Analysing Anfield: Jurgen Klopp's tactical masterstroke that went unnoticed as Liverpool beat Everton
Jurgen Klopp knows all too well what it's like to compete with a one-man disadvantage in football. He's effectively been forced to get used to that dynamic in the early stages of the current campaign, with his Liverpool side suffering from four red cards in their opening eight matches of the new domestic season.
In fact, the sizeable but unwanted total of four posted by the Reds is the standalone most across Europe's big five leagues at the moment, comprising of the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga and Serie A. Klopp has been tasked with adapting on the spot when presented with those tricky situations, and he's delivered more than expected.
Alexis Mac Allister was wrongly dismissed against Bournemouth in August, yet Liverpool still managed to win 3-1, and against Newcastle United, the Anfield outfit picked up the most unlikeliest of victories, despite Virgil van Dijk seeing red after just 28 minutes of action. The story was slightly different against Tottenham Hotspur who won 2-1 against nine of Klopp's men, but even then, Spurs needed an own goal courtesy of Joel Matip to get over the line with the last kick of the game
Listen to the latest episode of Analysing Anfield with Josh Williams and Mo Stewart HERE
Whenever the Reds have been presented with a numerical handicap of late, they have coped and in some cases, thrived. Klopp has relied on a go-to template consisting of a narrow block of players who are capable of soaking pressure before breaking forward as a unit and posing a threat on the counter-attack, and it has worked for him.
On Saturday afternoon, though, the tables turned. Liverpool hosted their noisy neighbours at Anfield, with Everton intent on showcasing a competitive performance in what was
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