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The 232nd Merseyside derby has the potential to be an ugly game this Sunday.
Liverpool will not be in good spirits after suffering their third defeat away from home in the Champions League this week. Paris Saint-Germain were the better team (though mainly in the opening 20 minutes), winning 2 – 1 in the end, and the Liverpool collective fan-base had better hope we don’t ever have to watch our first team play as abysmally on Sunday as they did this past Wednesday.
Even an ugly, scrappy match would make for a better prospect than abysmal, and it seems most likely that we’ll see something to that effect when Everton come to Anfield at 16:15 PM GMT/11:15 AM EST.
For their part, Everton have experienced a resurgence under their new manager Marco Silva, who signed a three year deal with the club on 31 May, 2018. The Toffees skimmed the periphery of relegation last season but thanks to the 41-year-old Silva, their 2018-19 season has seen them off to a decent start. They are currently in 6th place on the Premier League table, ahead of Manchester United and six points off 4th place.
Liverpool’s Premier League Form
Games: 13 | Wins: 10 | Draws: 3 | Losses: 0
Despite their form being shaky where European football is concerned, Liverpool’s League form has been stellar and they are still undefeated in this season’s PL campaign. They are one of only two teams (the other team being Manchester City) who have yet to suffer a loss at this stage of the season, and heading into Match Week 14 they will be aiming for their third successive PL victory following their 1 – 1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates on 3 November, 2018. They subsequently beat Fulham by 2 goals to nil at Anfield on 11 November, 2018, and gave Marco Silva’s former team, Watford, a second-half thrashing, winning 0 – 3 at Vicarage Road last weekend.
Liverpool vs Everton: Head to Head
Premier League: 52 Matches Played - Wins: 22 | Losses: 9 | Draws: 21
Last 5 Matches Played - Wins: 3 | Losses: 0 | Draws: 2
Half a mile separates Liverpool and Everton, but in the footballing world the two clubs are poles apart when it comes to achievements in the top tier of the English game. Since 1892, Liverpool have won 18 League titles, although they have yet to taste Premier League glory. Their Blue neighbours have never captured the Premier League title, and their highest finish in the league was fourth in 2004-05 when they finished above Liverpool while Liverpool won the Champions League.
Liverpool are currently on their longest ever unbeaten run in 17 games (wins 8 draws 9) against Everton in all competitions. The last time Everton beat Liverpool in a Premier League derby they won 2 – 0, which was way back in October 2010, and they have been without a win in the last 15.
The Merseyside derby has seen 21 red cards handed out in the Premier League, which is the most of any league fixture.
Everton’s Premier League Form
Games: 13 | Wins: 6 | Draws: 4 | Losses: 3
Everton have won five of their last seven games and are the most improved side in terms of shots faced. Last season, Everton managed to record the second-fewest shots in the league and the fewest by any side during Sam Allardyce’s time in charge. Fast forward to this year, and the Toffees are attempting almost 50% more per game, the biggest increase in the league this season. It’s perhaps no wonder their fans have become a tad more overbearing than usual on social media recently – in terms of shots, no set of supporters have seen a bigger improvement from their team than the Bitters...err, I mean, Toffees.
Marco Silva added six signings under the age of 25 – Kurt Zouma, Yerry Mina, Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and the two Brazilians; Bernard and Richarlison – in the summer, thanks in part to Marcel Brand’s appointment as director of football. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder Richarlison has made the biggest impact thus far, scoring 6 goals in 11 Premier League matches.
Interesting Statistics
Marco Silva is the only manager that Jürgen Klopp has faced more than once in the Premier League without winning as Klopp’s side was unable to beat Silva’s in their two previous meetings.
The last time Everton won at Anfield was in 1999. Since then, they have failed to beat Liverpool in both the home and away fixtures in the League (plus one cup game), a total of 18 times.