The death knell unofficially rang for Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League title on Wednesday,hen they lost 2-0 to Everton in the Merseyside derby.
After resting starters like Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez for their 3-1 win over Fulham on Sunday, Liverpool started a first-choice team for the high-stakes match and maintained the edge in possession throughout. They were unable to keep Everton at bay, though, and went down after just 27 minutes when Jarrad Branthwaite scored. Everton maintained a similar attacking prowess to the Reds throughout the game and eventually scored a second in the 55th minute through Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN MAKES IT 2-0 EVERTON. 😵 pic.twitter.com/MYe3j1oLO4
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 24, 2024
Liverpool stayed true to their tactical identity, holding onto 75.7% of possession and outshooting Everton 21 to 16 and winning the expected goals battle 1.76 to 1.26. The performance was ultimately another example in wastefulness from the Reds, who put just five of their shots on target while the Toffees posted six.
The loss means Liverpool are now three points behind league-leaders Arsenal, who beat Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday. The Reds are still ahead of reigning champions Manchester City by a point, but they have two games in hand and could overtake both of those teams when all is said and done.
Liverpool started the month as the league leaders but had fallen down the pecking order with an unexpected 2-2 draw against Manchester United and a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, two games in which they took a huge number of shots but failed to turn into winw. The Reds now stand a 13.2% chance of winning the title according to Opta, well below the 30.8% chance Arsenal have and the 56% Manchester City stand at.
As for Everton, it's another big win as they aim to avoid relegation. They now sit eight points above the drop zone with four games left in the season.
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