Gakpo off the mark as Liverpool down Everton 2-0

AFP

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for the club as they halted a dismal run by beating relegation-threatened city rivals Everton 2-0 at Anfield in the Premier League on Monday.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 36th minute, linking up with Darwin Nunez on the counter-attack just after Everton missed a glorious double chance to take the lead, with Dwight McNeil going close and James Tarkowski hitting the post.

Netherlands forward Gakpo extended the lead early in the second half of a typically fast-paced Merseyside derby for his first goal in his seventh match for Liverpool since joining from PSV Eindhoven for a reported 37 million pounds ($44.91 million).

Liverpool started the game having lost three of their last four league matches while conceding nine goals and scoring one, while Everton were hopeful of turning a corner under new manager Sean Dyche after a shock win over leaders Arsenal last time out.

But Juergen Klopp's Liverpool side were stronger and sharper than their neighbours and earned their first league victory of 2023 to climb to ninth in the table on 32 points after 21 games.

Everton were left in 18th place on 18 points from 22 matches, one point off the safety zone.

"It's a huge win for us," said Salah. "We had a perfect week to train and the players were so excited and we couldn't wait for the game to turn everything around and hopefully it was a start.

"I know that Darwin is really fast so they had a corner and we played a one-two. I knew that he was going to play the ball in the space so I was running as fast as I could and scored so that's the most important thing."

More from Sports

  • Manchester City striker Haaland suffers ankle injury

    Manchester City's Erling Haaland sustained an ankle injury in their FA Cup quarter-final at Bournemouth over the weekend, the Premier League club said on Monday, with the striker requiring further tests to determine the full extent of the injury.

  • Rory McIlroy battling injury with Masters approaching

    Rory McIlroy acknowledged he is dealing with an elbow injury as he prepares to head to Augusta for next week's Masters. The World No. 2 made a spirited run up the leaderboard at the Texas Children's Houston Open on Sunday, carding a 4-under 31 on the front nine that included an eagle.

  • Caitlin Clark sports card sets record after selling at auction

    WNBA star Caitlin Clark's 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl Prizm card, numbered 1-of-1, has set a record sale for a female sports card after going under the hammer for $366,000 (AED 1.3 million) at auction.

  • Saka ready to return, says Arsenal manager Arteta

    Arsenal's Bukayo Saka could make his long-awaited return against Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday after recovering from a hamstring injury, his manager Mikel Arteta said.

  • Teenager Mensik denies Djokovic 100th title in Miami Open upset

    Nineteen-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik beat his childhood idol Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 7-6(4) in an upset for the ages on Sunday, claiming his first ATP title at the Miami Open as he denied the former number one his bid for a milestone 100th.

News