During the first Merseyside derby of the season, Liverpool accomplished something that had never been done before in the club’s history.
After taking over for the legendary Jurgen Klopp as manager of Liverpool in 2017, Arne Slot made his first and final appearance at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. This was the first and last time Slot has visited the stadium.
Liverpool was hoping to extend their lead on top of the Premier League table, while Everton was looking to continue their excellent run under new manager David Moyes. The stakes could not have been higher going into the match, as both teams were looking to continue their success.
Before the game even began, Liverpool did something that they had never done in any of their previous matches against Everton, which further increased the significance of the game. This was something that Liverpool had never done before.
Prior to the match, there were worries that Liverpool would be forced to play without their star defender Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alexander-Arnold had been taken off the field early during the Premier League match against Bournemouth two weeks prior.
After the lineups for Wednesday’s game were finalized, Liverpool supporters were dismayed to discover that the right-back was placed on the bench, and Conor Bradley was selected to take his place in the starting lineup.
In light of the fact that Alexander-Arnold was not selected for the starting lineup, this is the very first time in the club’s history that they have selected an eleven-man squad for a match against Everton in the Premier League that does not contain a single English player.
However, Liverpool has four Englishmen on the bench, including Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott, and Curtis Jones. Alexander-Arnold is the only Englishman on the bench.
In reference to the injury sustained by Alexander-Arnold prior to the match, Slot stated to TNT Sports, “Trent was not close at all to starting, but he can come in for a few minutes.”
The fact that he has been able to come in and make a significant contribution in the few games that he has been on the bench makes it a valuable asset. We are able to come up with a number of suitable replacements, but it is still beneficial to have him on board.
In the next 15 days, we have five games scheduled, as you can see from our schedule. The number of games I would have played with the starting lineup at Plymouth would have been six in eighteen, and if we had made it through, it would have been seven in twenty-one days. Every single one of them goes on and on, and every single one of them needs a break.
