In what was possibly the meekest Merseyside derby of all-time there were nonetheless a few Liverpool players who caught the eye – for the right and wrong reasons.
Here are our ratings from the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, as Liverpool stayed third in the Premier League.
STARTING XI
Loris Karius 7 – Stopped Yannick Bolasie’s long-range strike – one of the game’s few moments of genius – with an equally clever save. Doing his best to prevent Liverpool looking elsewhere for a goalkeeper in the summer.
Nathaniel Clyne 6 – He’s back from that dodgy back. Provided width at times but over everything else, this was a chance for the 27-year-old to get some vital minutes under his belt.
Virgil van Dijk 7 – He is a man not to be messed with – and he’s continuing to sort out what once was a mess at the back. He extracted the few Everton fangs from this toothless Merseyside derby.
Dejan Lovren 6 – One heart-in-mouth moment when a mix-up with Jordan Henderson saw Wayne Rooney swoop in a dangerous position, but was otherwise sturdy alongside VVD.
Ragnar Klavan 6 – With Andrew Robertson and Alberto Moreno both sidelined, testing out the Latvian at left-back looked like a disaster in waiting. Stood up to the task, even if he offered zero threat going forward.
James Milner 8 – In the context of this drab game, Milner deserves a high rating. Head and shoulders over the rest – the only one to pick at Everton with vigour. Testing deliveries, stretched Everton’s defence at times before being preserved for midweek Champions League duties.
Jordan Henderson 5 – Game passed him by, like so many others, and was inaccurate with his passing to such a degree that he could hardly blame the poor conditions for each and every misplacement.
Georginio Wijnaldum 7 – Not as much of a factor in the second half but showed some ambition with a number of eye-catching dribbles, and his passing success rate – nearly topping 95 per cent – put Henderson to shame.
Dominic Solanke 4 – Few trudged out of Goodison taking pride from their performance, but Solanke was noticeably a level below the general mediocrity. Had trouble making the ball stick when it was played into him. According to whoscored.com, the youngster had eight instances of poor control.
Danny Ings 4 – Much like Solanke, it’s hard to ask Ings to step into the big and beautiful shoes of Messrs Firmino and Salah. But in his first-ever Premier League start 916 days after joining Liverpool, the former Burnley striker would have dreamed of making a far bigger impact.
Sadio Mane 5 – The brightest – or least dim – spot of Liverpool’s frontline, Mane still clearly struggled without the chemistry of his usual partners-in-crime. The Reds were playing on three or four different wavelengths.
SUBSTITUTES
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 6 – Tried to grab the game by the scruff of its neck immediately after coming on, driving upfield and firing a rising shot over the crossbar. Couldn’t keep it up.
Roberto Firmino 5 – The introduction that Liverpool fans were clamouring could do very little as Everton woke up in the last 15 minutes.
Trent Alexander-Arnold N/A – On the death throes as Jurgen Klopp looked to shut up shop.
