Grealish sparks Everton’s surge but cutting edge eludes Moyes at Anfield

Everton left Anfield with regret rather than reward after a 2-1 defeat that caught fire too late. Liverpool’s two goals inside the opening half-hour—Ryan Gravenberch from Mohamed Salah’s delivery and Hugo Ekitiké from Gravenberch’s pass—left David Moyes’ side with a mountain to climb.

The response after the break was emphatic. Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye combined to set up Idrissa Gueye for a thumping finish on 58 minutes, and from that moment Everton were the better side. Pressure mounted, the home crowd fretted, but an equaliser would not come.

A cautious plan undermined by early blows

Moyes set a pragmatic blueprint: compact without the ball, everyone behind the play when Liverpool built attacks, and direct when chances to transition appeared. It stifled the league leaders early on, but not for long. Salah’s bouncing cross was met by the late-arriving Gravenberch, whose hooked finish put the hosts in front inside 10 minutes.

There were glimpses to change the narrative. Beto unsettled Liverpool’s centre-backs and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall shot wide after a neat exchange with Grealish. Those moments had to count; instead, Gravenberch exploited a channel down Everton’s left to slide in Ekitiké, who finished low under Jordan Pickford for 2-0.

Grealish, Ndiaye and Gueye change the tone

The half-time shift was decisive. Beto made way for Thierno Barry and the wingers were pushed higher, restoring the front-foot intent seen in recent weeks. Grealish repeatedly targeted Conor Bradley, and the breakthrough came when he breezed by the full-back and clipped to the back post for Ndiaye to cushion into Gueye’s path.

Gueye’s strike, lashed high before Alisson could react, jolted Liverpool and energised Everton. From there Grealish’s dribbling drew fouls and Ndiaye ran directly at retreating red shirts, repeatedly forcing the champions towards their own goal. The momentum—and belief—was back with the visitors.

Pressure without payoff

For long spells after the goal, Everton had the better of the territory and attacking play. Liverpool creaked, conceding cheap free-kicks and struggling to stem Grealish’s influence. Anfield grew anxious as attacks piled up, but the killer chance never quite materialised.

In the end, the lack of a top-class No 9 told. Barry, the £27m summer signing, could make no impression on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, and despite the quality of the wide players and midfield, Alisson was not tested often enough. The irritation was palpable at full time, not least that only three minutes of added time were played.

Moyes’ verdict and the path forward

“We made it really difficult by our first-half performance,” Moyes admitted, praising a second-half display that was “more like what I wanted from the start.” Aware it was Liverpool’s third game in less than seven days, he lamented a missed opportunity to capitalise on any fatigue and vowed to reflect on what could have been done differently.

Encouragement comes from Grealish’s sustained threat and Ndiaye’s influence, plus the control Everton found after the break. But the need for a sharper cutting edge is clear and, as the manager has indicated, an issue to address in the next window. Attention now turns to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, 23 September (19:45 BST) and West Ham United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday, 29 September (20:00).