Everton 0-0 Liverpool: Both sides hit woodwork in goalless draw

Everton 0-0 Liverpool: Both sides hit woodwork in goalless draw
_126577910_gettyimages-1242907380-1.jpgEverton v Liverpool has seen more goalless draws than any fixture in English top-flight history (36)

Everton and Liverpool fought out an eventful Merseyside derby draw at Goodison Park.

In a game that swung from end to end, Tom Davies hit the woodwork for Everton while Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz suffered a similar fate for Liverpool.

Everton keeper Jordan Pickford turned Nunez's shot on to the bar brilliantly and also denied Liverpool substitute Roberto Firmino on three separate occasions while Mohamed Salah hit the post again in the final seconds.

Former Liverpool defender Conor Coady thought he had broken the deadlock against his former club when he turned in debutant Neal Maupay's shot but the goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR intervention.

As well as Coady's disallowed goal, Everton forced two outstanding saves from Liverpool keeper Alisson as he denied Maupay and Dwight McNeil, whose shot was deflected towards the top corner.

Pickford shows why he's England's best

Jordan Pickford has barely made a mistake for England and yet has to deal with constant noise about his position being under threat.

Manager Gareth Southgate ignores it and Pickford is making his case by displaying the finest form of his career at Everton.

Pickford was magnificent in this goalless draw with a succession of outstanding stops to keep Everton on level terms, although there was also much to admire from Frank Lampard's side in other areas.

He displayed great athleticism to turn Nunez's shot on to the bar in the first half, showed great reflexes and agility in denying Firmino three times, and then pounced at his near post to touch Salah's shot on to the post with virtually the last kick of the game.

It would have been harsh on Pickford to end up on the losing side after a performance that must rank among the finest of his career.

Liverpool still not firing

Liverpool may have picked up successive Premier League wins against Bournemouth and Newcastle United but there is still something missing from the team that chased four trophies right to the end of last season, winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Some of Liverpool's big players are nowhere near their best - and although Jurgen Klopp's side had plenty of chances here, Everton also troubled them.

Fabinho laboured once more in midfield with the youth of Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho alongside him, although the latter only last 45 minutes.

Even though the visitors were denied by the woodwork three times, as well as by the inspired Pickford, this was still way short of their best.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was disappointing once more before he was substituted and while Liverpool carried threat, they were also vulnerable at the back with Virgil van Dijk shown a yellow card for a crude challenge on Amadou Onana.

Klopp will be delighted to have seen Diogo Jota back in action as substitute late on but the overall result will disappoint a manager so well versed in victory over recent years, with only two wins from the season's first six Premier League games.

Everton

Squad number27Player nameGueye

Squad number7Player nameMcNeil

Squad number10Player nameGordon

Squad number20Player nameMaupay

Squad number11Player nameGray

Squad number17Player nameIwobi

Squad number3Player namePatterson

Squad number26Player nameDavies

Squad number19Player nameMykolenko

Squad number2Player nameTarkowski

Squad number30Player nameCoady

Squad number1Player namePickford

Squad number8Player nameOnana

Line-ups

Everton

Formation 4-3-3

1Pickford

3Patterson30Coady2Tarkowski19Mykolenko

26Davies8Onana17Iwobi

11Gray20Maupay10Gordon

1PickfordBooked at 90mins3Patterson30Coady2Tarkowski19Mykolenko26DaviesSubstituted forGueyeat 62'minutes8OnanaBooked at 38mins17Iwobi11Gray20Maupay10GordonSubstituted forMcNeilat 82'minutes

Substitutes

5Keane6Allan7McNeil15Begovic23Coleman27Gueye29Vinagre33Rondón56Mills

Liverpool

Formation 4-3-3

1Alisson

66Alexander-Arnold2Gomez4van Dijk21Tsimikas

19Elliott3Fabinho28Freitas Gouveia Carvalho

11Salah27Núñez23Díaz

1Alisson66Alexander-ArnoldSubstituted forMilnerat 59'minutes2Gomez4van DijkBooked at 76mins21TsimikasSubstituted forRobertsonat 59'minutes19ElliottSubstituted forMatipat 80'minutes3FabinhoBooked at 90mins28Freitas Gouveia CarvalhoSubstituted forFirminoat 45'minutes11Salah27NúñezSubstituted forJotaat 80'minutes23Díaz

Substitutes

7Milner9Firmino13Adrián20Jota26Robertson29Arthur32Matip43Bajcetic47PhillipsReferee:Anthony TaylorAttendance:39,240

Live Text

Match ends, Everton 0, Liverpool 0.

Second Half ends, Everton 0, Liverpool 0.

Jordan Pickford (Everton) is shown the yellow card.

Attempt missed. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Diogo Jota.

Attempt missed. Diogo Jota (Liverpool) right footed shot from very close range misses to the right.

Attempt saved. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Luis Díaz.

Attempt blocked. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Diogo Jota.

Fabinho (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Attempt missed. Diogo Jota (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Andrew Robertson with a cross.

Attempt saved. Demarai Gray (Everton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Dwight McNeil.

Attempt blocked. Luis Díaz (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Fabinho.

Foul by Mohamed Salah (Liverpool).

Vitalii Mykolenko (Everton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Attempt saved. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Mohamed Salah.

Hand ball by Luis Díaz (Liverpool).

Foul by Luis Díaz (Liverpool).

Idrissa Gueye (Everton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Corner, Everton. Conceded by Alisson.

Attempt blocked. Dwight McNeil (Everton) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Neal Maupay.

Substitution, Everton. Dwight McNeil replaces Anthony Gordon.

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