Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game in a heated Merseyside derby to restore Liverpool’s 12-point lead at the top of the table.

Liverpool continued their march towards the Premier League title with a 1-0 victory over Everton in a scrappy, but feisty, Merseyside derby as Diogo Jota slotted home the winner in the second half.

The champions elect, with 73 points after 30 games, restored their 12-point lead over second-placed Arsenal on Wednesday, while Everton, whose nine-game league unbeaten streak was ended, are 15th on 34 points.

The teams had met in an explosive derby in February that ended 2-2, with Everton captain James Tarkowski equalising deep in stoppage time in a chaotic game that featured four red cards, including one to Liverpool manager Arne Slot.

The heated mood in Anfield was cranked up another notch after a contentious early tackle on Wednesday.

Liverpool fans thought Everton should have been reduced to 10 men after 11 minutes following a fierce foul by Tarkowski on Alexis Mac Allister.

The centre-back lunged in to clear and caught Mac Allister high on the ankle with his studs, but was only shown a yellow card by referee Samuel Barrott, who was not instructed by VAR to review his original decision.

Soon afterwards, Beto had the ball in the net for Everton but had strayed just offside before latching onto a ball over the top. The Guinea-Bissau international then charged through on goal after Virgil van Dijk mistimed his clearance and hit the post.

Liverpool, who suffered back-to-back defeats in their previous two games to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle to end their hopes of lifting the Champions League and League Cup, looked flat in the first half.

But Slot’s men upped their intensity in the second half to prevent the title from also slipping away.

There was more controversy when the opening goal arrived: Luis Diaz seemed to have strayed offside when Tarkowski cut out a pass aimed towards the Colombian.

Diaz pounced on the loose ball and flicked it on into Jota’s path, who kept his cool to slice inside Idrissa Gueye and Tarkowski and smashed home his first goal since January.

Diaz had the best chance to double Liverpool’s lead when he fired a powerful effort, but it was too close to Jordan Pickford.

The Everton keeper was involved in another flashpoint late on when he chopped down Darwin Nunez inside the area, but only after Barrott had already blown for a foul earlier in the move.

Liverpool held on, returning to their winning ways and taking another big step towards what would be just a second league title in 35 years.

“Everton make it very difficult for you,” Liverpool’s captain, Virgil van Dijk, said after the match. “They have a certain way of playing. You have to be ready for it. They are very direct.”

Meanwhile, Jota was delighted with his strike.

“Hopefully, this gives us a bit of momentum,” he said. “I want this game to start a good run for me that could be helpful for the team. The only way is to start winning games.”

Everton boss David Moyes took issue with the goal, but said Liverpool had played better.

“Liverpool were the better team, but we showed great resilience, made some chances. It’s just gut-wrenching that we have lost to a goal that we don’t feel is deserved,” he said.

“This is our first defeat in 10 games. Liverpool are the best team in the league. Maybe in the future, we’ll be a bit closer to them.”

Elsewhere in the Premier League, fourth-placed Manchester City were without the injured Erling Haaland, but still beat Leicester 2-0 to stay one point ahead of Newcastle, who beat Brentford 2-1.

Marcus Rashford scored again for Aston Villa in a 3-0 win at Brighton.

Bottom-club Southampton were denied only their third league win of the season when Matheus Franca scored in the second minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Crystal Palace.

Ipswich did pick up a rare win – beating Bournemouth 2-1.

Source:

Al Jazeera and news agencies