Another 'morale victory'

Lyndon, in summing up, you mention attacking penetration. I feel that with Lukaku or another top class striker in the team yesterday one of our half chances would have been converted. It is the biggest issue for us. That is not an aside against Calvert-Lewin, who played his heart out, but for the moment we need more. If Brands can secure a top class striker we can move on to the next level; without it that won't happen.

We need to sign Zouma if it's possible and likely need to replace Gana with quality. I'm sure Marco would like Doucore. That would secure the spine of the team. The club should be in no doubt as to the importance of it.

Those three bits of business would see us make healthy progress next season.

Great defensive display here, we will need that to be the default in future.

We have 9 games to play and how they pan out will determine what happens in the summer.

Inside the ground you could tell that the fans were really up for the game 15 minutes before kick off. I get fed up of reading about how amazing the Liverpool fans are at European night games, and what an incredible atmosphere they generate. Well our fans on certain night games have been unbelievable but sadly because we haven't been in the Champions League for decades and decades we haven't been showcased like they have.

Even red supporting journalists commented on the terrific atmosphere. So while quite rightly we criticize the team for average performances maybe we also need to look at ourselves as well. Seems strange how our away support can be so fantastic yet we very rarely produce the atmosphere we did yesterday at Goodison.

I know fans will say well its up to the players to get the fans going, but does that mean that we should at least not start each game by creating a positive atmosphere. Rather than waiting to see what performance we get before backing the team.

Surely if yesterday taught us anything it was that we might lack the ability the top 6 teams have but, with fantastic support, we can help eradicate the skill difference. You could see the lift the players got from the crowd yesterday, and with backing like that it makes you pull out that extra couple of % that makes all the difference.

However he had a super game and does look the real deal once more. Perhaps playing less games is the key for him, giving him a chance to recover, as Kenny establishes himself as the successor on that right-hand side.

Brian (7) I agree with you regarding the atmosphere. Even the people with walking sticks were getting involved yesterday. I think a few things contributed besides the obvious point that it was our biggest home game of the season.

People were inside the stadium earlier than usual perhaps owing to the pouring rain outside. The air raid siren was a good idea. It seemed to wake up the normally docile audience who then responded louder than they usually do to the opening bars of Z-Cars. It also helped that Z-Cars was played for longer than the usual 20 seconds.

I'm pleased with the application and work ethic from yesterday but at the same time I'm annoyed why I don't see it more often and I'm highly doubtful I'll even see it at Newcastle because I know Everton, lol.

We obviously need better quality going forward but what's on offer at the moment is limited and that's why against the better sides we struggle to really lay a glove on them going forward.

That area is an issue for Brands and Silva this summer, however, and they need to solve that.

Anyway that's a worry for another day but I'm desperately wanting to see us carry on the high intensity and pressing that we seen yesterday; application is crucial in every game.

For now, though, I'll gloat in knowing those arseholes across the park were 7 points clear at one stage and crowing; apparently now they are happy playing catch-up... hahaha.

As mentioned by others, let's see that same level of commitment away to Newcastle and at home to Chelsea. Cardiff away and the RS at home are two extremes that don't allow any predictions. We're currently 10th and unless something drastic happens (either way) I can't see us being too far from that position come May.

However, and consistent with most of our performances against the top 5 this season, at no point did we really look like scoring.

Richarlison actually gave Robinson something to think about when he came on. The link-up between him and Coleman was good to see and we finished the game stronger.

We need to finish the season with that level of energy and a bit more quality. However, I am more glass half full after that.

I seem to remember that England played either Ireland or Wales in Dublin or Cardiff. Sorry, it one of them but can't remember which. England were red hot favourites, sweeping all before them.

The National Anthem of the home team was played TWICE. The players were up for it, the fans were really up for it and the England players had to stand there while 60,000 blasted out a song of the home team with all the passion they could muster. England Lost.

Z Cars – One Minute minimum each time. This is our field. This is our home. This is Goodison. You had better know it. We are coming for you.

After getting back last night I watched the tape of the game and it did more or less confirm what I actually saw.

I read a few comments from Michaels post which seemed to contradict him and imply that we had played really well. I must admit I hadn't seen that but thought I might be wrong. After watching the tape then I don't think I was that far off.

Defensively we were better and that plus the RS inability on a few chances to make us pay got us a clean sheet.

I thought Gana played really well. Keane had a good game and Calvert-Lewin playing up top without support was excellent, this lad could save us a fortune in transfer fees.

Some things I missed like Pickfords horrendous inability or reluctance to command the 6-yard box. This needs sorted and I cannot believe that any coach would tell the goalie to stay on his line. The free kick we had at the end was worse than I thought. Terrible.

Crowd noise seemed far louder than that on the tape. Good support just like the old days.

I thought the ball boy incident was class.

To get some satisfaction fans only need to read the comments from around the country on the BBC football site. The RS are attacked from all angles for their arrogance and the fact that we are actually the true representatives of Liverpool as a city. While I never get too much satisfaction being the underdog, we don't have to go too far back to remember when Man City were viewed as "Noisy Neighbours" by the, always arrogant, Alex Ferguson. Their time did come and they are rightfully given appreciation.

In actual fact, Man Utd are disliked by the general public just as Liverpool are. Have faith Lads out time will also come. I just hope that I am around to see it.

I hate this ref and I'm sure Everton suffer because of his standing in the game with regards to his fellow referees.

Maybe It's paranoia because it doesn't sound logical but I could honestly stop watching football because I don't ever feel like it's a level playing field when we have Atkinson refereeing any Everton game. Or is it really just me?

You can go back through the years and see his stance on Everton one of them sending off of Rodwell on the evidence of Suarez's unmerciful screams, Rodwell never touched him and the red card was rescinded the following week, but too late to save us from a 2-0 defeat.

I said prior to kick off that if we score it would have to be one of our players picking the ball up in our half and going the full length because, if that bastard could pull us back for absolutely anything, he would.

It took Clattenburg ages to ref us again after Moyes's comments – the same should apply to Atkinson, only forever.

To credit Silva his approach was the one I agreed with. Controlled and steady, compact and simple. The defending players didn’t dally, often booting the ball out and we broke play up very well. There was no rhythm at all to this game. We held our shape, save for Digne who I thought was caught too far up field on several occasions.

Schniederlin’s critics, we’ve all been one, may have felt justified yesterday but except for Bernard we were awful with the ball, not sure he deserves the kicking he got. Let’s be real we had fleeting moments in the game with no real chances or periods of pressure. Allison was untroubled.

The result makes me question Silva even more, because were was this approach when it was going south at Christmas? It may have taken 3/4 games like this but we would have come through the bad run more quickly if he’d throttled back. The formation was the same as always, the selections issues (Walcott) were the same as always as were the subsequent subs, my puppy even knows what time he makes them!

A poor performance at Newcastle will only infuriate me more as it will look like it was the size of the game the players got up for not Marco.

And while I'm being uncharacteristically fulsome with the praise, hats off to Silva's game management. He picked the correct team, but he really went for positive changes in bringing on Richarlison and Gomes for the more defensive-minded Walcott and Schneiderlin. He thought he could win the match, and even though he knows his head is on the block, he took the risk, which is more than Klopp did with his like-for-like subs.

Personally, I'm happy with the result, happy with effort, very happy with the crowd, and happy that all of the new players and the manager have now seen what it can be like at Goodison if we're up for it. Fine for Silva to ask for more of that from the crowd, but the players have to do their bit too.

Christ, I enjoyed that, even if I did nearly have a heart attack.

Self-preservation is a basic human instinct and these refs watch TV. This is how the media now "own" the sport and the results are almost pre written. Anybody who thinks VAR is about fair play is deluding themselves.

We restored pride yesterday and ruffled their features also to note we have had some awful performances this season but I do believe Silva has the measure of that lot.

I just hope we can keep the momentum til the end of the season and if we are going to keep Silva we need to back him, Most of his signings have worked so far.

Well done, the ball boy – he had that buffoon in his back pocket and we "nearly" saw the mask slip but I would suspect, if he had spat in the kid's face, Sky could have justified it somehow.

COYB

I say that because, once Everton lost McCarthy's energy, they had nothing left, whereas yesterday, I thought we did well to stay in the game but, after this, we became a lot stronger.

We had more structure, we looked much better but, other than Bernard, who you've mentioned, and maybe Sigurdsson at times, we just never had enough quality at the top end of the pitch.

These two players need runners, and although Walcott, is quick, he's not showing any desire, which is one thing little Bernard, is definitely not lacking in. The kid is slowly adapting, and once we get more quality up front, then I'm sure we're going to get a lot of pleasure out of watching him, because he looks like he's a proper little footballer to me.

No preseason for him either so he will be fitter next season.

I've seen Bernard get better with each passing week. He obviously has a brain and is positioning himself were he can avoid too much physical contact.

He is very much a player I believe Pep would have, their physicality comes from their energy and stamina to stay out of contact.

So the real question is: Where does that leave Richarlison? They both are strongest in the same position however one is team oriented the other plays for himself too much.

Maybe the cameo yesterday suggested Silva, because of Bernard, has to play Richarlison on the right?

Good point about Bernard staying out of trouble but it's not how I'd use him. A player with so much skill should always be in the thick of it, imo, especially when he maybe hasn't got the legs to run the fullback, but hopefully that's a debate for another time, especially if he can keep improving the way he has been just lately.

As to Bernard, forget it. He's a player who seeks, and thrives in, open space. He will never be in the "thick of it" which is why he's not a #10. Just enjoy him for what he is, and what he will be next season when he's fully acclimated.

Silva needed to achieve two objectives: to protect the back four to maintain defensive shape, and maintain the high press.

Schneiderlin, Bernard and Walcott were selected on their successful previous performances with the former in mind. The forward combination of Bernard, Calvert-Lewin and Walcott was selected with the latter in mind and had the advantage of providing the necessary space for Sigurdsson.

Schneiderlin, in his first 15 minutes, did achieve this objective, settling the back four, but his loss of possession was a problem. Luckily, a resurgent Gomes came in. I now think that his injury and not playing for two years had caught up with him prior to the break, as suggested on ToffeeWeb.

Bernard was very effective in both of his roles. Walcott resorted to his usual stats and his previous outstanding performance evaporated, though he did help Everton to maintain shape. It could be that Coleman is the problem on that right flank going forward, but this is the perennial problem with Walcott, who has surprisingly not been injured as much as previously. If the coaching staff at Arsenal couldn't work him out, as sure as hell I can't.

Calvert-Lewin played well, as expected, and Richarlison was better used. Tosun as a centre-forward is prone to fluffing his lines in front of goal and he doesn't appear to have the ability of a good shot in his locker.

Silva's substitutions in the context of his objectives where correct and timely. The main weaknesses are Silva not coaching the importance of maintaining possession (this is overlooked, particularly in the case of developing younger players such as Richarlison and Lookman); a static midfield (little movement or interchanging play); and not coaching finishing.

The good news is that, though not perfect, Everton's problems are remedial and there is the bones of a good team there, with potential. . . More potential than our neighbours. As a performance, it wasn't as promising as Arsenal v Everton in October 1984, but there were similar signs, for the first time in years. I found this to be a morale-boosting performance. Hopefully Moshiri will sort out that backroom and management shower this Summer.

Sam attending his first Goodison game helped a lot. He appears not to have got home yet. Also, hopefully, it would have helped Tom's father's recovery no end.

Midfield and up front continue to kill us. We need to take Gomes if the fee is right. He's a classy footballer. But we have got to get a genuine holder that offers consistent protection to the centre backs and, crucially, passing ability to control the tempo. That would free Gomes up and I'd like to see him higher up the pitch.

As for up front, well a proper front man that provides consistent options for his midfielders and worries center backs going in behind would go a long way to solving our attacking problems.

Sigurdssons been getting griefed but playing off our strikers every week must be a nightmare. Any hint of some consistent combination play? Much clever movement to stretch sides and create some space for him to play? Sigurdsson doesn't a great deal from our front men on a regular basis. To be fair to Calvert-Lewin that was a lot more like it from him yesterday. But what we need long term? Not for me. He's decent cover.

We had a go at addressing centre back in the summer and it looks like we will try to make Zouma permanent, which would be wise.

As for wide, well Walcott needs binning anywhere, to anyone, for £8 million. Just get him off the wage bill. £25 million on a 29-year-old never-has-been. Madness when that kind of fee gets a young player like Hirving Lozano from PSV. Tosun and Walcott at £50 million has got to be one of the worst January windows ever by a top-flight side.

Let's hope he does more of the first one...

To be left out that many times when IMO I see a player streets ahead of others leaves alarm bells going off in my head. My guess is Lookman won’t be here come August.

Tosun was a Walsh pick and most on here thought Walcott was a decent buy. They both did pretty well initially and Walcott was very good at the start of this season. God knows what happened to him.

As we all know, the real damage was done in the disastrous Koeman summer.

From the games he's featured in, he's hardly set the world alight against poor opposition and frankly done no better (or worse) than Walcott.

I think when Walcott plays awful, as he has all season, cries for Lookman become almost misjudged on no real past evidence.

There's also a clear reason why quite a few managers now don't fancy him, maybe his attitude and application in training is abysmal?

Fair point about Bernard, Mike, but I think when the game is quicker, and the fullbacks are very athletic, then a little schemer like Bernard might just find a little bit more space inside.

That might not make sense to some but little touch players thrive on movement and he looks like the type of player who will always find space... so I'm going to be watching this space in the future, mate!

I agree about Sigurdsson. He – along with Bernard Gomes, Gana and Digne – all have the natural ball control needed at this level, and their movement and style impress the football purists. Unfortunately grit and tenacity are also essential for any player to reach full potential and this has not always been evident and certainly not consistent.

I still find it difficult to fully understand Walcott. He has speed and adequate control but he so often seems lost when he gets the ball. Without spending too much time wondering about him and Lookman, I still think Vlasic may have something to offer. He should at least be given a decent shot.

You are right. Every time Calvert-Lewin or Walcott jumped for a header, Robertson would nudge them mid-air which is actually highly dangerous. Ref never gave anything.

The ‘foul' by Coleman near the end on Llanna was NEVER a foul. Those are just examples of decisions we didn't get which they did

But he's not just a biased ref – he's also just crap. The Walcott booking was harsh. But then he should have booked Gana and Origi but didn't. Complete muppet.

His injury record was a concern when he was signed. Because he is not injured so much now, it could be that Walcott is making sure he is not getting injured and not being pushed? He is a smart enough footballer to get into positions to receive balls and maintain shape, but does not appear to have the level of fitnesses required to keep up with the game.

Lookman's tracking back and tackling has not been developed enough to make him a replacement. I hope he hasn't been left as just Walcott's understudy.

Just a suggestion: He would have not got away with this standard of play at Arsenal. They couldn't believe their luck when Everton paid that overvalued fee for him. Silva should have kept Aaron Lennon. , . he had a way better attitude.

We are sniffing Leipzig's young attacker Augustin... maybe Lookman will be part of that deal.

They are running a vote on the best Dutch player in the Premier League. Andy van der Meyde not on the list...

I think you've hit the nail on the head regarding Walcott being careful to not get injured. I've seen him shit out of numerous 50/50 balls.

I can't work out whether he has a lack of desire, lack of courage or what but he doesn't give anywhere near 100% and CANNOT understand why he continues to be picked.

My next-seat neighbour in the Top Balcony suggested on Sunday that he has photos of Silva riding a donkey, and not in the way one would ride one on Blackpool beach... whatever that means! 😳

Any Martinez players were more easily dropped and moved on. Even Big Sam's selections, I felt had a bit of this influence to them. When Duncan Ferguson was asked about the coaching of the forwards, he said "My hands are tied. "

I did think that, with Brands in place, things would change, though I did not like Aaron Lennon going. I think that there is an element of knowing which side your bread is buttered on about Everton, which isn't good.

Getting back to the point, as Lyndon said, Walcott flatters to deceive. What's more, he is damn good at it.

Brian #45, I know a story about a father, son and donkey, but it doesn't explain you neighbour's anecdote in the Top Balcony.

I know Silva has been acquainted with his fair share of 'donkeys' but our leader is surely not a practitioner of bestiality . [and happy to be filmed doing it]

It is not even about pure tackling – I think that he still does not track back enough to help his full-back out and does not help the team keep the shape needed when out of possession. Hard work is so important in the Premier League – if he can improve this, he will be a really good player.

As for Walcott – I can see both sides to it in terms of why he gets picked still but also why people are not happy with him overall. He is quick which is a valuable commodity for us and does get in good positions along with doing his fair share defensively. Trouble is, he doesn't look overly bothered and wastes a lot of the chances that his own good play can sometimes bring.