Watch Everton vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League on Sunday from 4pm
Thursday 28 February 2019 11:24, UK
Everton got off to a flying start under Marco Silva this season but a 1-0 defeat at Liverpool in December sparked a decline in form. We check the stats behind the dip ahead of the reverse fixture at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Silva's side sat sixth in the Premier League table going into the Merseyside derby in December, but the Toffees have slipped to ninth since then - in addition to crashing out of the FA Cup against Millwall.
The graphic below shows how Everton's league fortunes have changed for the worse since Divock Origi pounced on a Jordan Pickford error and snatched a 96th-minute winner at Anfield.
A 3-1 defeat against Manchester City preceded a 6-2 thrashing at Spurs during the festive schedule, before a 5-1 win over Burnley was followed by six defeats in their last nine games to date.
The graphic below reveals how Everton typically created more and better-quality chances than their opposition before the defeat at Anfield in December - but have typically created an inferior number since that game.
The stats back up that decline, with a distinct drop in goals, particularly headed goals - in addition to winning less possession in the attacking third, taking fewer shots on target and creating fewer chances.
In terms of activity, there has been a notable decline in attacking thrust down the left flank and rescinding hotspots of activity down the right channel, an area typically marshalled by Seamus Coleman.
A change in formations could have been a factor in this.
Silva reinstalled his favoured 4-2-3-1 during the 3-0 win at Cardiff on Tuesday, but has increasingly experimented with starting formations since lining up in a 4-4-1-1 against Liverpool in December.
Since that defeat, the Portuguese unsuccessfully attempted to withstand Manchester City in a 5-4-1, and has used a 3-4-2-1 and 4-1-4-1 both on two occasions - each reaping one win and one defeat.
That momentum of experimentation extended to his team selection, with a notable spike in line-up changes following the derby - peaking with five alterations against City last month.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is the only Evertonian to have played every minute in the Premier League this season, while Gylfi Sigurdsson has clocked the most minutes of all outfield players.
Silva has increasingly used Lucas Digne, on-loan Kurt Zouma, Andre Gomes, Bernard and Dominic Calvert-Lewin since entering the festive period, while Theo Walcott has fallen slightly out of favour.
The December derby also appeared to significantly affect Everton's fitness levels, crashing from a season-high 160 sprints against the Reds to below 100 in the games that followed.
Everton's distance covered also dipped after their efforts at Anfield and a season-high 118 km against Newcastle three days later - peaking again against City, before suffering a six-game slump in physical exertions.
But Silva's side were back among the goals against Cardiff in midweek, smashing the 140-threshold for sprints for only the second time this term, with talisman Sigurdsson ending his goalless streak with a match-winning double.
Can Everton avenge the calamitous finale in December's dramatic derby and record their first win against Liverpool since 2010, or will Liverpool maintain their title tilt with a second successive win over their rivals?
Watch Everton vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League on Sunday from 4pm
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