Liverpool beat Everton to maintain perfect Premier League start

Liverpool extended their flawless beginning in the Premier League by securing a 2-1 victory against Everton in the Merseyside derby, thereby strengthening their grip on the top spot with a six-point advantage.

The defending champions earned strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike following a commanding display in the opening period, clinching their fifth straight league triumph.

However, after the interval, Liverpool appeared to lose momentum and barely held firm when Idrissa Gana Gueye pulled one back for Everton.

Arne Slot's squad had relied on goals in the dying minutes to prevail in each of their prior four Premier League matches as well as their midweek Champions League debut versus Atletico Madrid.

On this occasion, the Reds completed most of their strong play within the initial 30 minutes, ensuring Everton remained winless at Anfield before a home audience in the 21st century.

Slot kept both of his signings costing over £100 million ($135 million), namely Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, in reserve, yet Liverpool showed improved equilibrium with Alexis MacAllister rejoining Dominik Szoboszlai and the standout Gravenberch in the engine room.

The Dutch playmaker opened the scoring after just nine minutes via a clever half-volley off Mohamed Salah's delivery.

Salah nearly doubled the lead shortly afterwards with a forceful shot using his reliable left boot that narrowly missed the target.

Everton entered the fixture on a four-match unbeaten streak, largely driven by the revival of Jack Grealish.

The loanee from Manchester City naturally featured centrally in their sharpest attacking sequence of the first half, threading a ball to Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, whose effort from an acute position sailed wide.

Liverpool countered effectively through an excellent collective effort that ended with Ekitike slotting Gravenberch's through-ball beneath Jordan Pickford, marking his third goal in five league outings since transferring from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Yet the latter half unfolded entirely differently, as Liverpool risked squandering their two-goal cushion once more, having been hauled back by Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Atletico earlier in the campaign.

Weariness appeared to factor in this time, given the fixture kicked off barely 60 hours following Virgil van Dijk's injury-time decider against Atletico on Wednesday.

Everton gained a route back into proceedings shortly before the hour when Grealish's lofted pass was redirected towards Gueye, who rifled it beyond Alisson Becker.

Slot introduced Wirtz and Isak from the sidelines in an effort to regain dominance, though with minimal impact.

Nevertheless, Liverpool endured a tense conclusion to hand Everton manager David Moyes an unwelcome milestone.

The Scottish tactician has now gone 23 visits to Anfield without a success as an opposing head coach, the highest number for any Premier League boss at a single venue without triumph.