If Jurgen Klopp ever takes up poker, he’ll certainly be worth watching.
The Liverpool boss proved once more he is an ace gambler as his shuffled pack produced all the right cards on a night of high drama and madcap entertainment at Anfield.
The 234th Merseyside derby is one which will live long in the memory. Painfully so, for Evertonians, who watched their side slip into the relegation zone after a ninth defeat in 13 league games.
If this was to be Marco Silva’s last match as manager, then at least it was a thrilling one, one in which his side competed for long periods. Not that it’ll be much consolation to the Portuguese, who is surely on the thinnest of ice now.
So much for the tight, cagey affair many – including this correspondent – had predicted. There were seven goals, six of them scored in a breathless first-half as Liverpool cut through Everton like the December wind, while simultaneously ensuring the game remained just about in the balance. It was 4-2 at the break.
When will Reds fans learn to trust Klopp’s judgement? No sooner had Liverpool’s teamsheet dropped than the doom-mongers had surfaced. He’d gambled again, he’d rolled the dice when all he needed to do was collect the points.
There was no Mohamed Salah in the starting XI, you see. Or Roberto Firmino. Jordan Henderson was benched and so was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Alisson Becker, of course, was suspended.
What was Klopp thinking? Why take a risk in a game like this, when every point is so precious?
‘What risk?’ he would argue.
As they always seem to do, Liverpool’s supporting cast came up trumps. There’s something about Everton which brings out the best in Divock Origi, and he showed that once more. The Belgian scored twice before half-time, both goals taken superbly, and now has five in derby matches.
This was only his fourth league start of the campaign, but it was Xherdan Shaqiri’s first since January.
The Swiss star had only 15 minutes of competitive action this season prior to Wednesday night, but you’d never have known. Shaqiri, like he did in that memorable Champions League win over Barcelona, came out of the shadows to hog the limelight. He scored Liverpool’s second goal, and looked as sharp as he ever has in a red shirt.
Adam Lallana and James Milner, too, made contributions having been handed starts.
Liverpool’s squad strength is often talked about as a potential weakness, but the evidence is to the contrary. Here, they didn’t even use Salah or Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Firmino and Henderson were needed for only 18 minutes apiece – Firmino still found time to register an assist, by the way.
And so the Klopp gamble paid off. No clean sheet, granted, but ask the Kop if they are bothered.
“Merry Christmas, Everton,” they sang as they left. That walk back across Stanley Park will be a long one for the Blues. Where do they go from here?
They will surely be looking for a new manager. Silva was dejected as the game got away from his team, Everton’s promise undermined by a defence which didn’t know if it was Wednesday or Sunday.
Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate had nightmares, while Djibril Sidibe was hauled off after just 35 minutes.
Liverpool won’t care, though. In a week where Manchester City won and Leicester won and Chelsea won, the league leaders won too. That’s fourteen wins from 15 now, if you’re still counting.
Klopp keeps on rolling the dice, and the numbers keep coming up.
Five goals here. Plus three points. What does that equal? An eight-point lead.