Liverpool v Everton: Premier League – live! via The Guardian
2.01pm GMT
Salah and co look relaxed as they wrap up their warm-ups as well as their fingertips at Anfield. There are snoods galore. This may not be Liverpool’s best team but they are no mugs. With Moreno missing, it’s another good opportunity for the likeable Andrew Robertson to express his claim for a regular spot. Captain Jordan Henderson is back after putting his feet up in midweek, while Sadio Mané has been unplayable at times this season too. And to think this is just the pre-cursor for that pesky Manchester derby in a bit.
1.54pm GMT
Keep them coming. “Ben – I had a dream Everton won 1-0 today,” emails Gareth Wilson. “OK, Lukaku got the winner, but I think Klopp may be doing his best to make at least part of my dream come true.” Any more for any more?
1.48pm GMT
Olivier Giroud has a dug out an equaliser for Arsenal at Southampton. There’s only a handful of minutes left to play at St Mary’s:
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1.44pm GMT
Dominic Solanke is among those six changes for Liverpool. The 20-year-old has clearly won the trust of Klopp since joining the club from Chelsea over the summer. He has not scored in 12 appearances to date this season. Today would be the perfect day to do so, wouldn’t it? Must admit, am not totally convinced by Solanke but Liverpool need him to bully what is still – other than Ashley Williams – a defence lacking big-game knowhow.
1.31pm GMT
While we’re just going through the motions here, and slowly coming to terms with that bold Liverpool team news, down on the south coast Southampton are en route to upsetting Arsenal. Niall McVeigh is at the helm for that one:
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1.26pm GMT
Hands up then, who expected to see Coutinho, Can and Firmino warming the bench this afternoon at Anfield? It is just the one change for Everton from the side that started the 2-0 win over Huddersfield last weekend, with Niasse replacing Lennon. The biggest boost for Everton is surely those Liverpool changes.
1.23pm GMT
Liverpool: Mignolet; Gomez, Lovren, Klavan, Robertson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henderson, Milner; Mane, Solanke, Salah
Subs: Karius, Wijnaldum, Firmino, Coutinho, Can, Ings, Alexander-Arnold
2.10pm GMT
So here we are, for the 229th Merseyside derby. Even a light dusting of snow in and around Anfield can not put pay to this scrumptious battle between two teams with a spring in their step. All of the doom and gloom that surrounded Everton has, in fairness to Sam Allardyce, evaporated since Big Sam’s appointment and three straight wins later, the most recent of which came in Limassol on Thursday evening, the new manager bounce lives on. This is different, though; the challenge of trying to secure victory over Liverpool, at their place, for the first time since 1999. A win would move Everton to within eight points of Liverpool.
The last visiting manager to win a league game at Anfield? Allardyce, of course, while in charge of Crystal Palace in April. He sat out Everton’s win in Cyprus so he could put in the hard yards at their Finch Farm training ground. But that still wasn’t enough. “I haven’t had the time to go the lengths and depths I’ve gone to with the other teams I’ve had,” he said. “And of course I’ve got a completely different set of players here.” He’s got Wayne Rooney, though, and he’s due a goal in this fixture having not scored in his previous four league derbies.
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