It’s been nearly 14 years since the last time Everton won a Merseyside derby at Anfield, seeing Liverpool dominate the encounter through thick & thin, even during some of its weaker seasons. David Moyes might finally get his day and star to shine at a stadium he hates to be at, hoping that Luis Suarez’ absence becomes something the Reds can’t overcome.
Liverpool have struggled to beat quality sides this season, both home & away, with only three wins against teams in the top 10 of the Premier League. They managed a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in the first clash of the season, but were robbed with a terrible refereeing decisions disallowing a winning goal by Suarez that should have stood.
The Uruguayan striker is serving his suspension for biting, but he wasn’t missed at all as Liverpool romped against Newcastle, led by Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho in a 6-0 win. They can’t manage to finish above sixth, but the possibility of denying Everton their second consecutive finish above them in the table, something that hasn’t happened since before the second World War, seems to be like a must the current crop of players has quite an interest in stopping from happening.
Everton might be the team perched higher in the table, but they haven’t been playing as such in recent weeks, showing quite a lot of inconsistency over the last couple of months, not to mention scoring only one goal in their last three matches. They’ve conceded only one as well, but the source material looks tired, with Moyes gifting those with more physical than technical gifts places in the lineup, which hasn’t really worked well in terms of the footballing quality, not to mention players like Marouane Fellaini seeming to be already thinking of next season and a different team instead of somehow achieving European qualification.
Liverpool’s defense is the faultiest unit on the pitch, but their talent up front should be enough to negate such a weakness against an Everton side that’s been struggling to create long spells of positive football in recent matches. Even without Luis Suarez, Liverpool look good, especially offensively, and barring any defensive misfortunes, should be the team creating most of the chances throughout the match.
Predictions – David Moyes has never won at Anfield; He has a total of three league wins to his name against Liverpool since becoming Everton manager in 2002. Some histories are hard to fight, but the fact that Liverpool are also the side with higher offensive quality should prove to in favor of the home team once again.