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Liverpool may not have lost the Merseyside derby but a scoreless draw with Everton could come back to cost them come season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
Despite starting the weekend atop the Premier League table, and having just thumped Watford 5-0 midweek, Jurgen Klopp\u2019s side couldn\u2019t get going against their local rival on Sunday. Pitted against a team that has completely fallen apart since their last meeting in December, the Reds were unable to control a game that even their most pessimistic fans expected them to walk away with easily.<\/p>\n
Liverpool were the better of the two sides, but that\u2019s not saying much. Since losing the last matchup on a last-second blunder by keeper Jordan Pickford, Everton have a meager three wins, and never looked close to adding to that total on Sunday, failing to create a single clear cut opportunity on goal. But things weren\u2019t much better for the Reds. Aside from a golden opportunity fluffed by Mohamed Salah in the first half, Liverpool\u2019s vaunted front three didn\u2019t trouble Pickford and his anxious backline.<\/p>\n
Derbies, like rivalry games in college football, are notoriously unpredictable. Despite whatever high the favorite may be on, the underdog can be counted on to at least give their rival a game. But Sunday\u2019s game wasn\u2019t like that. It was hard fought, and clearly meant something to both sides, but neither side was good enough to create opportunities or take advantage of them. It was the rare game that neither side deserved to win.<\/p>\n
But one gets the sense that won\u2019t matter to Everton and their fans. By drawing with Liverpool, they delivered what could be a serious blow to their arch-rival\u2019s bid to end a 29-year title drought.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the draw, and the two points lost because of it, Liverpool have now been leapfrogged by Manchester City into first place. City briefly slipped into first last month, but only because they\u2019d played more games. But now both teams have played 29 games and despite the fact that Liverpool are experiencing their most successful season in decades, they find themselves a point behind a City side that\u2019s struggled to live up to the high standards it set for itself last season.<\/p>\n
But Liverpool and its fans shouldn\u2019t freak out just yet. While they may have given up their spot at the top of the table, nine games is a lot of time to make up a single point. Also, while the two teams have similarly easy schedules to close out the season, the matchup with Everton was Liverpool\u2019s last tough road fixture, whereas City still have to play away at Manchester United in late April, giving Liverpool the slight edge.<\/p>\n
While the game itself may have been forgettable, Sunday\u2019s Merseyside derby might prove to be the most meaningful meeting between the sides in decades if Liverpool aren\u2019t able to catch back up with City, Liverpool might just look back on this game as the one where the title slipped through their fingers.<\/p>\n