to be highly valuable, particularly given Thiago Alcântara is now facing a spell on the sidelines through injury.
Errors costly for Everton
There was, in the end, a considerable contrast between the Toffees’ showing here and the one that earned their 1-0 win over Arsenal last time out.
There was a sloppiness and openness to the visitors, particularly after Salah’s opener. That was somewhat reflected by the fact that the Reds had six shots on-target and three big chances to Everton’s one.
Indeed, it could have been a very different game had Tarkowski’s header crept in. Prior to that, Dyche’s side had largely limited Liverpool’s openings.
Once the hosts got ahead, though, they created plenty more. Having to chase the game to an increasing extent, Everton were played through regularly and exploited when loose passes led to turnovers.
Pickford’s positional misjudgement as Salah guided home Núñez’s delivery, and Conor Coady’s failure to clear the Alexander-Arnold cross that Gakpo converted, represented the most notable moments of disappointment for the visitors, though.
Toffees’ concerning lack of threat
Alongside the carelessness within Everton’s display, they will likely also be frustrated with just how little they threatened.
Tarkowski’s header against the post was the obvious moment of menace – and once again demonstrated the set-piece threat that ultimately earned them the three points against the Gunners.
However, it wasn’t until the 81st minute that they crafted a chance of note from open play when substitute Tom Davies headed Alex Iwobi’s far-post cross over.
The injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin was, evidently, a huge miss. It is difficult to escape the sense that, the more the 25-year-old striker is fit within the remainder of the season, the greater their chances of escaping relegation will be.
Ellis Simms, who started up top in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, made some good darts in behind early on but largely struggled to get into the game.
Dyche’s side rarely got themselves into genuinely promising areas, particularly after going behind. That was, at least partly, credit to Liverpool.
The midfield three of Jordan Henderson,, Fabinho and Bajčetić were compact and combative as they largely outmanoeuvred Abdoulaye Doucouré, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Amadou Onana in the central third. The back four of Alexander-Arnold, Joël Matip, Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson were superbly disciplined when they were tested, meanwhile.
The Toffees will be hoping to offer more of the edge that they displayed against Arsenal when they welcome fellow strugglers Leeds United to Goodison Park on Saturday.