Liverpool 2-0 Everton: Cody Gakpo off the mark in much-needed derby win for Reds

Liverpool secured their first Premier League win of 2023 at the expense of their relegation-threatened neighbours at Anfield.

Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for Liverpool and Mohamed Salah was on target as Everton were consigned to a 2-0 Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield.

The Reds’ hopes of a top-four finish have been rocked by a top-four run without a win, but they picked up their first Premier League win of 2023 on Monday.

Salah capped a blistering counter-attack 13 seconds after James Tarkowski hit the post with his 18th goal of the season, having failed to find the back of the net at the end of the first half in his previous five games.

Gakpo got off the mark early in the second half as Liverpool moved up a place to ninth and kept their neighbors in the relegation zone by consigning boss Sean Dyche to a first defeat, with substitute appearances for the fit-again Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino. provides support for Jurgen Klopp.

Dutch forward Gakpo spurned a good chance to open the scoring when he headed wide from close range in a frantic start.

Tarkowski came agonizingly close to scoring a second goal in as many games after his winner against Arsenal when he rose to meet Alex Iwobi’s corner with a header that hit the post and Liverpool were in front moments later.

Everton were badly caught on the stroke of half-time when Darwin Nunez burst forward and picked out Salah, who slotted into an empty net with Jordan Pickford in no-man’s land nine minutes before the break.

The Toffees were caught again on the break four minutes into the second half when Conor Cody failed to deal with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s dangerous cross and Gakpo opened his account with a stop.

Nunez was denied by Pickford from a tight angle and after Gakpo’s set-up he pushed wide as Everton went on all too easily.

Ellis Simms was withdrawn after being unfit to start with Dominic Calvert-Lewin before Jota and Firmino received huge ovations when they came off the bench and Tom Davies’ glaring error with a close-range header summed up Everton’s day.