Liverpool legend John Aldridge boldly claimed that Everton were the most impressive team he had seen at Anfield this season and that was even when taking Manchester City into account.
The 60-year-old, who scored 50 goals in 83 outings for the Reds, shared that he thought the Reds got lucky in their 1-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.
Aldridge shared that due to Man City taking a cautious approach when playing the Reds at Anfield earlier in the season, he’d go as far to say the Toffees were the most impressive team to have visited Anfield this campaign and highlighted their improvement in the process.
“The bigger picture has to be that Liverpool got lucky with the final act of what was a very entertaining game against a much-improved Everton side who have clearly taken several strides forward since they came to Anfield last season, where they did little more than try to keep the score down,” wrote Aldridge for the Irish Independent.
“Sam Allardyce’s brand of anti-football was never going to get them anywhere and I like what I saw from Marco Silva’s side at the weekend.
“In fact, I’d go as far as to say Everton are the most impressive team we have seen at Anfield this season and I would include Manchester City in the list, after Pep Guardiola’s side came with a very cautious approach.
“Everton had a couple of big chances to score and they could have secured a first win at Anfield since 1999 if one of those had been converted, but the win was vital for Klopp and his team amid what appears to be an increasingly tough battle to stay with Manchester City at the top of the table.”
OPINION
The Toffees deserved a point on Sunday but sometimes football isn’t fair. Divock Origi capitalised on a Jordan Pickford blunder to ensure the Reds took all three points when the battle with their local rivals ended on Sunday and he kept Jurgen Klopp’s side breathing down the neck of Man City. However the Toffees deserve credit for their latest display and Marco Silva deserves praise for the way he has improved them in such a short period of time. The Reds’ local rivals pushed Klopp’s side to the limits on Sunday and on another day they have got the bragging rights or at least a draw upon leaving Anfield. Aldridge is right to put the spotlight on the Toffees but is even more right when pointing out what a vital win it was for the Reds. The club can’t afford to drop points due to how Pep Guardiola’s team keeping racking them up if they want to lift the Premier League trophy once this season concludes.
