Sam Allardyce will be bidding to become the first Everton manager in nearly two decades to win at Anfield when they face rivals Liverpool in what promises to be a tasty Merseyside derby on Sunday.
No Everton manager had ever lost his first league game in charge of the Toffees and veteran Allardyce continued that proud tradition as goals from Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson and youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave the home side a 2-0 over newly promoted Huddersfield last weekend.
Allardyce was also in the stands when Everton demolished West Ham 4-0 and the twin victories have taken the Toffees to 10th in the table. They also finished their Europa League engagements with a 3-0 win in Cyprus on Thursday against Apollon Limassol, a fixture in which young Ademola Lookman bagged a brace for the visitors.
Liverpool have been in even more imperious form, putting five past Brighton at the AMEX Stadium last weekend and smashing Spartak Moscow 7-0 in midweek to book their spot in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The Reds’ “Fab Four”- Philippe Coutinho, Sadio, Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah have delighted fans and pundits alike with their silky interplay- the second against Spartak (see below) was a great example of a beautifully constructed team goal.
Since losing to Spurs, Liverpool have scored 29 times in eight games, and their November form earned Jurgen Klopp a nomination for Manager of the Month.
LFC- last five games
Liverpool 7-0 Spartak
Brighton 1-5 Liverpool
Stoke 0-3 Chelsea
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Sevilla 3-3 Chelsea
Everton’s last win at Anfield came back in September 1999, which explains why Liverpool are hot favourites for this derby. However the introduction of Allardyce makes things interesting. Big Sam knows how to win at Anfield- he did so with Crystal Palace as recently as last season. Be sure to check out MrBets for offers if you intend to put a few quid on the Toffees emerging victorious on Sunday.
Both teams have also been pitted against each other in the FA Cup, which adds to the drama surrounding the derby. The game is one of two explosive local clashes in Round 16, with the blockbuster Manchester derby following immediately after this fixture at Anfield. Everton are one of three teams yet to win on the road this season in the Premier League- relegation threatened Crystal Palace and West Ham are the other two.
EFC- last five games
Apollon 0-3 Liverpool
Everton 2-0 Huddersfield
Everton 4-0 West Ham
Southampton 4-1 Everton
Everton 1-5 Atalanta
Liverpool are fourth in the table (29 points) going into Round 16, but are already fourteen behind league leaders City. The referee for this game is Craig Pawson, who was also in charge when the Reds beat West Ham 4-1 last month- a result that effectively precipitated Croatian gaffer Slaven Bilic’s sacking by Messrs Gold and Sullivan.
Liverpool v Everton in the 229th Merseyside Derby kicks off at 14.15 UK on Sunday 10 December, 2017