Liverpool missed the chance to move up to third in the Premier League table courtesy of a 1-1 draw against Everton in the first Merseyside derby of the season this afternoon.
The Reds dominated for long spells at Anfield and finally took the lead against an unambitious Everton late in the first half when Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock in style.
Jurgen Klopp's side failed to turn their possession into goals, though, and they were punished for their profligacy when Wayne Rooney rescued a point against the run of play from the spot 13 minutes from time.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
There is more than just bragging rights up for grabs this afternoon, with Liverpool bidding to strengthen their top-four hopes and Everton aiming to maintain their 100% record under new boss Sam Allardyce. The Toffees have a woeful record against their nearest neighbours in recent years, though, so will have to upset the odds if they are to get anything out of this game today.
Before we take a closer look at all that, let's first check out the very interesting team news...
We have to start with Liverpool, and a surprise team selection from manager Jurgen Klopp as a number of big names miss out on the starting lineup. The German has rotated in recent weeks, and in fairness to him it has worked well so far, but it is a shock to see him continue that for the derby having played all of his big-hitters in midweek.
Firmino, Coutinho, Can and Wijnaldum all only make the bench this afternoon as Klopp makes six changes from the team that thrashed Spartak Moscow.
Firmino was also on the scoresheet on Wednesday night as that front four ripped Spartak to shreds, but Klopp has made the decision to drop half of them back to the bench today. That will be a controversial decision if Liverpool do not go on to win this match.
Salah goal in midweek means that he how has 12 in his last 11 outings for the club across all competitions, while in the Premier League along he has had a direct hand in a club-record 15 goals from his first 15 games in a Liverpool shirt.
Milner will start in central midfield alongside recalled captain Jordan Henderson, while Andrew Robertson is handed a rare start at left-back due to an injury for Moreno which could keep him sidelined for up to six weeks. There is also a return for Simon Mignolet between the sticks after he made way for Karius in the Champions League.
Sam Allardyce was able to rest all his main men when he made 11 changes for the Europa League dead rubber against Apollon on Thursday, and sure enough he recalls them all today. Phil Jagielka is also among those to be back available, but he must make do with a place on the bench alongside fellow centre-back Michael Keane.
There are plenty of big names on the bench despite that relatively inexperienced defence, with the likes of Schneiderlin and Lennon joining Jagielka and Keane amongst the subs.
The teamsheet suggests that it will again be a 4-5-1 formation, with Gueye sitting slightly deeper than his fellow midfielders and the main attacking midfield threat expected to come from Davies, Rooney and Sigurdsson.
The veteran has failed to score in his previous four Merseyside derbies and only has two Premier League goals at Anfield throughout his illustrious career, although they were both winning goals for United in January 2005 and January 2016.
The home side's team selection may just have given Everton a bit more belief going into the game, but they will know that it will take a disciplined defensive performance to avoid defeat this afternoon, with Liverpool flying following their 7-0 win over Spartak Moscow on Wednesday night.
The goalscoring rate has only accelerated in recent weeks too, with Liverpool's ongoing three-match winning streak seeing them plunder 15 goals at an average of five per game.
Indeed, it could prove to be a very good weekend for Jurgen Klopp's side if they beat their Merseyside rivals, with Chelsea have already lost, Arsenal currently losing to Southampton and at least one of the Manchester clubs guaranteed to drop points in their own derby later this afternoon.
What's more, the Reds have scored 19 goals during that six-game run - an average of more than three per game - and only the two Manchester clubs have found the back of the net more often this season.
Indeed, Liverpool's tally of 19 goals conceded is more than struggling Swansea City, but only two of those goals have been let in here at Anfield. It is away from home where Liverpool's major defensive problems lie, but in front of their own fans they have actually been good at the back on the domestic front.
Liverpool have now kept seven home clean sheets in all competitions at Anfield this season compared to just two away, although in the league their goalscoring has suffered a little in front of their own fans as a result, with 'only' 13 goals scored compared to 20 away from home.
However, their last home defeat was masterminded by Sam Allardyce when his Crystal Palace side won 2-1 in April, with the now-Everton boss the only visiting manager to come away from Anfield with victory in the league since January - a run of 16 matches.
The win with Palace was his first at the stadium in the Premier League, having drawn three and lost 10 of his previous 13 visits to the red half of Merseyside.
There was no doubt that the Toffees' search for Ronald Koeman's replacement was turning into a bit of a farce by the time they eventually appointed Allardyce - having already failed with one approach for him earlier in their search - but their have been questions over whether his playing style and football philosophy is suitable for a club like Everton and the players at his disposal.
Allardyce was not technically in charge for the 4-0 win over West Ham United last month, but by that stage it was clear he would be the new manager and Everton have gone on to win three games in a row - as many victories as they had managed in their previous 20 games combined.
The latest of those came in the Europa League on Thursday when the Toffees finally got their first win of the group stage by beating Apollon, avoiding the ignominy of finishing bottom following a disastrous campaign.
A victory for Everton today would not only hand them some all-too-rare bragging rights over Liverpool, but it would also mark the first time they have won three consecutive Premier League games since their first three games of 2017, which also so happens to be the last time they kept three top-flight clean sheets in a row too.
Thursday's win in Cyprus was their first on the road in any competition for 12 matches - since their Europa League qualifying victory over Ruzomberok - but in the Premier League the Toffees are winless in their last 15 away games, drawing seven and losing eight since beating Allardyce's Crystal Palace in January. That triumph remains their only league away win of 2017 so far.
It is an aspect which Everton simply must improve upon if they are begin to put more distance between themselves and the relegation zone. The Toffees may have begun the day in the top half of the table, but they are still only five points clear of the relegation zone so they are by no means safe just yet.
Liverpool's team selection makes this one a little more interesting, with the Reds missing Coutinho and Firmino amongst others, although both are available off the bench and could be pretty high-impact subs if needed. Everton will fancy their chances a little more having seen Klopp's changes, but their away form cannot be ignored - not to mention their dreadful record in this fixture recently. We're still going for a comfortable home win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 3-0 Everton
Well, the Toffees are winless in their last 14 Merseyside derbies across all competitions, which is just one short of their worst-ever run against Liverpool. Should the Reds avoid defeat again today then they would equal their 15-match unbeaten streak set between March 1972 and April 1978.
Their record at Anfield is even worse - the Toffees are without a win in their last 17 visits across Stanley Park stretching back to a 1-0 win in September 1999 when Kevin Campbell scored the only goal of the game.
No fixture has seen more red cards than this one in the Premier League era, with 21 being dished out across the 50 such meetings - 14 for Everton and seven for Liverpool.
The Reds have also scored four winning goals in the 90th minute or later against Everton, which is the joint-most by a team against a specific opponent in Premier League history. The most recent of those came at Goodison Park last December when Sadio Mane stole all three points for Liverpool, while the corresponding fixture at Anfield saw Liverpool run out 3-1 winners.
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Gomez, Lovren, Klavan, Robertson; Henderson, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mane, Salah, Solanke
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Kenny, Holgate, Williams, Martina; Calvert-Lewin, Rooney, Gueye, Davies, Sigurdsson; Niasse
The winger holds off Martina before spinning away from the defender and also beating Gueye on his way into the box. From there Salah still has plenty to do, but he curls a beauty of a finish into the top corner and past a helpless Pickford for the opening goal of the game!
It was a largely frustrating half for Liverpool as they struggled to break through an Everton side with very little designs on attacking, but the goal was worth the wait and Liverpool could have added to it before the break too.
The Premier League's top scorer shrugged off the challenge of Martina before dribbling past Gueye and curling an unstoppable finish into the top scorer past a helpless Pickford. Everton could have perhaps defended better, but it was a moment of individual brilliance from Salah.
The winger had three teammates in support, all waiting for a square pass which would have left them with a simple tap-in, but he decided to go for goal himself and dragged a poor finish well wide of the target.
It has been one-way traffic throughout in this match, with Everton not interested in attacking whatsoever, but that needs to change in the second half courtesy of that Salah goal, which should hopefully result in a more open second half.
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Rooney pings a superb pass forward for Calvert-Lewin, who collects it inside the penalty area before going down under a clumsy challenge from Lovren. Craig Pawson points to the spot, much to the fury of Lovren, but the Liverpool man gave the referee a decision to make when he really didn't need to.
Rooney steps up to take the resulting kick, and he slams it down the middle to level things up.
The Reds dominated that match for long, long periods, with Everton posing just one threat throughout. That threat proved to be enough for them to earn a point, though, with Rooney's penalty cancelling out Salah's stunning opener to complete a smash-and-grab performance from the Toffees.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Merseyside derby as Everton rescue a point from Anfield, despite being second best for the vast majority of the match. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!