$100 million defender scores decisive goal, Liverpool defeats Everton

Goals: Milner pen 35', Van Dijk 84' – Sigurdsson 67'

Coach Jurgen Klopp did not hesitate to introduce Van Dijk in the derby. All eyes were on the Dutch international - the most expensive defender in history. And Van Dijk did not disappoint those who were eagerly waiting for him to show his ability.

Liverpool's new signing not only had the highest statistics of the match in terms of passes (62), successful aerial duels (5) and shots on target (2). He also made The Kop - the most enthusiastic area of ​​Anfield - explode with excitement with his "golden goal".

When talking about the Merseyside derby, there is a saying that goes: "For the first 20 minutes, we just rush into each other, then the winner will be clear". The match at Anfield on January 5 was really broken up by fouls, mainly from the away team. However, after Wayne Rooney received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Joe Gomez, referee Bobby Madley showed mercy to the player throughout the first half.

Everton's aggressive play made the home team falter, not creating many dangerous opportunities. The surprise happened in the 34th minute when defender Mason Holgate fouled Adam Lallana in the penalty area, although Liverpool's chance was not clear. At the 11-meter mark, captain James Milner distracted goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The pace of the match increased after Milner's opening goal, as both teams played a tit-for-tat game. In the 63rd minute, Van Dijk almost doubled the gap with a header from an open position, but the ball hit the Everton goalkeeper.

Four minutes later, Liverpool were hit back as they pressed forward from a set-piece. The visitors won possession and struck back quickly, with Yannick Bolasie passing to Ademola Lookman.

The youngster, who replaced Rooney in the second half, fed centre-back Phil Jagielka close to the box. The Everton captain's appearance on the counter-attack was a big surprise. Instead of shooting, he dropped the ball just wide for Gylfi Sigurdsson to coolly finish into the near post, leaving goalkeeper Loris Karius rooted to the spot as the ball rolled into the net.

Without the creativity of Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool had to rely on set pieces, with Van Dijk always the destination. After two wasted opportunities, the 1.93m rookie scored the decisive goal in the 84th minute.

Pickford misjudged the corner kick, allowing the Dutchman to head into an empty net despite being closely marked. Having scored 10 goals in a season for Celtic, Liverpool's record signing promises to have an impact beyond just the defence.

The victory helped the home team extend their unbeaten streak in the Merseyside derby to 16 matches. This is the best achievement in the history of Liverpool - Everton confrontation.

Line-up

Liverpool:Karius, Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Can, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Mane, Firmino

Everton:Pickford, Kenny, Holgate, Jagielka, Martina; Schneiderlin, McCarthy, Rooney; Bolasie, Calvert-Lewin, Sigurdsson