3. Liverpool struggle to break through
Although Rodgers’ switch to a 3-4-3 has seemed to have got the best out of his summer signings, there are still plenty of question marks about whether that will be enough to see them in the Champions League for the second-straight season. On Saturday, even though Joe Allen replaced Lucas Leiva early on, the Reds who were much the better side, were pressured into making mistakes that put them in trouble early in the campaign.
Ibe, who started for the injured Lazar Markovic slotted in straight away but the rest of the attack, seemed disjointed at times. The pace and the penetration which made them so successful last season was missing from their play, and Philippe Coutinho, who in the past weeks has been their best player, had one of his quiet games before being substituted early in the second half. Aside from Ibe’s effort in the first half, the visitors struggled to create too many opportunities going forward and had to survive a late Everton onslaught in order to extend their unbeaten run in the league to eight games.