Talking Tactics: Why Liverpool were lucky to get away 3-3 draw

[caption id=“attachment_1248749” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lukaku was brilliant for Everton. Getty Images[/caption] Six goals, 29 attempts, 13 corners, 53 tackles and 30 fouls — it was pure entertainment at Goodison Park as Everton and Liverpool played arguably the best match of the Premier League so far this season. While the 3-3 draw may have been a fair result for most, Liverpool fans will be aggrieved to see their side concede so many clear-cut chances against an Everton side that surprised them with an attacking tenacity which was lacking in the David Moyes era. In fact, if it wasn’t for their goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, the scoreline would have probably favoured the Toffees. Below is a tactical breakdown of the match, explaining how Everton managed to eke out so many chances and where Liverpool can plug the gaps before they travel to Hull on 1 December Exploiting the middle: Everton were simply pulsating in the central midfield battle — and add to that the size and power of striker Romelu Lukaku, allowing them to dominate Marten Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva. The graphics below show the percentage splits of where the players from both teams spent the game. As you can see, Everton spent more time in Liverpool’s half, while Liverpool spent 20 percent of their time defending the space in front of their 18-yard box.   Ross Barkley’s direct approach meant Everton’s fullbacks and wide forwards had plenty of time to run into. Barkley and Steven Pienaar pressed high up the pitch, forcing Liverpool to play in their own half for most of the match. The pressing paid off with Everton launching wave after wave of attack through the middle, spraying it out wide and then either shooting or cutting back in. All in all they took 18 shots, with 10 of them coming through play from the central area. Liverpool, despite playing Lucas and Joe Allen as defensive midfielders had no answer to this. Mignolet saved Liverpool’s day: Mignolet was one of the three Belgians who shone on the day (the other two being Kevin Mirallas and Lukaku), making eight vital saves for Liverpool. It’s astonishing that Liverpool with all their attacking prowess tested Tim Howard about half as much. Yes, he was beaten thrice, but the pressure on the American was nothing compared to what Mignolet was facing at the other end.  It was remarkable to see Everton take 13 hits at goal and score just thrice, mostly in situations where they were one-on-one. Liverpool on the other hand managed to carve out eight good chances but missed the best of the lot — Joe Allen’s sitter from inside the box. It wasn’t a match for the faint-hearted, but Mignolet pulled all the stops on the right day. Late surge and substitutions: As BBC’s Chief Football Writer Phil McNulty writes, Brendan Rodgers was probably justified in the end for the Daniel Sturridge substitution but the striker should probably have come on earlier to close the game out, OR, he should have brought on defensive cover. He eventually opted for Sturridge late on but move would have been criticised right now had Everton’s lead remained. They were pumping in the ball from all sides and the better thing to do would be to bring on a taller player to support a harangued defence. Also, Everton’s performance from 65 to 90 minutes was just incredible – the chart below shows their overall performance in that time frame and Liverpool simply crumbled at the end. This has been something of a trend for Liverpool this season, which is a worrying sign for a side that is not playing in Europe. Out of the total 13 goals, they have conceded this season, nine have come after the 50 minute-mark. There performance does dip considerably in the second half.  Liverpool could actually have done with Victor Moses earlier, about the time when Everton brought on Gerard Deulofeu. As you can see, Moses hardly had any impact on the game (below are shots by each player) but may have been a creative force if brought on at half-time — especially with the Reds struggling for width.  Verdict: Let’s count out the debatable Mirallas tackle. By the book it was red, but analysing the fixture purely on football terms, Liverpool can count themselves a tad lucky to have gained a point in a fixture in which Everton had the better of the play. All data and graphics from Squawka.com