Liverpool entered the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 2-1 win over bitter rivals Everton. Anfield witnessed thrilling derby action in the cup competition with the tie being settled in the last 10 minutes of the encounter.
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's record signing scored the winner for Liverpool and delivered a splendid performance on his debut. James Milner had opened the scoring on the night, before Gylfi Sigurdsson equalized for Everton courtesy of a blistering counter-attacking move.
On that note, let's take a closer look at how each player fared in the hotly contested Merseyside derby:
Everton
Jordan Pickford: 5/10
The Englishman made some decent saves but could have done better for the winner. Pickford decided to leave his line for the corner but was left in no man's land at the end. In short, Pickford did a Mignolet in conceding the second goal.
Jonjoe Kenny: 7/10
The youngster is now looking assured in the Everton lineup and displayed another performance worthy of praise. Kenny joined in the attack whenever possible and also backtracked with responsibility. His interception of a Firmino drag back was extremely crucial to keep Everton in the game at that point.
Mason Holgate: 3/10
Lucky! Holgate was extremely fortunate to complete 90 minutes after his push on Firmino in the second half could have easily been a sending off. He was troubled by the pace of Liverpool's attacks but handled that pretty well before losing it all in the final quarter of the game.
Phil Jagielka: 7/10
A captain's performance from the centre back. He was solid in rallying his troops and took up good positions. Jagielka added another Anfield moment to his collection as it was him, in an unnatural position, on a counter-attacking move, to assist Sigurdsson.
Cuco Martina: 6/10
Martina did his job of closing down his man and keeping the Liverpool runners in check with ease. Barring a 35-yard crazy attempt, it was a decent outing for the fullback.
James McCarthy: 6/10
McCarthy looked like the real deal in the first 45 minutes, showing real authority in the centre of the park. He was a commanding figure for the Toffees and did his job to perfection. But he is lacking match fitness at the moment and looked tired as the game went on.
Morgan Schneiderlin: 6/10
A decent outing for the former Manchester United man. He looks at ease with McCarthy beside him as Allardyce may have found the perfect midfield pairing to work with. His ability to dictate the tempo in certain parts of the game helped Everton to muster credible chances going forward.
Wayne Rooney: 3/10
Sam Allardyce did the best thing possible by taking Rooney off the firing line, six minutes after the interval. The attacker was already on a yellow and looked completely reckless. His passing was average and he never gave away an impression of being a senior player for Everton on the field.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: 7/10
The Icelander had very little opportunity to display his creativity before he got to the end of a stunning counter-attacking move. His finish was brilliant, sliding it past the keeper with ease. Sigurdsson showed great maturity in his defensive work and was one of the best players on the field.
Yannick Bolasie: 8/10
Completing 90 minutes after such a long layoff was a significant achievement from the winger. Along with that, Bolasie looked sharp and provided an incisive edge to the away side. He also played a crucial part in the build-up to the equalizer.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: 5/10
The youngster lacked any sort of service to trouble the defenders but showed great heart to run for lost causes and being a solid focal point for his side.
Substitutes:
Ademola Lookman: 8/10
An inspired substitution! The youngster came on the field and made a brilliant impact going forward. Lookman played a huge role in Everton's goal and also looked threatening on a number of other occasions.
Oumar Niasse: N/A
The forward had very little time to make a meaningful contribution.
Tom Davies: N/A
Davies was brought on to change the dynamics in midfield but chased the game for the entire duration, and couldn't influence much of it.
Liverpool
Loris Karius: 6/10
The German custodian got his first action of the Merseyside derby after being given the goalkeeper duties for the FA Cup. He looked fairly confident on the night except for a few crosses that came in his box. Karius could not have done anything for the Everton goal.
Joe Gomez: 7/10
Gomez was back to his right back position for the Reds after playing on the opposite flank against Burnley. He did his job with minimal fuss and was solid defensively. The youngster was hardly beaten in one on one situations and also provided a useful outlet going forward. Gomez should have scored from a header but nodded wide from close range.
Joel Matip: 6/10
The Cameroonian returned to the playing eleven and delivered an assured performance. He was solid in the air and made some important clearances as well. Matip also worked well in tandem with Van Dijk - makings of a partnership for the long term.
Virgil van Dijk: 9/10
Scoring the winner against Everton in your debut outing. No player can start their Liverpool career better than what Van Dijk achieved last night! Apart from his match-winning goal, the Dutchman was the best defender on the field.
He marshalled his backline with assurance and displayed leadership qualities from the word go. Though Van Dijk missed a sitter in the second half, it surely was a dream start to life in Liverpool for Van Dijk.
Andrew Robertson: 8/10
What a performance by the Scot! Surely, it can be termed as Robertson's best outing in a red shirt. The left-back had his hands full with Bolasie charging at him throughout the game but managed his defensive duties with ease. He also bombarded forward and was useful in creating a number of chances from the left flank.
Emre Can: 6/10
Playing in a number 6 role, Can did all the dirty work that was needed. He kept Rooney quiet for the majority of the match and also made some crucial interceptions. A busy display from the man who is close to agreeing to a move away from the Reds.
James Milner: 5/10
Captain on the night, Milner slotted home the penalty with ease but could not influence the proceedings other than that. His passes went astray while he also couldn't help out at the back. A bad day in the office for the veteran.
Adam Lallana: 4/10
A night to forget for the Englishman who started his second game in a row for the Reds. A lack of match fitness was evident from his performance as his passing was extremely sloppy. He looked rusty throughout his performance and apart from winning the penalty, Lallana had a game to forget.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7/10
The summer signing is slowly but surely repaying the big money that was paid to get him on board. Chamberlain showed tremendous work rate on the night and was a constant presence on the right wing. His set-piece deliveries are also becoming a plus point for Liverpool going forward.
Sadio Mane: 5/10
It was surprising to see Mane starting this game after being present in Ghana the previous day for the African awards. Jurgen Klopp took a bold call but it backfired as Mane never looked at his marauding best. His link-up play was decent but his contribution in the final third left a lot to be desired.
Roberto Firmino: 7/10
A typical Roberto Firmino performance was on display at Anfield. The Brazilian worked selflessly for his side and also held up the ball well at times. Though he lost possession a couple of times, Firmino looked fresh after being given a rest against Burnley.
Substitutes:
Georginio Wijnaldum: 7/10
When things got a bit edgy in the final quarter of the game, Wijnaldum helped to calm things down in midfield and completed his cameo with expertise.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 5/10
The youngster took time to adjust to the pace of the game and thankfully for him, he did not have to deal with anything major defensively.
Dominic Solanke: 5/10
Solanke's only contribution was picking up a yellow card for a needless tackle late in the game.