Liverpool vs. Everton: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Four goals and a red card poured misery on Roberto Martinez's Everton on Wednesday night, as Liverpool romped to a 4-0 victory at home over their Merseyside rivals.
Divock Origi, Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho all struck in a one-sided affair at Anfield, with Ramiro Funes Mori's second-half dismissal compounding a frustrating evening for the Toffees.
As Martinez prepares his side to take on Manchester United in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final clash, this will have been a crushing blow.
For Jurgen Klopp, however, this win represents yet another positive in what has been a hugely fruitful spring so far—and with a UEFA Europa League semi-final against Villarreal to kick off at the end of the month, Liverpool are finding form at the ideal juncture.
As the Kop's triumphant cheers rang out at full-time on Wednesday night, Klopp and Martinez showed starkly contrasting emotions, as the managers picked apart their side's performances.
Here are three winners and three losers from the 226th Merseyside derby, starting with Liverpool's cult hero, Sakho.
Winner: Mamadou Sakho
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Before last Thursday's 4-3 win at home to Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League, Sakho had only ever scored one goal for the Reds—in a 4-1 victory over West Ham United at the end of 2013.
Heading beyond Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles after being found unmarked in the six-yard area just before half-time on Wednesday night, Sakho notched his second goal in the past week alone, as his rich vein of form continues following a change of manager on Merseyside.
This goal capped a stellar, resolute display from the 26-year-old, who kept Romelu Lukaku at bay throughout. He used one well-timed challenge on the stretch to deny the Toffees striker a likely goal early in the first half.
Loser: Ross Barkley
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Restored to Martinez's starting lineup as the Spaniard fielded his strongest selection possible, Ross Barkley endured an evening to forget before being substituted in the second half at Anfield.
Struggling to balance his duties in midfield and attack, and frustrating the bright Lukaku in the process, Barkley failed to make an impact in either.
Replaced by Tom Cleverley as Martinez attempted to restore some structure to his side following Funes Mori's red card, Barkley cut a sullen figure trudging off the field—but his withdrawal was justified.
Winner: James Milner
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Joining from Manchester City on a free transfer last summer, Milner quickly underlined his intention to take up a regular role at the centre of Liverpool's midfield; however, a number of abject performances later, it became clear this was far from the Englishman's best position.
Fielded alongside Lucas Leiva in Klopp's two-man engine room against Everton, Milner threatened to hamper Liverpool's progress once again, with his poor positional sense in a central role gifting the Toffees openings.
But when he was allowed to drift wide, Milner proved to be influential, firing a pair of pinpoint deliveries for Origi and Sakho's first-half goals and bringing his season's tally to 14 assists—more than any other Liverpool player.
Loser: Ramiro Funes Mori
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Everton headed into Wednesday's derby facing an injury crisis in defence. Phil Jagielka was ruled out with a knee injury, and Funes Mori's lunge at Origi in the second half at Anfield added to Martinez's worries.
At 2-0 down, Funes Mori's dismissal consigned Everton to certain defeat, and with the Argentinian gesturing to the badge on his shirt as he jogged off the field, it may well be that he misjudged the situation slightly.
With John Stones withdrawn late into the second half through injury, Martinez will now struggle to build a cohesive defensive line for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.
Winner/Loser: Divock Origi
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Named, once again, ahead of Sturridge in Klopp's starting lineup, Origi rewarded his manager's faith with a well-taken header late on in the first half at Anfield, marking his 10th goal of the season.
But stretchered off the field following Funes Mori's red-card challenge, the 21-year-old may have suffered a disappointing setback.
Speaking after the game, as relayed by the Mail's Dominic King, Klopp revealed that Origi had "twisted" his ankle, stressing that it was "not broken."
But nevertheless, a spell on the sidelines could see Klopp's attacking options stretched thin, with Origi joining Christian Benteke and Danny Ings on the treatment table—piling the pressure on Sturridge.
Loser: Roberto Martinez
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Just over six months ago, Liverpool's 1-1 draw away to Everton in the Premier League brought about the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, with Reds owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner delivering swift justice hours after the final whistle.
As Toffees supporters flooded out of Anfield long before full-time, and with the home crowd jeering Martinez throughout, the Spaniard could find himself in a similar position soon enough.
This Everton performance was littered with the pitfalls of Martinez's reign—most notably an insistence on playing the ball out of defence, resulting in a number of chances for the Reds—and chairman Bill Kenwright may now have a difficult decision to make.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk.
