LONDON – Mohamed Salah said Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby was just the start of a recovery for the Reds.
Salah scored his first English Premier League goal since Boxing Day as Jurgen Klopp’s men ended a four-game winless run. Cody Gakpo then scored his first goal for the club in the second-half.
The return from injury of Diego Jota and Roberto Firmino ended a positive night for Liverpool, while Virgil van Dijk made the bench after six weeks out.
“It’s a big win for us,” Salah said according to AFP. “We had a great week in training and the players were very excited and we couldn’t wait for the game to change everything. Hopefully this was a start.”
Salah opened the scoring in the 36th minute of a typically fast-paced Merseyside derby, linking up with Darwin Nunez on the counter-attack just after Everton had missed a glorious double chance to take the lead.
Liverpool is still nine points off the top four in ninth.
But that gap to fourth-placed Newcastle could be cut to six points when they travel to St. James’ Park next weekend.
That clash comes just days before Real Madrid’s trip to Anfield in the Champions League last 16 and Klopp will be hoping he has finally stumbled upon a solution to some of his side’s woes in time for another tilt at the European Cup.
“Tonight we were there and that has to be the sign now for us for what we have to do,” said Klopp. “The performance for the full 96 minutes was the best for a while.”
Liverpool’s optimism has to be put in the context of facing an Everton side with just one win in 12 games.
That victory came last weekend in Sean Dyche’s first match in charge as league leaders Arsenal were shocked 1-0 at Goodison Park.
But Dyche was given a better understanding of the problems he has inherited with the Toffees languishing in the relegation zone.
Everton were still left to rue what might have been had James Tarkowski’s header gone in rather than come off the post just seconds before Liverpool took the lead.
Instead, the hosts collected the loose ball and freed Nunez down the left, who squared for Salah to prod into an unguarded net with Jordan Pickford caught in no man’s land.
Everton were undone by another swift counter-attack at the start of the second period.
Andy Robertson charged through midfield and found Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose inviting ball across the face of the goal just required a simple finish from Gakpo.
The Dutch international will hope a derby goal proves the turning point after a difficult start to life in the Premier League following his January move from PSV Eindhoven.
“It was a great game from our side,” said Gakpo. “We really needed this.”
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