WAYNE ROONEY SCORED a late penalty as Everton claimed an unlikely 1-1 draw against a dominant Liverpool at Anfield in the Merseyside derby this afternoon.
Everton had offered next to no attacking threat in a game they were second best in for large periods, but Rooney slammed home from the spot with 14 minutes left after Dejan Lovren bundled Dominic Calvert-Lewin over in the box, a decision furiously protested by the Liverpool defender.
Mohamed Salah had earlier given Jurgen Klopp’s side the lead to continue his sensational season. The winger curled home a wonderful effort from 15 yards in the 42nd minute to take him above Harry Kane as the Premier League’s outright top scorer this season.
The goal was no more than Liverpool deserved in a completely one-sided first half in which Jordan Henderson completed more passes than the entire Everton side combined.
But Salah missed a golden opportunity to put the game to bed with a back-post header shortly after the break and the Toffees took full advantage of that reprieve to maintain Sam Allardyce’s unbeaten start to life at the club.
Klopp made the surprise decision to name Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho on the substitutes’ bench, but the Brazilian duo’s absence was hardly felt in the early stages with Sadio Mane, James Milner and Salah all seeing shots deflected or blocked by a stretched Everton backline.
Allardyce’s side soon found their defensive shape, however, and largely reduced the Reds to efforts from distance as the first half wore on. Salah had been well shackled by Cuco Martina in a strangely subdued appearance, but he spectacularly got the better of the Toffees left-back as the interval approached.
The Egypt international showed superb strength to shrug off Martina before waltzing past the challenge of Idrissa Gueye and curling a wonderful strike into Jordan Pickford’s top right-hand corner for his 13th league goal of the season.
Klopp’s side should then have had a second in first-half injury time, but Mane dragged his shot wide when a pass across goal would have presented any one of three of his team-mates with a simple tap-in.
Allardyce hauled off Tom Davies and Oumar Niasse for Morgan Schneiderlin and Aaron Lennon at the break as Everton attempted to claw their way back into game. Normal service was resumed just a few minutes later, though, as Salah met Milner’s teasing cross at the back post, only to head agonisingly wide of Pickford’s far post.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s whipped cross midway through the half was just inches away from being converted by Mane as Liverpool continued to look like the only side capable of scoring.
But Liverpool were made to pay for their profligacy when Lovren inexplicably pushed Calvert-Lewin over in the area, with referee Craig Pawson pointing to the spot despite the Croatia international’s complaints. Rooney thrashed the resulting spot-kick past Simon Mignolet for his fifth goal in six Premier League starts against the Reds.
Coutinho and Firmino both came on in the second period, but neither were able to find a winner as Everton held on for a point that scarcely looked likely until Lovren’s moment of madness, while Liverpool missed the chance to go above third-placed Chelsea, despite their unbeaten derby run reaching 15 games.
We are in month 4 of the year. Salah has been incredible thus far but Keane is right in the sense that it’s very hard to make a case for any player unless they have major honours behind them. Look back on all the winners and the vast majority have won the big trophies. Of course if they win the CL which is very possible, he becomes a red hot favourite.
@Robert O Farrell: Agreed. The international competitions also usually take precedence over club football in Ballon D’or voting so how Messi, Ronaldo and Salah perform during the World Cup will have a big impact.
@Robert O Farrell: complete b0110cks.
You could theoretically be the best player in the world playing for a team winning bugger all but outperforming your peers except in trophies. And not to be considered?
Guess that means Brian O’Driscoll never should have been mentioned as a world player of the year contender as he (Ireland) bottled world cups and grand slams?
@Mikarlachenko: Shut it fool
@Mikarlachenko: Even after winning a grand slam and a Heineken cup in 2009 BOD still didn’t get player of the year (yup, still bitter about that one and the bould Richie McCaw). Its actually a good reflection of the situation with the balloon d’or, there’s no way Messi and Ronaldo have been the outstanding candidates every one of the last 10 years but yang hasn’t stopped the accolades heading their way
Normally agree with Keane and he usually says it as it is. However, the award is player of the year. Its isn’t an award for the best player in a team that won trophies this year.
It’s an individual, not team award – if salah consistently plays this well through the year and is the best player in the world, then he deserves to win it. This is regardless of whether Liverpool or Egypt win anything.
@Seán C: THANK YOU! Spot on
@Seán C: It’s about the trophies though. Messi outscored Ronaldo last year, but Ronaldo won the trophies. It probably shouldn’t be that way but it’s a team game!
@Shy Tall Knight: It’s an individual award
Rubbish as usual from Keane.. the best player in the world is just that..you don’t need a body of work behind you ..its a seasonal award…if Liverpool win the champions league he has to be on the short list…and that’s from a spurs fan!
@Barry Evans: Is that not basically what Keane said? Win the trophy and then he’s in the conversation!
@Barry Evans: that’s exactly what he said. If he doesn’t win something then he isn’t at that level.
@Barry Evans: betraying your anti Keane bias there.
And since when does he regularly talk rubbish, if anything hes always straight to the point. Especially compared to half the spoofers on football panels
@Jim Demps: He’s already won pfa player of the season. You’re looking for Liverpool as a team to win something as a measure of him deserving an individual reward. It’s beyond stupid. It’s like when Portugal won the euro’s and people said Ronaldo deserved player of the year for it, even though he did sweet feck all the whole tournament. Absolute idiocy
@Barry Evans: obviously didn’t read the article ooopps
@Barry Evans: eh ‘rubbish as usual from Keane’ and then you repeat EXACTLY what he was saying ??? Idiot.
@Barry Evans: it’s a yearly award
@Barry Evans: To be considered a great player you have to be performing consistently well over a period of years. No doubt Sala having great year and is probably player of the year but can he do it next year and the year after, Messi and Ronaldo have so did Keane in his pomp, (probably best ever midfielder in PL, even maybe europe as well). Keane spot on in what he is saying.
I think if the voting was tomorrow he’d win it but still a long way from the voting. If he doesn’t win the champions league or have a good start to next season i feel it will go to someone else. Especially if Ronaldo or Messi have a good world cup.
Ronaldo form this year has been a major reason why Madrid are where they are in la liga. His form was really poor for the first half of the season. Yes he has been unreal in the champions league but no better than salah . He has 15 goals , 3 of which are penalties . For me to that he has to win the champions league to win the balón is crap . He could score a hat trick if he gets to the final and Madrid could score four, with Ronaldo having a nightmare like last night and it scoring . Would Ronaldo still deserve it then ? For me. It’s salah number 1 , messi number 2 and Ronaldo number three at present . Salah is about to have the greatest season in English football history surely it deserves to be recognized ,
Andy cole is a strange example considering the striking talent Keane played with, one goal internationally and I can’t remember him ever scoring in a cup final. Yorke, sheringham, RVN, solskaer, Rooney and ronaldo would all spring to mind ahead of him
@Sean Lawlor: He’s talking about amounts scored , not most important and boy did Andy Cole score some amount of goals.
@Sean Lawlor: Internationally he had Shearer, Sheringham, Owen and Fowler to contend with too.
@Hardly Normal: And Keane never played with him internationally. in fairness to Keane he was only talking about strikers he played with at club level so not unreasonable to include Cole.
Where the hell is all this coming from. He has had a very good season and they want to erect a shrine to him. Give him a few more seasons and if he still doing what he has done this season then consider it. Gods aren’t made in one season.