Jürgen Klopp's players literally confiscated the ball from their opponent, especially in the first half, with only 13% possession and 32 successful passes for Everton... Until the opener, on the hour mark, the Reds were however very little threatening, with no shots on target.

At the same time, the Toffees gave the impression of being able to carry the danger in counter-attack, thanks in particular to the young winger Anthony Gordon.

To the point of insinuating doubt, a season after an unforgettable derby (2-2, October 17, 2020), which had marked a breaking point in the course of Liverpool, with the serious injury of Virgil Van Dijk.

The Reds found the opening thanks to a one-two between Salah and Origi, who had just come into play less than two minutes earlier, then a cross towards Andrew Robertson at the far post (1-0, 62nd).

Divock Origi then took advantage of a half-successful return from Luis Diaz to place an opportunistic header (85th, 2-0).

Belgian Liverpool striker Divock Origi scores the second goal against Everton, during the 34th day of the Premier League, April 24, 2022 at Anfield Road Stadium Paul ELLIS AFP

Chelsea maintain their margin

The Chelsea Blues struggled to overcome West Ham (1-0) at the very end of the game and retained their third place (65 pts) with a comfortable lead over Arsenal (60) and Tottenham (58).

West Ham remain in seventh place.

Chelsea's American midfielder Christian Pulisic, congratulated by Romelu Lukaku and Jorginho, after scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute, 1-0 against West Ham, during the 34th day of the Premier League, April 24 2022 at Stamford Bridge Stadium JUSTIN TALLIS AFP

The West Londoners erase their last performance at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday, marked by a severe defeat against Arsenal (2-4).

The two formations did not frame any shot in a rather dull first period, marked by a sterile domination of Chelsea, with for example 70% possession of the ball.

The reigning European champions, whose only major fixture now is the May 14 FA Cup final against Liverpool, have rarely brought danger from the wings, partly due to the absence of Reece James.

Chelsea's dominance then became clearer, with two chances for Werner within the next four minutes.

The Blues made the difference to eleven against ten after the dismissal of Hammers defender Craig Dawson, who had held Romelu Lukaku spinning on goal.

Jorginho completely missed his penalty, shot weakly in the middle at ground level, in a reminiscence of his 2 missed penalties last year against Switzerland and which cost Italy qualification for the World Cup.

A tumble from Marcos Alonso and a perfect cross finally allowed Christian Pulisic to score the winning goal (90th, 1-0).

The joy of Chelsea's American midfielder Christian Pulisic, after scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute, 1-0 against West Ham, during the 34th day of the Premier League, April 24, 2022 at Stamford Stadium Bridge JUSTIN TALLIS AFP

The Blues are still awaiting the identity of their buyer after the forced resale of the club as a result of the war in Ukraine.

"You can't pull the grass to make it grow faster," commented Thomas Tuchel, referring to the slowness of the process.

He also confirmed that centre-back Antonio Rüdiger had chosen to leave the club at the end of the season.

Burnley clings on

The other game at stake this Sunday opposed Burnley, who are fighting for maintenance, at Wolverhampton, who still have the possibility of qualifying for a European place.

Unsurprisingly, the meeting was particularly lackluster there too, between the 18th and 16th attack in the championship.

Burnley scored shortly after the hour mark by Matej Vydra, and secured a victory (1-0) which allowed them to temporarily leave the relegation zone, two points from Everton, which however had a game in hand.

The win is the second in a row for interim coach Michael Jackson, who took over from historic Sean Dyche two weeks ago.

© 2022 AFP