Everton: Time is now to finally break Anfield winless run

Everton are on the right track to finally break their 18-year Anfield curse in this weekend’s massive Merseyside derby.

Everton travel across Stanley Park on Saturday for their biggest game of the season: the Merseyside derby against rivals Liverpool. The Toffees have not beaten the Reds at Anfield since September 1999, but the time is now to finally break that curse.

The blue side of Merseyside race into this significant fixture in great form. Ronald Koeman’s team recently had an unbeaten streak of nine matches, and the club are even in talks for a proposed new stadium.

However, Everton have not triumphed against Liverpool for 14 matches, with their last win being back in October 2010. Even more alarming is they haven’t won at Anfield now in 38 meetings.

This is a must-win for Everton’s season, as they will only be three points behind their local rivals in fourth if they can pull out a win. Manchester United and Arsenal are also hot on Liverpool’s heels with two games in hand.

Yet, if Everton lose, then the gap spreads to nine points, and the season seemingly over with just eight matches to play. Although, Europa League would still an option if everything goes the right way for the seventh-placed team.

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Defeating Liverpool for a more realistic stab at a Champions League spot is reachable, however, and will spur the club on. That’s despite top-scoring Premier League striker Romelu Lukaku rejecting Everton’s new contract offer and providing an unneeded distraction.

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Everton are all too familiar with this situation, though, and have had to deal with contract niggles regarding stars like Leighton Baines, Ross Barkley and the now-departed John Stones before.

This meek forecast has been lifted by the Toffees’ injection of youth, such as Tom Davies, Ademola Lookman and Mason Holgate. Kevin Mirallas has also found form out on the left, whilst Koeman has worked his magic with club hero Barkley.

Losing Seamus Coleman for the rest of the season with a heart-wrenching leg break will hurt, but they do have cover with Tyias Browning, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Holgate. Captain Phil Jagielka looks likely to retain his spot, after the Daily Mail reported that Ramiro Funes Mori injured his knee playing for Argentina last weekend.

Everton need to win this game against Liverpool to cement their emphasis of where they stand, and what better place to do it than the home of their arch foe. Liverpool will come out fighting, and after two stirring wins against Arsenal and Tottenham, Everton will not scare the Reds.

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If Adam Lallana had put away an easy chance against Manchester City last match, Liverpool would be sitting pretty in third place. But everything is just falling in to place for Everton right now, despite two key injuries.

New stadium, exciting prospects and consistent form holds Everton in good stead to finally break the Anfield curse.

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