Irrespective of Everton’s wretched record at Anfield – with fans present – there will have been many Liverpool supporters who approached the latest derby with a sense of trepidation. Their side had not won in the league in 2023 while the Blues had begun the Sean Dyche era with an impressive victory over league leaders Arsenal last weekend.
And the new Everton boss has undoubtedly proved he can mastermind an unlikely victory at Anfield in the past. Indeed, a video of him explaining Burnley’s 1-0 win over the Reds in 2021 went viral ahead of the Blues’ latest trip across Stanley Park.
Clearly the circumstances of the two games were quite different. The Clarets played behind closed doors, which is inevitably easier for visiting teams, and had spent over eight years being tutored in Dychean principles of defending (as opposed to the little more than eight days Everton have enjoyed). Nonetheless, it’s interesting to look at how the two games differed from a Liverpool perspective, as well as how they prospered where the Gunners had failed in the Blues’ preceding match.
