Mane’s Late Strike Earns Liverpool Derby Win

“It’s unbelievably close and hard each week but it is still like this”.

Carragher addded: “It was thoroughly deserved for Liverpool”. The plan of Everton was wild football.

“But we have got players who can step in and we will deal with it”.

“It will be a real battle between two good teams”. I don’t like the flares too much.

Substitute Daniel Sturridge hit the post with a low, left-footed drive from 20m and Senegal forward Mane was quickest to the rebound, sliding in to convert from close range.

“I think wins like this show we’ll be there, yes”, he said.

“You all saw it, I don’t have to say anything about it”.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman agreed Barkley could have been dismissed by referee Mike Dean.

But Lovren believes that Liverpool have already proved their credentials as the season nears its halfway point.

“Maybe it’s a red card (for Barkley) but what happened after is not a fair decision either”.

“He gave Coleman a yellow but nothing to Lovren“.

“If you get the goal then that gives a boost”. Even better I think.

“I had watched him at Southampton and could tell what he was like from playing against him”.

“He mistimed the tackle and after the game he apologised”. I’m a little bit scared about this. They now trail Chelsea by six points and there are three Premier League games for the side to play before Mane heads to the tournament – meaning there could be one or two opportunities to close the gap on Antonio Conte’s side. “It’s a derby – it doesn’t matter if you’re friends off the field”. If you only win games when you are brilliant you won’t win many games.

There was never any doubt which side was going to be most encouraged by that, and though Lukaku had a chance after a strong run at one end, Mane was able to spoil Everton’s Christmas at the other when a combination of Joe Robles and an upright presented him with a gift-wrapped opportunity.

“It has not been easy for him (Sturridge) being out, he has had a lot of injuries, but you know he can deliver important performances for the team”.

“Very important, even in a game like this, when it’s that wild how it was in the first half, it’s very important that you don’t give a chance away and we didn’t give chances away that they had, I can not really remember”.

“He could make a kind of the difference in this moment”.