5 Telling Stats from Everton’s Derby Defeat

It was yet another road defeat for Everton Football Club in the 2021/22 season, making it 12 in total. This time, however, it came at the hands of eternal archnemesis Liverpool, whose title charge remains alive with five games left to play. The Toffees must now dig themselves out of a massive hole in order to avoid relegation, with the teams around them picking up points elsewhere this weekend.

Into the Drop Zone

Due to Burnley’s 1-0 win over Wolves and their own inability to pick up points at Anfield, the Toffees have officially entered the relegation zone for the first time this season. It’s honestly surprising it took this long considering we’ve been inching ever closer to the bottom three since everything started going downhill back in October.

Batten Down the Hatches

I doubt anyone was surprised that Frank Lampard’s Everton took a very practical, and therefore defensive, approach to the Merseyside Derby, but the sheer amount of possession Liverpool did end up with was a bit staggering. The Reds did next to nothing in the first half despite their territorial domination, registering fewer xG than Everton in the first half, but would eventually find the breakthrough through Andy Robertson about 15 minutes into the second period.

Bogey Man

The second Divock Origi stepped on the pitch, I knew he would end up finding the back of the net. He nearly always does. In fact, 27% of his Premier League goals have come against Everton. I doubt his face is one that Evertonians will be able to forget any time soon.

Up for a Fight

Everton’s best player was, yet again, Anthony Gordon, who has been without a doubt the biggest shining light in an otherwise pitch-black nightmare of a season. He should have won a penalty early in the second half which unsurprisingly was not given, but looked to be the biggest threat in a blue shirt the whole match. His effort, as always these days, was unmatched by anyone else on the pitch.

Light Years Apart

It’s safe to say that these two English football giants have never before been in such contrasting positions. The quadruple is still on for Liverpool. Everton are favorites to go down. The 970-meter gap between Goodison Park and Anfield has never felt larger.