Liverpool v Everton: Premier League – live

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Monday Night’s Alright

Everton’s last win at Anfield in front of an actual crowd was 24 years ago, also on a Monday night. (They won during Covid as well.) For some reason, I recall watching this in the Buttery, the bar at Nottingham University. It was an entirely forgettable night, or at least it should have been, so I’d love to know why my brain decided to retain this memory over more, a-hem, significant experiences.

“The good news about tonight’s game,” says David Horn, “is that, as we know, form goes out the window in a derby. So we should be in for a cracker.”"

Honk!

“Yes, Liverpool are in their worst form in years,” says Mary Waltz. “Yes, Dyche got the boys playing with heart and discipline to beat top of the table Arsenal. But this is Anfield. Everton lose at the red palace. We have a 22-year-old Simms as striker. A win today? Sadly, I’ll believe when I see it. ‘Oh ye of little faith.’ Guilty your honour.”

“I’m wondering if the panel have a view on whether our Jurgen is going to stay on and rebuild or take on a new project?” says Shane O’Leary. “My money is on moving on as it’s gone a bit Ted Simcock fot him at Anfield. Still rooting for Der Kloppsters, though.”

‘The panel’ indeed. I’d say there’s no chance of him walking away before the end of the season. Then, to some extent, it depends what happens with the change of ownership. All things being equal I think he’ll build another team, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

“It’s quite difficult to have any degree of confidence going into the derby, especially those at Anfield, but there is a glimmer of hope for today,” says Matt Burtz. “Everton were far more organized against Arsenal than they have been in a long time (I would have to say those heady days under Ancelotti) with an actual plan of attack. Of course, plans of attack have fallen to pieces in recent trips across the park, but Liverpool are seemingly there for the taking.

“I say seemingly because I don’t trust that Liverpool are actually all that bad, and something tells me that seeing a group of blue shirts across the pitch will put some pep (pun intended) in their step. And while Calvert-Lewin’s absence is a blow, somehow I remain hopeful. Hopeful, but not confident. Though it is nice to know that Dyche has won at Anfield more recently (with a crowd, anyway) than have Everton.”

It’s worth noting that Liverpool’s home form this season is pretty decent – one defeat in 15 in all competitions, with nine wins I think. All their shambolic performances have been away from home.

Everton’s only away wins this season have been against Southampton and Fleetwood. That was then and this is now, I guess.

Jurgen Klopp speaks

We had a long training week, seven sessions, and Fabinho was really good. We know it hasn’t been his best season so far but in training he looked really, really good. Hendo is always close to the team. The Thiago situation is not cool for us; he’ll be out for a while with a hip problem.

[On Stefan Bajcetic] He’s a player in form, you can see it in all the games. As bad as they were… imagine the Wolverhamption game without him! It would have been an interesting one, to be honest. We had different options and Naby could have played, but for the game we expect tonight I think this midfield makes the most sense.

The mood has changed dramatically at Everton. I couldn’t have more respect [for Sean Dyche]. We’ve had one or two arguments on the touchline, but that’s for other reasons. I couldn’t respect more what Sean is doing – to set the team up the way he did in less than a week [was really impressive]. Everton played the game they wanted to play, not the game Arsenal wanted to play. It makes it much more difficult for us but at least we have clear information about what they will do and we can prepare for that.

[A win] would make a big difference. I’m desperate for that, to be honest. Training has been really good and now we have to bring it on the pitch. Anything could have happened after the Wolves game – arguments on the pitch, in the dressing-room, stuff like this – but that didn’t happen. We’re really close and we want to get through this situation.

I’m ready to go, the boys look ready to go. Let’s give it a try.

Uefa’s review into the alarming scenes before last season’s Champions League final has been published, and it confirms that Liverpool supporters were unfairly blamed for the potentially fatal chaos.

Pre-match reading

Sean Dyche on Ellis Simms’ selection (and other matters)

Ellis has got a physical presence and good energy. It was a tight decision – Neal [Maupay] is more experienced, we know that – but it’s a great occasion for him. Go out there and play with freedom.

There’s been a lot of noise about Liverpool but they’re still very good players. We’ve still got to perform. We want to affect the game higher up the pitch and play with quality, when we can, but it all starts with the base and I thought that was in place against Arsenal.

It was one performance, we’ve got to find consistency, but the midfield started very nicely for us. I’ve been very pleased with the players. They’ve been terrific – very reception and very open, and I think that’s important.

Team news

Jurgen Klopp makes two changes, both in midfield, from the side that was hammered at Wolves nine days ago. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho replace Thiago Alcantara (injured) and Naby Keita (not injured). Three big hitters – Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino – are back on the bench.

Sean Dyche makes one enforced change from the Everton side that beat Arsenal in his first game. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is injured, and Ellis Simms is preferred to Neal Maupay as his replacement.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Bajcetic; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Kelleher, Van Dijk, Milner, Keita, Firmino, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Phillips.

Everton (4-1-4-1) Pickford; Coleman, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye; Iwobi, Doucoure, Onana, McNeil; Simms.
Substitutes: Begovic, Holgate, Keane, Gray, Mina, Maupay, Godfrey, Davies, Ruben Vinagre.

Referee Simon Hooper.

Preamble

It’s the Merseyside derby! It’s also 10th versus 18th in the Premier League table, which gives a combined score of – crikey – 28 on the Big Club Crisisometer. The last time Liverpool and Everton were both in such poor health going into a derby was in the Roy Hodgson months: October 2010, when David Moyes’s Everton (17th) won 2-0 against Hodgson’s Liverpool (18th).

The last time they were so poorly placed in the second half of the season, when the dust has settled and positions are more representative, was the inaugural Premier League season. On 20 March 1993, Ronnie Rosenthal rifled a last-minute winner to give Liverpool (14th) a 1-0 victory over Everton (17th). The Premier League table was unimaginably tight, though, with only four points separating 6th and 17th. Look at this for a game of Snakes and Ladders.

The point is, Liverpool ended up finishing sixth and Everton 13th and nobody really remembers that they had a combined Crisisometer score of 31 in late March. Both clubs aspire to something similar this season. Liverpool want to replicate the surge of two years ago, when they were a banter club in the new year but had the last laugh with a late surge that took them to third. And if Everton continue as they started under Sean Dyche last weekend, they could easily end up in a comfortable position, wondering what all the fuss was about.

At the moment, both teams need every point they can get. And if they can take three of them off that lot, so much the better.

Kick off 8pm