Everton may have feared the worst when they saw the No 27 appear on the electronic board. They had denied Liverpool a shot on target, let alone a goal. Enter Divock Origi, the derby talisman, and perhaps their fate was sealed.
Within two minutes, Origi had contributed when Andy Robertson broke the deadlock. He duly added his sixth derby goal to seal Liverpool’s 12th win in 13 league games, and if it was a header from half a yard, it was nonetheless typical that the scourge of Everton scored. Liverpool are now a point behind Manchester City, Everton some 50 behind their neighbours. They are second from top and third from bottom and this could be the last derby for quite some time. “Going down,” chorused the Kop, with increasing relish and regularity.
