Cody Gakpo, a striker for Liverpool, scored his first goal for the team on Monday as they defeated struggling Everton 2-0 at Anfield in the Premier League to snap a losing streak.
After Everton wasted two excellent chances to take the lead—Dwight McNeil came close and James Tarkowski struck the post—Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez connected on a counterattack to score the game's first goal in the 36th minute.
Gakpo, a Dutch attacker who joined Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven for an alleged fee of 37 million pounds ($44.91 million), increased the advantage early in the second half of a typically frantic Merseyside derby.
Everton was optimistic that things were coming around under new manager Sean Dyche following a shocking victory against league-leading Arsenal the previous time out. Liverpool, however, had lost three of their previous four league games while scoring only one goal and giving up nine.
However, Juergen Klopp's Liverpool team outplayed their neighbors and won their first league game of 2023 to move up to ninth place in the standings with 32 points after 21 games.
With 18 points from 22 games, Everton was one point outside the safety zone and in the relegation zone.
Liverpool may be having a terrible season by their own lofty standards, but they still have a slim chance of making the Champions League after losing the league crown to Manchester City on the last day of the previous campaign.
They have a game in hand over fourth-place Newcastle United and are behind by nine points, but Gakpo should feel more confident after scoring his first goal.
Salah, who finished last season's Premier League season tied for the league's top scorer, will also be relieved to have scored his first league goal since doing so on December 26 against Leicester City.
Diogo Jota, a striker, had his first appearance since suffering a calf injury in October, and his introduction in the 70th minute gave Klopp encouragement.
Virgil van Dijk, a prominent defender, was sitting on the sidelines because of a hamstring injury he sustained at the beginning of January.
Liverpool's difficulties this year are nothing compared to Everton's, who last month dismissed Frank Lampard, making him the eighth manager that owner Farhad Moshiri has let go since 2017.
“You're going down,” sang Liverpool supporters as they made fun of their neighbors for not having won a significant prize since 1995.
