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Peter Byrne
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Liverpool v Everton, Premier League

Incredible drama as Origi’s 96th-minute winner gives Liverpool win in the Merseyside derby.

It’s an afternoon for staying indoors, and if you can’t be in Anfield for the next two hours, the couch is the next best place to be.

The first Merseyside derby of the season is just minutes away. Can Everton put a dent in Liverpool’s title credentials with what would be their first Anfield win since September 1999?

Kick-off is at 4.15pm.

TEAM NEWS: Three changes for the hosts as Trent Alexander-Arnold starts in place of Dejan Lovren, Fabinho replaces the suspended Jordan Henderson, while Xherdan Shaqiri gets the nod over James Milner.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Shaqiri, Salah, Firmino, Mane.

TEAM NEWS: Everton are unchanged from the side which beat Cardiff last weekend.

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Andre Gomes, Gueye, Walcott, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Richarlison

KICK OFF: We’re up and running at Anfield.

Early jitters from Jordan Pickford as he wildly slices a ball behind for a corner. It comes to nothing, fortunately for him.

HUUUUUUGE CHANCE for Yerry Mina – and he nods it past the post. Should be 1-0 to Everton, no doubt about it. Alexander-Arnold gives away a free-kick in a dangerous position, Digne flights in a great ball, and Mina — who loses van Dijk — has to hit the target. He goes for positioning rather than power, and positions it the wrong side of Alisson’s post. The Liverpool keeper was rooted there.

Sloppy by Mina on the edge of the Everton box, giving away possession cheaply to Mané. With the Everton defence squeezed in the middle, he plays in Alexander-Arnold on the overlap in a promising position, but his low cross is blocked behind for a corner.

Real end-to-end stuff to start this.

Mané takes the ball into feet and spins Gueye before dinking the ball through to Salah. He stretches out a leg to try to trap it and bring it down, but it’s just out of reach.

Shaqiri fizzes a first-time cross across the face of Pickford’s goal but it evades both Firmino and Mané. Close.

SHOULD BE 1-0! This time it’s Liverpool who pass up a glorious opportunity. Everton lose the ball coming out from the back, Salah plays the most delicate dink around the corner, Mané gets on the right side of Mina, but blazes over the bar. If he’d hit the target there, it would have taken some stop from Pickford to deny him.

Good work by Seamus Coleman to get back and deny Mané as he tries to get in behind Everton’s high defensive line. From the corner, Salah whiffs his kick, much to the delight of the away fans.

We’ve just seen a replay of an incident from a minute or two ago when Richarlison slalomed through the Liverpool defence before going to ground in the box. Van Dijk was in very close proximity but the replays show that it was a stumble by Richarlison, rather than a foul.

Liverpool v Everton - Premier League - Anfield Peter Byrne Peter Byrne

HOW HAVE LIVERPOOL KEPT THIS ONE OUT? I’ll tell you how — it’s a world-class stop by Alisson, and a timely intervention from Joe Gomez. Walcott steers a perfectly-weighted header back inside the six-yard box where Andre Gomes has the goal at his mercy. Alisson makes himself big and somehow makes the stop, and then Gomez slides in to nudge the ball clear just as it’s about to trickle over the line. Last-gasp stuff from Liverpool and remarkably, given the chances at both ends, this one is still 0-0.

After that frantic start, this one has settled down a little bit as we approach the half-hour mark. How it’s not Liverpool 1-2 Everton is anyone’s guess…

Firmino shifts inside from the left, and as Andre Gomes backs off, tries his luck. It stings Pickford’s palms but the Everton keeper gathers quickly.

Walcott tries to play in Richarlison and he goes to ground as Alexander-Arnold tries to nick the ball away from him. No foul — play on.

Everton’s attack breaks down and Liverpool try a quick counter, but just as Salah looks to turn back into a shooting position, his touch lets him down and the opportunity is lost.

Shaqiri picks up a yellow card for a foul on Bernard.

ANOTHER GLORIOUS CHANCE! This is quickly turning into an all-time classic 0-0. Gueye is ponderous coming out from the back and Fabinho thunders in to pick his pocket. It goes from him to Salah to Shaqiri in a quick, sweeping move. Shaqiri is one-on-one with the goal at his mercy but — credit to Pickford — he makes himself big and gets enough of his thigh on it to put it behind.

And now Alisson again makes a timely intervention, getting a vital touch on the ball as Walcott tried to round him.

That Shaqiri chance…

Liverpool v Everton - Premier League - Anfield Peter Byrne Peter Byrne

 

Liverpool v Everton - Premier League - Anfield Peter Byrne Peter Byrne

Free kick from the right, and a good opportunity for Liverpool to fashion a chance before the break, but the first ball is headed clear and then Pickford claims the second without too much trouble.

HALF TIME: Liverpool 0-0 Everton

Liverpool v Everton - Premier League - Anfield Peter Byrne Peter Byrne

Graeme Souness on Sky:

“The word to describe Everton here is brave… they’ve come here without any inferiority complex.”

SECOND HALF: Back underway with Liverpool attacking the Kop in this second half.

Ooooh. Salah goes close with a curling effort from the edge of the box. He had to bend it around a few bodies in his way — including Firmino — and Pickford had it covered even if it had been on target.

Salah – Wijnaldum – Alexander-Arnold: Liverpool spray the ball from one side of the Everton box to another to try to prise them open but Alexander-Arnold’s touch as he tries to cushion it for Firmino doesn’t quite come off.

MANÉ! STILL 0-0! HOW?! Firmino’s pass puts him in behind the Everton defence, and even with Coleman and Mina putting him under pressure, and Pickford advancing, he sidefoots his shot a foot or two wide. Bad miss.

Theo Walcott is down requiring treatment — but it looks as though he’ll be ok to continue.

OOOOOOH, Mané whistles another one past the post. He starts the move, giving the ball into the feet of Salah who gets his body in front of Michael Keane and then plays the return pass to Mané in a much better position. He whips his shot past the post but a decent chance nonetheless.

Disappointing from Salah who is on the shoulder of the last Everton defender as Mané looks to play the through ball, but jumps the gun ever so slightly and strays offside… not by much, but by enough.

Little bit of a flare-up between Robertson and Richarlison, but there’s nothing much to it.

Everton sub: Ademola Lookman comes on to replace Theo Walcott.

First-time volley from Robertson to play a tempting ball right across the face of Pickford’s goal. Mané can’t reach — it’s well defended by Digne — and takes a couple of rolls as he tumbles to the ground. Another half-chance gone a-begging.

Mané bursts into the box with a sudden shift of gears but can’t pick out Salah with the pull back.

Liverpool sub: Naby Keita on to replace Shaqiri. Everton have been getting a lot more of a foothold in the game since Lookman’s introduction – can Keita have some sort of an impact for Jurgen Klopp’s men?

Huge shout from the home crowd as Andre Gomes drags his arm across Salah, who goes to ground in the box. There’s hardly enough meaningful contact there for a penalty, much as they’d like.

Liverpool sub: Here comes Daniel Sturridge for the final 15 minutes and, somewhat surprisingly, it’s Mo Salah who makes way to accommodate him.

Fabinho is late with his tackle on Richarlison, and he goes into the book.

And now Gomez goes into the book, again for a foul on Richarlison.

Mané sets Firmino free but he doesn’t have the pace to turn the opportunity into a meaningful one-on-one, and so gets crowded out by the retreating Everton defenders.

Liverpool sub: Final change for Liverpool as Divock Origi, making his first Liverpool appearance since August 2017, comes on to replace Firmino, who has been far below his best today.

Liverpool pack into the Everton half as they try to find a way through. Van Dijk skips into the box, but his cross is cleared, and then Michael Keane does brilliantly to hook away Alexander-Arnold’s second ball away.

Great tackle from Seamus Coleman! Origi hares down the left and squares it for Mané, and Coleman just gets their first to put it behind for a corner.

WHAT A CHANCE FOR ORIGI! From two yards out, he puts it on to the crossbar! It wasn’t the easiest chance — the ball bounced up at a bad height — but with his name in lights he couldn’t hit the target.

The ball pings off Sigurdsson’s arm in the ensuing scramble but it’s ball-to-arm, and no penalty.

Everton sub: Zouma on for Sigurdsson.

There’ll be four minutes of added time. Can Liverpool find a winner? Will Everton get a chance to punish them?

Daniel Sturridge tries to orchestrate more late, late magic but he hesitates… and hesitates… and hesitates… and Everton nick the ball away before he can get the shot off inside the box.

That’s most likely that.

Into the fifth minute here but still time for a chance…

GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL! Liverpool 1-0 Everton (Origi, 90+6′)

LIVERPOOL WIN IT IN THE MOST INCREDIBLE, BIZARRE CIRCUMSTANCES.

They have one last free-kick and a chance to snatch a winner — and it’s Divock Origi who has done it. 

Virgil van Dijk looks to have wasted it the chance when he skews an ill-advised volley high into the sky but as it drops right on top of the Everton goal, Jordan Pickford touches the ball onto the top of his own bar, and then watches as it drops back into play where Origi is there to scramble it over the line.

Have you ever seen anything like it?

FULL TIME: Liverpool 1-0 Everton

That will go down as one of the most unforgettable finishes in the history of the Merseyside derby.

Jurgen Klopp sprints onto the middle of the pitch to celebrate with his players and second later, the final whistle goes.

Jordan Pickford looks absolutely at a loss to explain what has happened. Like the rest of us, I guess.

Look at those celebrations from Klopp, the Liverpool bench and players. Remember, the final whistle still hadn’t gone at this stage.

That’s all from us for now as Everton’s long wait for a win at Anfield continues in the most cruel circumstances.

But what a day for Divock Origi and for Liverpool who — once again — haven’t been great but it’s three points which see them keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

We’ll have more reaction and analysis over the course of the evening. Thanks for reading.

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