Liverpool stay perfect in the Premier League after beating Everton 2-1 in a tense Merseyside derby to extend David Moyes’ miserable record at Anfield.

Moyes would have been hoping it was 21st time lucky having never won a Premier League match on Liverpool turf, despite trying with four different clubs. His agonising wait goes on.

In a break with recent practice, Liverpool took command of the game early, scoring via an instinctive Ryan Gravenberch effort from Mohamed Salah’s majestic delivery in the 10th minute – their earliest home goal since September 2023.

Gravenberch – smartly reinstated alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister in a better balanced three-man midfield, at a cost to the benched Florian Wirtz – then turned provider when sliding through Hugo Ekitike for his fourth Liverpool goal since joining in the summer.

Alexander Isak joined the action for the final 20 minutes to mark his league debut but ultimately wasn’t needed.

Everton rallied after the break to make the match interesting, halving the deficit via a thumping Idrissa Gueye volley, engineered by an adventurous Jack Grealish – arguably the brightest player on the pitch. The end was fraught and nervy as a result, without Moyes’ side possessing the cutting edge needed to unearth a leveller.

Liverpool have now won five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since Arne Slot took charge and go six points clear at the top, ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Manchester City on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

Tricky balancing act for Slot

Analysis by Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter at Anfield:

On the day Alexander Isak made his Premier League bow for Liverpool, it was Hugo Ekitike’s name being sung by the Kop at the final whistle.

The Frenchman took his season’s tally to four in the derby, dispatching an incisive Gravenberch pass with the calmness and composure expected from a marksman leading the line for the reigning champions. How long he retains that title is at Arne Slot’s discretion.

Slot of course has an embarrassment of riches in the attacking department, and while Isak gets up to speed, Ekitike is showing he can shoulder the burden. He’s barely put a foot wrong. Where Florian Wirtz fits in a system that so obviously favours Gravenberch as part of a midfield trio, alongside Szoboszlai and Allister, might pose a quandary too.

Ekitike held the best combined xG and xA value of any player (0.34), with Gravenberch narrowly behind (0.33). The latter also contributed 14 defensive actions to remind of his worth at the opposite end. Nice dilemmas to have, perhaps, but a tricky balancing act for Slot to manage in the weeks ahead.

What’s coming up in the Premier League?