Egyptian strikers Mohamed Salah and Dutch newcomer Cody Khakpo led their team, Liverpool, to their first victory this year in the English Football League, by defeating Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby, at the end of the 23rd stage competitions.
Salah opened the scoring in the 36th minute, and Khakpo added the second, opening his first goal with his new team (49).
German coach Jurgen Klopp’s men did not taste victory since the beginning of the new year, as out of 12 possible points they only scored one point (3 defeats and a draw), before they achieved the three points for the first time against Everton.
The derby ended between two injured teams, in favor of Liverpool, who was among the favorites to win the title before the start of the current season, but it occupies ninth place with 32 points, while Everton, threatened with relegation, froze at 18 points in eighteenth place, ahead of Bournemouth and bottom summer.
Liverpool missed Ibrahima Konate, who was injured against Brighton in the cup two weeks ago, the Brazilian Arthur, the Colombian Luis Dias and the Spaniard Thiago Alcantara, while defender Virgil Van Dyck returned to the bench after an absence that lasted for 6 matches.
On the other hand, the most prominent absentee from the ranks of Everton was Dominic Calvert-Levin, after he left nearly an hour after scoring the goal of winning the leaders Arsenal 1-0 in the last stage, noting that the striker missed 10 matches this season due to injuries.
Liverpool opened the scoring from a counterattack after James Tarkovsky’s ball hit the crossbar of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, so the duo Salah and Uruguayan Darwin Nunes led an attack, so the latter passed from the left side, intercepted by the Egyptian striker inside the area and deceived goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who came out early from his goal (36).
Striker Khakpo doubled the score with his first goal in his seventh match with the “Reds”, after a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, followed by a right-footed shot into the net (49).
Nunes left in the 70th minute, and Portuguese Diogo Jota replaced him in his first appearance since the injury he suffered in mid-October, which prevented him from participating with his country in the World Cup Qatar last year, while Khakpo gave up his position to Brazilian Firmino, who in turn returned to the green rectangle (80). ).
Substitute Tom Davis almost narrowed the gap for Everton, but his header went past the post (81), before goalkeeper Pickford prevented Salah’s second goal by blocking his shot (88).
