Liverpool staged a late show against Everton following the controversial dismissal of Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell early on in the first half.
11 vs 11
The first 20 minutes were very evenly contested. The midfield battle was there to be won for both sides and chances fell for both the blue and red sides from Merseyside. Liverpool fielded what was more like a 4-2-2-1-1, with Suarez playing the role of the leading striker, whilst Everton almost mirrored the formation, them opting for a 4-4-1-1 set-up, with Louis Saha playing the lone striker with Tim Cahill in support.
Both teams made sure that they had enough cover for their defence, with Lucas Leiva and Jack Rodwell given the task of providing that extra security to that back 4. Tackling and intercepting dangerous balls from the midfield. Lucas initially struggled with this task, whilst Rodwell was rather successful in the middle of the park.
Both Liverpool fullbacks initially played very defensive roles, rarely getting to advanced positions, but it has to be said that Martin Kelly wasn’t back at his full sharpness just yet. His passing was a bit off, but given the time he has spent on the injury table, it could definitely be forgiven.
10 vs 11
Now here’s where the game finally opened up. It was a very much discussed decision simply because it was a crucial decision. It won the game for Liverpool whilst it lost the game for Everton. This meant that Tim Cahill had to drop back into midfield, whilst the Everton formation generally dropped back.
But Liverpool still remained rather ordinary despite the one man advantage. Everton looked rather composed at the back as Liverpool sent a search party as they tried to seek out a goal. Suarez was frustrated at the back by Distin, whilst Tim Howard was the hero, stopping the penalty and keeping the Everton defence in shape.
The 2nd half brought about more of the same, with a goal from either side the requirement to spark the game to life. Changes made by Kenny Dalglish changed the complexion of the game. With Steven Gerrard coming off for a rather disappointing Charlie Adam, whilst Craig Bellamy was substituted on for an ineffective Stewart Downing.
That goal that was needed to open up the Everton defence came courtesy of Andy Carroll.
10 vs 11, 0-1 Up
A move that was started by the man whom was substituted on just minutes earlier. Craig Bellamy played a fantastic through ball to Jose Enrique to go forward and receive. The Spaniard than placed in a dangerous cross. Call it awareness, call it a shout from Carroll, Kuyt displayed fantastic teamwork when he ducked and confused a majority of the Everton team. Andy Carroll was then left with a rather simple shot to make the score 1-0.
This gave Liverpool an upper hand in terms of territorial possession along with intent. The chance to duly finish the game fell for Liverpool’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, whom found himself with a 1 vs 1 against Tim Howard following a defensive mix-up at the back for Everton. And that was goodnight Everton.
The Growing Importance of Fullbacks for Liverpool FC
Submitted by Two Liverpool Fans
