Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Everton 2 Liverpool 2 in the 2024-2025 Premier League season…
FIRST Order Of Business…
Tonight was 16th versus first and first dropped points.
That’s just the fact of the matter. Earlier in the season, Liverpool dropped points away at Newcastle, currently fifth, to a daft last-minute winner. This is the essence of today’s game.
By extension, it is worth pointing out that we are now disappointed with draws across that level away from home. But nonetheless, those points are dropped.
Liverpool should be better at 1-2 tonight. They should be more certain of how that will happen. They shouldn’t be falling back on themselves.
Second Order Of Business…
It was a dreadful game. In a strange way, Liverpool’s second could do with being harder won, working them more. In a strange way, the equaliser could have been more dragged out. The truth of it is that Liverpool found hard things strangely easy and easy things strangely hard.
They never managed to genuinely take time out of the game and never managed to create a series of chances. But then never had to. This became the problem. Everton were never overextended enough for me.
You end up needing more from individuals. Alexis Mac Allister was brilliant for Liverpool in the game. But no one else was for 90 minutes. Not really. Virgil van Dijk was himself, but that wasn’t as all encompassing because that wasn’t what Everton wanted.
Elsewhere, Conor Bradley wasn’t great. Andy Robertson wasn’t great. Cody Gakpo wasn’t great. Dominik Szoboszlai wasn’t great.
But it was enough. Until.
Third Order Of Business…
The referee was dreadful. I’m not interested in his name because we shouldn’t be. He got soaked into nonsense over and over. None of his poor shouts were massive, but all of them were quietly impactful. It’s an important lesson in what can influence a game.
There had been no contact from the freekick they scored their opener from. It is an innocuous freekick and then it isn’t.
The amount of additional time felt too much (in the round I always want more) then the reality of that time wasn’t right and Mo Salah should have been awarded a foul in injury time.
You have to roll with the punches, there is no alternative.
Fourth Order Of Business…
Curtis Jones is the greatest living Liverpudlian. I will be taking no further questions at this time.
Fifth Order Of Business…
They were weird. Quiet. Pensive. I say this as a Goodison fan. The whole abrasive noise that collapses on you, that you feel never came. It didn’t even come on the whistle when too many celebrated a draw as a win.
But even before then Goodison was oddly quiet. It was never sure of its ground. And it is and always has been better than celebrating draws as wins.
Sixth Order Of Business…
Walking over, me and John Gibbons saw the sign for Goodison in the midst of the park raised over the stadium. You know what lad, you know what queen, this is our place and their place. It’s something to have loved and cherished. That distance. That walk. That ideal.
I remember growing up scared of Everton. I grew up scared of Goodison Park. And I love the place. You need to know that. I love Old Trafford too. I love Villa Park.
But I love Goodison. I love Evertonians. Literally. I can name four I genuinely, in the blood and in the bone, I love. I also think they are us. In the round. Or should be.
The ideal we saw is the intimacy, us and them tangled up, being the same. Maybe that moment has gone not just because of their move, but the state of the two sides.
Maybe the move feels sensible for all of us because it isn’t the same and can’t be again.
Maybe the end of this is the end of the idea of reasonable competition, the idea that for them a draw is as good as a win because it slows us is part of the move, part of the reality, part of their settling for mediocrity.
I am not even mildly scared of Everton any more. One day that could change, perhaps Bramley Moore will prove to be part of that, but ultimately they are not our business.
They are our people, though. They always will be. I need this to be more coherent.
Seventh Order Of Business…
Seven points. Seventh order. Seven points. You offer any of us that lead in August, we take it.
This is our football league this season. This is ours. Accept no imitations. Liverpool are the best team in the country and right now I am all about showing it.
I love you, I love this football club, I love this city. I love its muck and bullets, its messiness, its feeling we’d fight each other and then the world.
I love Goodison Park. Loved it. The best place to win. The worst place to lose and this draw? This draw? Not befitting of the place. I wanted to win and if not have my neck bitten and instead have had it stroked.
Eighth Order Of Business…
I am convinced I saw the Champions tonight.
