Liverpool host Everton on Wednesday evening in one of the most heated derbies in European football. It is a fixture that both sets of supporters look out for in their calendar’s every season, and one that has not been kind to the Toffees in recent years.
Indeed, the last time Everton beat their fiercest rivals was all the way back in 2010, where goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta secured a 2-0 win for the Blues at Goodison Park. Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, the Betting Directory has taken a look at the stats surrounding this historically famous fixture, and what we can potentially expect at Anfield.
October 17, 2010, @everton 2-0 Liverpool. Shockingly this was our last win over the Red’s… but what an emphatic win it was! Goals from @Tim_Cahill & @m8arteta brought home the win. @premierleague #EFC #Everton #EvertonFC pic.twitter.com/d07zyT1So2
— Everton Premier League stats (@EvertonLeague) December 3, 2019
Cards, lots of them
The Merseyside derby is, statistically, the dirtiest fixture in Premier League history. An astonishing 21 red cards have been brandished in 54 meetings between the two sides – five more than the second filthiest fixture of the Premier League era, Everton v Newcastle (16).
Steven Gerrard and Phil Neville have both seen red twice in this heated clash. Strangely enough, though, there has not been a single red card shown in the previous 15 meetings between these two sides, with Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori the last person to be given his marching orders following a horrendously rash challenge on Divock Origi back in 2015-16.
Aside from the intense rivalry between these two sides, which so frequently sees tempers flare resulting in cards being brandished, the man in the middle on Wednesday night will be Mike Dean – a referee who averages 4.14 yellows and 0.21 red cards per game. He’s also from the Wirrall and has never been allowed to referee a Liverpool match before this week, which does seem just a little bit odd.
This season alone Mike ‘Deano’ Dean has shown 52 yellows in just 11 appearances, so we could be in for plenty of booking points at Anfield on Wednesday, especially considering it is a huge derby game and we all know how much auld Deano loves making himself the centre of attention..
Mike Dean (a Tranmere fan from Wirral) has been selected to referee the Merseyside Derby between Liverpool & Everton. pic.twitter.com/Taz81KptWp
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) November 26, 2019
Corners a-plenty
This season, there have been an average of 11.36 corners in games involving Liverpool. At Anfield, there’s been an average of 11.57 corners per game, while Everton’s away matches have seen an average of 10.14 corners per game.
While these stats are all somewhat painfully boring to read, they do offer a good insight into the betting markets for this Wednesday’s clash. Backing over 10.5 match corners seems like a decent bet with the cold, hard, mind-numbing stats considered.
Goals! goals! goa.. Maybe not
On paper, this fixture looks like an absolute banker for an ‘over 2.5 goals’ bet and while there is of course a huge chance of this being the case, considering Liverpool’s current form and Everton’s dismal defensive record, the history books tell us that this could well be a low scoring affair.
Over 2.5 goals has landed just once in the last five meetings between these two teams in the Premier League, with the last encounter turning out to be a completely damp squid, ending in a 0-0 bore-draw at Goodison Park back in March.
Prior to that, it took a dramatic last-minute fluke of a goal from Divock Origi to win the match for Liverpool, with the initial 90 minutes yielding precisely 0 goals and barely any opportunities. The game before that? 0-0.
.@Carra23 ? – “Look at Jurgen Klopp!” #OnThisDay in 2018…??
Divock Origi broke Everton hearts with the “daftest derby goal of all-time!” ? pic.twitter.com/iQeRJUtAig
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 2, 2019
Liverpool winning, in short
As previously touched on, Everton’s record against Liverpool is truly abysmal. The last time they beat the Reds was almost a decade ago and that came on home soil; away from home, the Toffees haven’t beaten their rivals from across Stanley Park since 1999 – literally 20 (that’s twenty) years ago.
Aside from their horrendous record against the Reds, the two teams are currently separated by 16 places in the top-flight, with Liverpool on a stunning unbeaten run which stretches all the way back to January.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have won 13 of their 14 league games this season, drawing once, while Everton already find themselves fighting for their lives near the bottom of the table and have won just four league games all season.
A defeat for Everton in this game could see them drop into the relegation zone, should Southampton beat Norwich at home in their respective fixture on Wednesday night. It could also signal the end for manager Marco Silva in the Goodison Park dugout.
The bet
So, with everything considered, we suggest backing plenty of cards, corners and under 3.5 goals with a Liverpool win in this one. Sadio Mane to score anytime seems like a decent selection, too, considering the Senegal international has scored 3 goals against Everton in 9 meetings against the Toffees for both Liverpool and Southampton.