Everton: An unenjoyable but valuable derby day point

It was a tense afternoon at Anfield, but Everton did what it took against Liverpool, to head back to Goodison Park with a precious point.

So Everton secured a point at Anfield that, given recent form there, will be welcome. However, it was not a game or performance that will have Evertonians reaching for the highlight tapes.

It’s rarely good to see a team defending so much and so deeply, conceding possession and control of a derby match to the old enemy. Ideally of course, Everton should have tried to be positive and win the game, not sit back and hope to maybe snatch a draw late on.

However, confidence in the side is probably still fragile. Combined with Liverpool’s excellent form of late, the Blues were never going to turn up and play football toe-to-toe with the Reds.

This was more so the case, with a manager like Sam Allardyce in charge. The priority was always going to be to ensure — of possible — the team didn’t concede and then nick a goal on the break or from a set-piece.

The first 45 minutes were difficult to watch, as the Blues defended deep and faced wave after wave of Reds pressure. They should have tried to defend a little higher up and not concede so much of the ball in midfield to a quality attacking side, which Liverpool certainly are.

If a team sits back for too much of a game and for so long right from the off, you’re in danger of one mistake or moment of quality undoing all that effort. And of course that’s exactly what happened, as Mohamed Salah scored a superb goal just before halftime.

Liverpool nearly went two up soon after and that would have been game over. They would have probably added another two or three goals as well, in the second half.

Instead, after the break Everton made a little more effort to come out on occasion. Even so, the team had little good ball use, until Wayne Rooney found himself in a bit of space and produced the pass of the game, to put Dominic Calvert-Lewin in on goal.

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After a slight touch and push from Dejan Lovren, Calvert-Lewin went over and Everton won a penalty very much against the run of play. These days any contact is enough to entice a forward to go down.

Although Liverpool and their fans predictably protested, they would have screamed for a penalty if it had been one of their so-called “fab four” who had been brought down in a similar manner. (Such is the one-eyed nature of football.) Rooney dispatched the spot kick with aplomb and after surviving a tense final 15 minutes, Everton had their point as the game ended 1-1.

Liverpool will claim they played all the football and deserved to win. However, the reality is they only actually had one more shot on target compared to Everton, over the course of the match.

If a side has realistic ambitions of being champions, they have to find a way to break down a stubborn, defensive opponent and take all the points on offer. (Just as Manchester City did later in the day, in their own derby.)

As for Everton, it’s obviously a welcome point which keeps the side’s unbeaten run going under Allardyce. However, let’s hope we don’t have to sit through too many more games where the Blues play such negative and unambitious football.

Next: Everton vs. Liverpool - facts and figures

Regardless of the tense nature of the game and the result, what did you make of Big Sam’s approach? Did you agree with his tactics or not, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.