Our 3️⃣ points as Origi's incredible Merseyside derby antics continue | OneFootball

Liverpool needed to call upon supersub Divock Origi once again to save the day and he duly delivered with another decisive derby goal.

This is what we made of it.

The Toffee Killer

Maybe the talks of building a statue to Divock Origi aren’t so outlandish after all.

At the very least he deserves a plaque or commemorative bench in the middle of Stanley Park to remind Everton of how he used to torment them long after he is gone.

The Reds were toiling after an hour, failing to work Jordan Pickford and being sucked into Everton’s game plan before Jürgen Klopp called upon his trump card from the bench – and once more the Belgian delivered.

As he so often has on big occasions when needed, he stepped up to the plate again, instantly getting involved to supply Mo Salah with the ball to tee up Andy Robertson’s opener before putting it beyond doubt with five minutes left by steering Luis Díaz’s wayward acrobatic shot into the net.

He loves it against Everton. Origi now has six goals against them in all competitions – more than twice the amount he has netted against any other side. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see schools around the city take in an influx of young children named Divock in the years to come.

But, a special mention should also go to the other goalscorer. Not only did Robertson supply the crucial, nerve-settling opener but it was his vital block with 10 minutes left to deny Alex Iwobi a certain goal which then teed Origi up for his moment. A superb showing from the Scotland captain.

Lampard’s tactics come unstuck

For an hour, Frank Lampard certainly got the better of the battle on the touchline in this one.

Everton’s breaking up of play, intelligent, tactical fouling and timewasting (s**thousery appears to be the collective term for the combination) frustrated Liverpool who got caught up in it too often in the opening half.

But eventually to get anything out of this one, they had to show some kind of attacking intent and too often failed to do so.

The gaps left in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold were vast and an area of exploitation all afternoon but despite Anthony Gordon, Richarlison and Alex Iwobi all making the most of it on separate occasions, they failed to produce the finishing touch.

A good effort from range from Demarai Gray which whistled just wide was about as close as they came (aside from that Robertson intervention).

However, the Toffees boss and fans may feel that things could have went differently had they been given something to hold on to. Which brings us to …

Derby decisions

These fixtures will always have flashpoints and this one was no different, with Everton fans appearing to feel the more aggrieved come full-time.

In the first half, the main incident that appeared to cause the most ire was a decision not to send Sadio Mané for a slap to the face of Allan.

Referee Stuart Atwell did see the incident, which came following a melee due to a foul on Fabinho, and deemed a yellow card was enough for the Senegal international.

But the more contentious decision came shortly after half-time when, with the scores level, Anthony Gordon went down in the area after being nudged in the back by Joël Matip as he raced through.

Perhaps it was the youngster’s earlier antics which played into Atwell’s thinking (although it shouldn’t have), having booked Gordon in the first half for a blatant dive in the area after receiving no contact.

This was certainly no dive as there was contact with Gordon while moving at pace. But was it a spot kick? Many pundits suggested so as did the Everton manager. A case of what might have been.

Even if the game was over by that point, it was also a surprise to see Richarlison escape a red card for violent conduct after kicking out at Jordan Henderson.

And that could prove to be a big call and a blessing in the weeks ahead as Everton badly need him to step up and a suspension would have been a disaster, although it could still be forthcoming retroactively.