Liverpool keep pace but still searching for their best as a derby sighs a quiet truth
Liverpool march on with five wins from five in the Premier League, yet their best form remains distant.
The Merseyside derby at Anfield offered no late crescendo, only the stubborn art of clinging on.
In the first half Gravenberch and Ekitiké forged a two goal cushion that hummed with promise.
Then Idrissa Gueye woke Everton and the tide shifted, turning Anfield into a test of nerve.
From the moment the visitors crested, Liverpool had to fight with heart as well as pace.
The game exposed how Liverpool press in transitions and chase wide overloads even when the finish line feels distant.
Gravenberch and Ekitiké move as a corridor of danger, but the meaning stays in the pressure that follows.
Moyes leaves Anfield empty handed again, while Liverpool carry a club song into every tackle.
Manchester United remind us the world forgets the soul of a club when it is shouted from the stands.
Here the pundit chorus talks tactics without feeling what it means to carry a club on songs.
Ryan Gravenberch
Liverpool