Liverpool left it very late on Monday night to get three points against Everton in the Merseyside derby. The game appeared to be heading towards a stalemate, until in the 94th minute, when Sadio Mane scored past Joel Robles in the Everton goal to give the Reds a 1-0 win.
Liverpool now remain unbeaten in 12 games against their Merseyside rivals and are currently in the second place in the Premier League table, 6 points behind leaders Chelsea. It was a drab affair for most of the first half, with both teams struggling to create chances in the final third, but things looked better for Liverpool after the restart, with Roberto Firmino going close twice, only to be denied by Maarten Stekelenburg, who was taken off injured past the hour mark, and his replacement Robles. However, the missed chances did not cost Liverpool much, thanks to the dramatic late winner from Mane.
In what was a largely forgettable Merseyside derby, one man stood out on the evening with his solid and consistent performance throughout the evening, James Milner. The 32-year old work horse has been a revelation this season in his makeshift left-back position with strong performances week after week, that have relegated the regular full-back Alberto Moreno to the bench.
And it was no different on Monday against the Toffees as he went about his usual business with no fuss and played a big role in thwarting the Everton attack. The former Manchester City midfielder was the most involved player on the field, having made 116 touches in the game, the highest by any player on the night. He attempted 72 passes in total, 53 of which reached the intended target, meaning a success rate of 74%, the fourth best among the players from both sides. Those also included 2 key passes, that opened up opportunities for the Reds, the second highest in the match, behind only Nathaniel Clyne who played 4 key passes. He also sent in two accurate crosses, the most by any player in the game.
Milner also showed his flair on the left-hand side attempting two dribbles to go past an opponent and was successful in both his attempts, and was the leading player on the night in terms of successful dribbles. The 32-year old also won the two tackles he attempted throughout the course of the game and made 7 clearances on the night, giving a glimpse of his defensive abilities which culminated in Everton having only a single shot on the target throughout the 90 minutes. He also won 3 aerial duels out of the 5 he attempted, showing the physical side of his game, as he went up against the Everton attackers.
With his performance, Milner helped Liverpool solidify things at the back and offered a decent outlet going forward as well. A Man-of-the-Match performance by the Englishman who keeps contributing to Liverpool immensely and has established himself as a leader and a key cog under Jurgen Klopp.