Liverpool's Alisson goes full Jordan Pickford late on vs Everton

Liverpool maintained pace in the Premier League title race against Everton on Sunday.

With Manchester City having kept their side of the bargain with a 5-1 win over Watford, there was no room for Jurgen Klopp’s men to wilt under the pressure of a Merseyside derby.

On paper, victory over their local neighbours should have been fairly straightforward as they fight for their lives to avoid a first ever Premier League relegation.

However, Frank Lampard had a cunning plan to ensure that his Toffees side would make life as hard as possible for Liverpool, duly maximising their chances of taking a point in the process.

That’s because Everton came out with a clear desire to make the game incredibly ugly, channelling some of Jose Mourinho’s most frustrating and canny performances at the very same stadium.

In fact, Everton frustrated their hosts to such an extent during the opening 45 minutes that things eventually got very heated.

Not only was Anthony Gordon booked for simulation, but Richarlison went to ground so many times that the referee eventually began to take no notice and ensure that the play continued.

However, there’s no denying that the most prolific offender proved to be Jordan Pickford, who saw to killing the derby’s momentum by time-wasting whenever he had the opportunity.

That culminated in a cheeky moment just before half-time where he unnecessarily hit the turf with the ball in his arms, even firing a smile and wink in the direction of the crowd.

But boy did karma sting him in the backside because it looks as though Alisson Becker still had Pickford’s antics on his mind when Liverpool entered the end of the second-half with a 2-0 lead.

Goals from Andrew Robertson and Divock Origi had eventually unravelled