Liverpool extended their lead at the Premier League summit to six points on Saturday, but it was an ugly, tense way to do it.
The Reds beat Everton 2-1 at Anfield — their third match in under seven days — and looked every inch a team running on fumes by the final whistle.
Ryan Gravenberch was the afternoon’s standout performer, scoring one and creating the other in a dominant first half that briefly made the game look routine.
Hugo Ekitike tucked home the second, taking his season’s league tally to four, finishing with the calm authority the Kop has come to expect from the Frenchman.
The second half was a different story entirely. Everton improved markedly, with Jack Grealish growing in influence and Idrissa Gueye reducing the deficit with a thumping volley.
“We knew the second half could be very tough,” Arne Slot said afterwards. “This was the most intense of the three games. We knew this before.”
The closing stages were fraught. Liverpool, down to ten men, had to rely on sheer will to hold out against a side that smelled blood.
David Moyes acknowledged the opportunity his side had. “Liverpool were playing their third game in six days,” he said. “We had a chance to catch them with fatigue, and we didn’t.”
Moyes’ record at Anfield remains unchanged across four different clubs. He has still never won a Premier League match there, and the wait extends further into history.
The result gives Liverpool crucial breathing room ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester City, which will reshape the title picture significantly.
Slot’s rotation decisions over the coming weeks will be under intense scrutiny, but the mentality shown by his squad in grinding out results despite exhaustion may be worth as much as any tactical advantage.