Robertson and Origi sink Everton to keep Liverpool on title track

The Kop taunted Everton with chants of “Going down” while Liverpool refused to give up on catching up with Manchester City in the title race.

Frank Lampard’s relegation-threatened side impressed only by the rise of an unlikely derby hero in Andy Robertson – and a not-so-unlikely one in Divock Origi – to leave Merseyside rivals vying for colossal stakes at opposite ends of the table. PremierLeague.

Robertson scored his second goal of the season flawlessly from Liverpool perspective with nerves building among the home support before his 62nd-minute breakthrough.

Origi appeared off the bench to torment Everton once again with his sixth derby goal as Jürgen Klopp’s side posted 12 successive home wins in the Premier League. The day ended with the home rivals separated by 50 points and with Liverpool enjoying 82.7% possession – the second highest total in a match since Opta began collecting data in 2003-04 – but this was far from the procession that the statistics suggest or many had anticipated.

The sense of apprehension that accompanied Everton to Anfield deepened before a ball was kicked in the 240th Merseyside derby. Burnley’s win over Wolves took Lampard’s side into the relegation zone for the first time this season. As if that were not enough, Ben Godfrey suffered a quadriceps injury in the warm-up and was replaced by Michael Keane. Lampard had rested Yerry Mina after his return from a two-month break against Leicester on Wednesday, leaving Everton a man down on a bench that included 18-year-old midfielder Isaac Price.

To Everton’s credit, neither the interruption nor the growing threat of relegation affected them in a first half that stifled and irritated Liverpool in equal measure. Lampard swamped his midfield and employed some of the clearance tactics that José Mourinho did here when Chelsea derailed Liverpool’s title bid in 2014. Jordan Pickford took forever on every shot and clearance; Richarlison collapsed in a heap whenever it was played and sometimes when it wasn’t played at all; and the excellent Anthony Gordon was booked for diving on Naby Keïta’s leg inside the Liverpool penalty area. That sparked the first of two fights in the opening period, and in truth, the needle was more entertaining than the game at the time.

Liverpool’s frustration stemmed more from Everton’s deep, disciplined defending and sharp counter-attacks than from wasted time and theatre. The hosts were unable to repeat the first-half blitz that devastated Manchester City and United in their previous two outings because there were no gaps to be exploited. Klopp thought there weren’t enough runs behind. The unusual carelessness in possession did not help Liverpool either. Pickford barely fretted before the break. Sadio Mané’s high kick in the 21st minute was Liverpool’s first and only notable attempt until Robertson opened the scoring.

The biggest threat came from Everton at half-time. Gordon ran away from Trent Alexander-Arnold to a pass from Abdoulaye Doucouré and fell just outside the box after a push to the back from the full-back. The referee, Stuart Attwell, gave nothing. Doucouré also passed after some good work from Richarlison but lacked conviction and dragged a meek shot into Alisson’s goal. Gordon did something similar in the second half, running down the left but taking his effort off the far post.

The spire was often the most noticeable feature. Richarlison went down clutching his face after a touch from Fabinho early. He went down grabbing his head again later in the half, forcing Attwell to stop the game to the obvious annoyance of the Liverpool players. When the Brazilian international was left on the ground seconds later with a genuine ankle injury, both the referee and Liverpool continued to play. An incensed Doucouré took matters into his own hands by attacking Fabinho for a booking.

Another melee ensued and Mané was reprimanded for bringing a hand to Allan’s face. He also stuck a finger in Mason Holgate’s eye. Diogo Jota was lucky when, after being fouled by Séamus Coleman, he reacted with a raised arm that narrowly missed the Everton captain.

Everton remained dangerous up front, almost exclusively through Gordon, who was cleared by a run from Alexander-Arnold and had a strong penalty appeal denied with the game scoreless as he fell under a push from Joël Matip. But there was more intensity and urgency for Liverpool in the second half with Mohamed Salah becoming more prominent. However, it was the introduction of Origi and Luis Diaz around the hour mark, that Klopp staple, that made the vital difference.

Origi, so often Everton’s scourge, had been on the pitch for a minute when he exchanged passes with Salah inside the visiting penalty area.

Salah sent a delicious cross to the back post where Robertson, of all people, charged to head past an exposed Pickford. Holgate headed off Matip’s line, with Salah chopping off the rebound, and Robertson then made an invaluable contribution at the other end of the field by clearing a Dele Alli cross before Alex Iwobi could score.

Victory was secured in the final minutes with Liverpool’s substitutes back in the spotlight. As Robertson’s corner went over a crowded area, Jordan Henderson collected and crossed for Diaz at the far post. The Colombian international connected with a pair of scissors that bounced off the grass. Origi popped up behind two Everton defenders to beat Pickford with a header from close range.

There was still time for Alisson to poke fun at Pickford’s earlier loss of time in throwing the ball in after saving Richarlison. Liverpool had the last laugh but were forced to fight to the last.