Liverpool 2-1 Everton player ratings, stats and reaction: Van Dijk dream debut, LFC star seals win

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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk enjoyed a dream debut on Friday night as he scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Everton in the FA Cup.

The Dutchman made his first appearance after his move from Southampton, and he won’t be forgetting it anytime soon as he stepped up late on to head home in front of the Kop end to secure Liverpool’s place in the next round.

James Milner had broken the deadlock from the penalty spot in the first half before Gylfi Sigurdsson levelled things after the break to give Everton hope that they could at least force a replay at Goodison Park.

Van Dijk wasn’t having any of it though as he sparked wild scenes of celebrations at Anfield, and he’ll hope he can continue to make a decisive impact for Jurgen Klopp’s men moving forward.

Yannick Bolasie was the stand-out player for the visitors as he was a constant threat down the right flank and so he scores highly with us in our player ratings below.

However, the man of the moment Van Dijk equals him with an 8/10 from us, as the Dutchman was solid enough defensively given his lack of football in recent weeks, while the winning goal was a huge moment for him and for his teammates as they march on in the cup.

Liverpool player ratings: Karius 6; Gomez 7, Matip 6, Van Dijk 8, Robertson 7; Can 7, Milner 7, Lallana 7; Mane 6, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7; Firmino 7.

Substitutes: Wijnaldum N/A, Alexander-Arnold N/A, Solanke N/A.

Everton player ratings: Pickford 6; Kenny 7, Holgate 7, Jagielka 7, Martina 6; McCarthy 7, Schneiderlin 5, Rooney 5, Bolasie 8, Sigurdsson 7; Calvert-Lewin 6.

Substitutes: Lookman 6, Niasse N/A, Davies N/A.

Liverpool kept impressive long-term and current runs going with this result, as seen in the tweets below. Evidently scoring first is a decisive part of their wins against Everton, while Klopp’s side are in great form currently against the Toffees as they’re now 16 games unbeaten against them, much to the delight of their supporters.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool fans were also delighted with what they saw, especially from their latest recruit, as Van Dijk was the biggest talking point amongst most after the game as he was lavished with praise.

It’s not a bad way to endear yourself to the Reds faithful by scoring against their bitter rivals in such dramatic fashion on a great night at Anfield…

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