Jurgen Klopp hails Jordan Pickford as Everton keeper denies Liverpool
LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp praised Jordan Pickford’s “spectacular” display as the Everton goalkeeper forced Liverpool to settle for a 0-0 draw in Saturday’s feisty Merseyside derby. Conor Coady thought he had put Everton ahead with a close-range finish from Neal Maupay’s shot in the second half at Goodison Park. But the former Liverpool defender’s goal was correctly disallowed for offside after a VAR check, sparking an angry response from the stands.
A beer bottle appeared to be thrown from behind the managers’ technical areas, narrowly missing Liverpool boss Klopp. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, an Everton fan ran on to the pitch from the Gwladys Street End in a bid to confront referee Anthony Taylor before being ushered away by stewards. Those nasty incidents overshadowed a pulsating clash between these bitter rivals that could easily have finished with goals aplenty but for a man of the match display from Pickford and some fine stops from his Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker.
“Wow, what can you do? It was a great derby, super intense, with a lot of really spectacular saves,” Klopp said. “We hit the post three times and Pickford made so many saves. I don’t know how many derbies I’ve been in, but it’s quite a few and they’re always difficult here.” Everton are now without a victory in their first six games this term, while Liverpool’s momentum was checked after winning their previous two matches.
“We kept our heads. We played well and we’re getting better. It felt like today could have gone either way,” Everton boss Frank Lampard said.