Liverpool extended their flawless start to the Premier League season and tightened their grip on the Merseyside derby with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Everton at Anfield, opening up a six-point lead at the top of the table.
First-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike rewarded the defending champions for their early dominance and were enough to secure a fifth consecutive league win under Arne Slot.
The hosts flew out of the blocks, with Gravenberch opening the scoring in the 9th minute, calmly guiding Mohamed Salah’s cross into the net with a deft half-volley.
Liverpool continued to press and were rewarded again with a slick team move, culminating in Ekitike slotting Gravenberch’s pass through Jordan Pickford’s legs — his third goal in five Premier League appearances since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Everton, who came into the match on a four-game unbeaten run, struggled to match Liverpool’s tempo in the first half but nearly pulled one back through Kieran Dewsbury-Hall after a clever pass from the lively Jack Grealish, currently on loan from Manchester City.
The second half told a different story. Liverpool, who had required late goals to win their previous four league matches and their midweek Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid, found themselves under pressure once again.
Everton capitalized in the 59th minute when Grealish delivered a deep cross that was headed back across goal to Idrissa Gana Gueye, who lashed the ball past Alisson Becker to halve the deficit and reignite the contest.
Despite growing Everton pressure, Liverpool held on to maintain their perfect start and continue their century-long Anfield dominance in this fixture — Everton still haven’t won at Liverpool’s ground in the 21st century.
Notably, Everton boss Steve Clarke has now failed to win in 23 visits to Anfield — the longest such streak for any Premier League manager at a single stadium.
