Jordan Pickford’s stunning goalkeeping performance in an absorbing 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park frustrated Liverpool. Tom Davies hit the crossbar for Everton in a game that swung from end to end, while Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz did the same for Liverpool.
The England goalkeeper made several excellent saves, while his opposite number Alisson had to be alert to prevent a home win in a Merseyside derby that could have been rife with goals.
In the first half, both teams rattled the goal frame, Everton through Tom Davies before Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz followed suit, and Mohamed Salah was also denied late on.
Everton thought they had taken the lead midway through the second half when former Liverpool academy player Conor Coady touched in Neal Maupay’s cross, only to be denied when a VAR check revealed he was inches offside.
Not forgetting that Conor Coady’s disallowed goal for Everton sparked ugly scenes during Saturday’s goalless Merseyside derby, which boiled over when a bottle thrown from the stands narrowly missed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
A beer bottle appeared to be thrown from behind the managers’ technical areas, missing Klopp by a whisker. As if that wasn’t enough, an Everton supporter ran onto the pitch from the Gwladys Street End in an attempt to confront referee Anthony Taylor before being escorted away by stewards.
Those heinous incidents overshadowed a pulsating clash between these bitter rivals, which could have ended with goals aplenty if not for Everton keeper Jordan Pickford’s man of the match performance and some fine saves from Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker.
Everton’s victory at Anfield in 2021 remains their only victory in the last 28 Merseyside derbies in all competitions. Frank Lampard’s team is now winless in their first six games of the season, while Liverpool’s momentum has been dampened after winning their previous two games.