There’s an argument to support the notion of Liverpool being the best team in Europe right now. The numbers are there for everyone to see them, but they are also playing like a team that’s seemingly impossible to defeat. That was the case during Wednesday’s huge win over Everton at Anfield Road.
The Reds didn’t have several key players such as Alisson, Joel Matip and Fabinho and that impacted the odds according to online bookmaker 1xbet, but that didn’t matter against an Everton side that remains firmly entrenched in the relegation zone.
Liverpool secured a huge 5-2 win in front of a 53,094 crowd at Anfield that cheered and celebrated every goal. A brace from Divock Origi and strikes from Xherdan Shaqiri, Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum lifted Liverpool to the win, while Michael Keane and Richarlison scored for the visitors.
Six of the game’s seven goals were scored in the first half, as the opening 45 minutes were one of the best stretches of football we have had in the Premier League this season. The Reds only needed six minutes to break the deadlock thanks to Origi, who took advantage of a perfect through ball from Mane to leave the keeper behind and score with the empty goal.
The second goal arrived just 11 minutes later, when Shaqiri was at the end of another delightful assist from Mane. This time, the Senegal international sliced the defence and Shaqiri came out of nowhere to place the ball past Jordan Pickford.
Everton would pull one back four minutes later, though, when a rebound fell to Kane and the defender buried the ball past Adrian. Everton could have gotten some momentum following that goal, but Liverpool erased it quickly with two more goals before the half time break.
Origi made it 3-1 with a great finish following a lobbed ball from Dejan Lovren, and Made pushed the lead to three goals when he capped off a counterattack with a shot from outside the box.
Richarlison pulled another back for Everton on stoppage time thanks to a diving header (or shoulder?) after a cross from Bernard. The first half ended with a 4-2 lead for Liverpool, but it seemed there was no way The Toffees would complete the comeback in the second half.
That’s exactly what happened, although not due to a lack of trying. Lucas Digne, Richarlison and Moise Kean all had clear scoring opportunities for Everton, but neither was accurate enough to find the back of the net.
Liverpool reduced the intensity of the match as the second half progressed, but they still had enough time to bag a fifth goal thanks to Wijnaldum. The Netherlands international received a cross from Roberto Firmino and placed the ball out of Pickford’s reach with a well-placed shot.
It was an impressive win for Liverpool, and they were absolutely dominant from start to finish so the three-goal differential on the final score wasn’t false given how the match happened. Everton looked brutally overmatched, and they need to play far better if they are going to turn things around and avoid relegation in the coming months.
With the win, Liverpool remain at the top of the standings with an eight-point lead over Leicester City, who sit second. Meanwhile, Everton are in 18th place and they would fall to the Championship if the season ended today.