LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp said “it felt like us, it looked like us,” after the Reds recorded their first Premier League win in 2023 with a comfortable Merseyside derby victory over Everton at Anfield.
Sean Dyche’s reign as Everton manager got off to the perfect start with a win over league leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park, but the task he has taken on after succeeding sacked Frank Lampard was laid out before him in graphic detail as they remain rooted in the bottom three.
Everton had actually kept Liverpool at arm’s length before they were caught by a devastating counter-attack after 36 minutes, defender James Tarkowski’s header hitting the post at one end before Darwin Nunez raced clear, squaring for Mohamed Salah to take advantage of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s poor positioning with a simple finish.
Liverpool snuffed out any hopes of an Everton recovery four minutes after the break.
And it was a special moment for £45m January signing Cody Gakpo, as he tapped in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross at the far post for his first goal since arriving at Anfield from PSV Eindhoven.
“The result is massive relief,” added Klopp to BBC Match of the Day.
“The better you play the more likely you will score. The whole performance was extremely important for us because we needed to make a statement.”
