Diogo Jota ends goal drought to keep Liverpool title charge on track 

That was the upshot of a thoroughly watchable Merseyside derby, which made up in passion and tempo what it might have lacked in technique and neighbourly love and which was decided by Diogo Jota’s second half goal.

It opened a 12-point gap on second placed Arsenal for Arne Slot’s men but, more importantly, counted down the number of games left for them to navigate before Liverpool can officially claim the title for the second time in six years and, due to the covid restrictions of their last one, the first in front of their fans since 1990.

For Jota, the opener ended a run of 10 games without a goal, dating back to mid-January, and while his form might have dipped slightly, along with a number of his team-mates, the current league table speaks to the fact that Liverpool are, without question, head and shoulders the cream of English football this season.

The latest proof came in the rematch of the stormy first derby of the season, the last one ever at Goodison, in mid-February which ended with a late Everton equaliser and four red cards after the final whistle.

There was a similar air of hostility in the return, the stakes may have been far higher for the title-chasing Reds than the mid-table Blues, but try telling that to James Tarkowski.

The experienced Everton defender made a thundering challenge on Alexis Mac Allister on 10 minutes that hit ball first but then, such was the power in the challenge, painfully hacked the Argentinian down via his right leg.

The lengthy treatment that followed allowed VAR to examine the evidence and Tarkowski could count himself fortunate that his tackle was not deemed to have used excessive force and seen his yellow upgraded to red.

Tarkowski’s mood cannot have been helped by the fact that in the build-up to the foul he had been easily turned by Jota, before his shot was blocked by Jarrad Branthwaite.

After the dust had settled on that incident Dominik Szoboszlai curled a decent free-kick over from 20 yards and Liverpool looked bubbly, in no small part due to the buoyant Anfield crowd.

But Everton of the David Moyes 2.0 reboot are a very different proposition to the one that looked doomed for a long, bitter relegation fight late last year. They were happy to play on the break - truth be told, they may not have had an option - but they still carried a threat.

Beto actually had the ball in the Liverpool goal on 19 minutes, holding off Virgil van Dijk and scoring between Caoimhín Kelleher’s legs before an offside flag spared the home side’s blushes.

Liverpool continued to dominate; Jota flashing a shot across the face of goal and, closest yet, Luis Diaz sitting up a brilliant far-post cross which Mo Salah, surprisingly, headed straight at Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal.

But Everton continued to look deadly on the break. Just after the half hour, Abdoulaye Doucoure played Beto clear, with van Dijk again guilty of being given the slip far too easily, and the Everton striker advanced before thumping a powerful shot against the foot of Kelleher’s post.

It was an amazing let-off for Liverpool, who were seeking to exorcise the demons of their last two outings, against PSG and Newcastle, which had ended their hopes of winning either the Champions League or Carabao Cup.

And the two rivals traded punches until the very last blows of an absorbing first half; Ryan Gravenberch’s cross just eluding Jota in front of goal and then seeing his long-range effort charged down by Tarkowski.

Gravenberch remained pivotal to Liverpool pressure after the restart, his 20-yard shot momentarily threatening to catch Pickford off-guard until the England keeper did well to parry his effort and Branthwaite hurried the rebound behind.

Slot’s side still looked vulnerable on the counter - Jack Harrison messed up one particularly promising Everton charge - but Liverpool were building momentum and, after some furious defending from the Blues ended one attack, the hosts were ahead on 57 minutes.

Gravenberch played the ball forward, with Tarkowski only clearing it to Jota who immediately looked for a one-two with Diaz. A clever back-heel return from Diaz and Jota skipped past Idrissa Gueye and Tarkowsjki before burying the ball past Pickford.

The lively Diaz came closest to a second, his shot being blocked, not for the first time, by committed defending from Branthwaite and Tarkowski, but, despite the lack of further goals, this was another night for the Anfield faithful to savour.

There was a late flashpoint, after Pickford fouled Darwin Nunez after the whistle had gone and the pair had played on, which ensured the game ended on a predictably hostile note although it was the Liverpool victim who was booked, for rolling onto the field to waste time.

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Kelleher 6; Jones 6, Konate 6, van Dijk 5, Robertson 6; Gravenberch 8, Mac Allister 7; Salah 5 (Endo 90), Szopboszlai 6, Diaz 8 (Gakpo 86); Jota 7 (Nunez 75, 5). Substitutes (not used) Chiesa, Elliott, Jaros, McConnell, Quansah, Tsimikas.

EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford 7; O’Brien 7, Tarkowski 5, Branthwaite 6, Mykolenko 6; Garner 6 (Iroegbunam 77, 5), Gueye 5; Harrison 5 (Ndiaye 69, 5), Doucoure 6, Alcaraz 7; Beto 7 (Broja 77, 5). Substitutes (not used) Coleman, Keane, Virginia, Patterson, Chermiti, Young.

Referee: S Barrott 7