Anfield hosts the 247th Merseyside Derby on Saturday lunchtime, with Premier League leaders Liverpool looking to extend their perfect start against rivals Everton.
Arne Slot’s men have won four from four in the league and arrive fresh from a dramatic 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid, sealed by Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time header.
British-record signing Alexander Isak made his debut in midweek and could be set for his first taste of derby action, while Everton travel across Stanley Park in sixth place after a strong start under David Moyes, boosted by Jack Grealish’s early impact on loan from Manchester City
Liverpool vs Everton – Preview
Liverpool have made a habit of leaving things late. All four of their league wins so far have been sealed after the 83rd minute, and that trend carried into Europe in midweek. Goals from Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah were cancelled out by Marcos Llorente’s brace, but captain Virgil van Dijk rose highest in stoppage time to nod home a 92nd-minute winner against Atletico Madrid.
That late drama has become a trademark. Liverpool have scored four of the 4 Premier League goals after the 90th minute this season, including Salah’s 95th-minute penalty at Burnley last weekend.
It has carried them to the top of the table with 12 points and Anfield has been a fortress in this fixture too, with just one Everton win here in the last 28 visits.
Meanwhile, David Moyes has quickly lifted Everton after their opening-day defeat at Leeds. Wins over Brighton and Wolves were followed by a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, where the Toffees fired 20 shots but lacked a cutting edge. Manchester City loanee, Jack Grealish has added flair to the attack, while a strong back line has already produced four clean sheets in five games across all competitions.
The challenge for Everton is turning resilience into results at Anfield. They have only two wins from the last 29 Premier League derbies, and Moyes himself has never claimed victory here in 20 league attempts. Still, with six away wins already in 2025, as many as they managed in the previous 30 games combined the Toffees travel with more belief than in recent years.
Liverpool vs Everton – Team News
Arne Slot has close to a full Liverpool squad available for the derby. Curtis Jones returned to training on Friday and is back in contention after missing the last two games.
Alexander Isak, who made his debut against Atletico Madrid, is also in line to feature but will be managed carefully. Slot admitted the striker felt the effects of his 60 minutes on Wednesday: “Alex did feel his body more maybe than ever before after the 60 minutes he played, so let’s see how he’s recovered today and then we’re going to think about the line-up.”
Everton’s main concerns are in defence. Jarrad Branthwaite is yet to play this season with a hamstring issue, while Vitalii Mykolenko suffered a setback on international duty. David Moyes gave a cautious update: “They’re making progress and we’ll see. We’ve got a couple of other knocks within the camp but we’ll see how they are.”
If Mykolenko is unavailable, James Garner could again fill in at left-back. Moyes was full of praise for the England international: “Jimmy is playing as well as any player at the moment. He’s had to play a few games at left-back and I have to say, he’s done a really good job there as well.”
Head-to-Head & Previous Meetings
Saturday’s clash will be the 247th competitive meeting between Liverpool and Everton. The Reds hold the upper hand in this historic rivalry with 95 wins, compared to 63 for the Toffees, while 75 matches have ended in draws.
The last Merseyside derby came in April at Anfield, where late Diogo Jota struck late to seal a 1-0 win for Liverpool.
Liverpool vs Everton: What the managers are saying
Arne Slot, Liverpool
(via Liverpool)
“When we faced them last season they had a very good spell as well – and it wasn’t a spell because they just kept on going with that and into this season again also. I think they’ve made some good signings and one of them is of course a player on loan who was worth £100m in the past, someone paid £100m for him and he is doing so well for them, Jack Grealish. So, a good team.”
David Moyes, Everton
(via BBC)
“This has always been an incredibly difficult fixture for me because I’ve always come up against really good Liverpool teams. I think it’s easier if you’re the team that has the stronger squad, but we’re up against it so we have to go there and fight for everything.”
Key Stats
- This will be the 213th top-flight meeting between Liverpool and Everton, making it the second-most-played fixture in English top-flight history.
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last 28 home games against Everton in all competitions (17 wins, 10 draws).
- The Reds are unbeaten in their last 19 Premier League games at Anfield (15 wins, four draws).
- Merseyside derbies have produced 25 red cards in the Premier League, more than any other fixture.
- Mohamed Salah has scored eight goals against Everton, just one behind Steven Gerrard’s club record of nine.
- Salah is just two goals away from reaching 250 for Liverpool in all competitions.
- Since the start of last season, Liverpool have scored 19 goals in the final 10 minutes of Premier League matches, more than any other side.
- The last derby at Anfield saw Liverpool win 1-0 in April, thanks to a late strike from the late Diogo Jota – his final goal for the club.
- Robbie Fowler remains Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer in a Merseyside derby, netting at 18 years and 338 days in a 2-1 Anfield win in 1994.
- Alisson Becker has kept seven clean sheets in 11 league appearances against Everton – only Ray Clemence (14) and Pepe Reina (eight) have more for Liverpool.
