Liverpool endured a frustrating visit to the blue half of Merseyside as they were held to a goalless draw by Everton to stunt their early-season progress in the Premier League.
It could have been worse for Jurgen Klopp’s side as Conor Coady looked to have put Everton ahead from close range in the 69th minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
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Liverpool hit the woodwork twice in the space of a few first-half seconds, but an inspired Jordan Pickford stood firm to earn Frank Lampard’s team a valuable point at Goodison Park — although Mohamed Salah almost gave his side a remarkable win in stoppage time when his left-footed shot hit the post via a fingertip save from Pickford.
Darwin Nunez made an immediate return to Liverpool’s starting lineup after his red card against Crystal Palace, while Fabio Carvalho also slotted in to Klopp’s XI after his stoppage-time heroics against Newcastle United.
Liverpool started slowly, however, and Everton almost took advantage in the 32nd minute when Tom Davies hit the post with an outside-of-the-boot effort from inside the box after the ball fell kindly for him.
The visitors responded with two chances in the 43rd minute. First Pickford tipped Nunez’s right-footed volley onto the bar in acrobatic fashion, before Luis Diaz cut onto his right boot and fired a curling shot against the post.
Klopp made an attacking change after the break when he took off Carvalho for Roberto Firmino and Liverpool started the second half brightly, getting forward well on a number of occasions.
Everton were indebted to Pickford three times in the 64th minute as he turned away a stinging right-footed shot from Firmino and the striker’s header from the resulting corner, before getting down well to keep out a low shot from Fabinho.
And Frank Lampard’s side had a golden chance to go ahead moments later in the 65th minute when they surged forward and worked the ball to summer signing Neal Maupay, whose shot was straight at Alisson.
Maupay looked to have made up for that miss in the 69th minute when he fired a low shot across goal which Coady turned home, but it was chalked off after a VAR review.
Everton kept pushing and Alisson had to be alert to tip over a deflected shot from Dwight McNeil in the 84th minute after the winger cut in from the right.
And Firmino was foiled by Pickford again in the 87th minute when he got on the end of a Salah pass and saw his shot palmed away by the Everton keeper.