Clinical Salah helps Liverpool to Merseyside derby win over 10-man Everton
LIVERPOOL 2 EVERTON 0
TWO goals from Mo Salah maintained Liverpool’s strong start to the Premier League season although victory, against the 10 men of Everton, was not without controversy.
Veteran defender Ashley Young was dismissed in the first half, for a second bookable offence, before Jurgen Klopp’s side needed VAR to claim the opening goal, from a spot kick.
A Luis Diaz cross from the left struck the arm of substitute defender Michael Keane and, after consulting his pitchside monitor, referee Craig Pawson awarded the penalty which Salah converted comfortably for his sixth goal of the season.
Salah wrapped up the win, with his seventh, in the 98th minute as Darwin Nunez broke upfield and slipped in a perfectly-timed pass for the Egyptian star to finally put Everton out of their misery.
Young had been dismissed, for a second yellow card, on 37 minutes; a decision which the Everton bench vehemently protested.
The former England full-back had been booked earlier for a trip on lively Liverpool winger Diaz but failed to learn from the experience when he dived in on the same player on the edge of the area.
It left Craig Pawson with a decision to make, which he duly did, reducing Everton to 10 men.
The game had been finely poised to that point, with Everton coping well with the glut of Liverpool possession and, in fact, missing a chance inside the opening minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed a Dwight McNeil cross straight at Alisson.
But, thereafter, Everton required some desperation defending to keep the hosts at bay, particularly when Young blocked from Diaz and Amadou Onana made a saving tackle on Diogo Jota.
Jordan Pickford needed two attempts to save from Alexis Mac Allister, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and
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