Liverpool stormed into an early lead with goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, but Idrissa Gueye’s 58th-minute effort changed the dynamic and set Liverpool hearts fluttering as they clung on for a win.
Moyes found some positives in his side’s performance, as he questioned the performance of referee Darren England and his team.
“We have been here so many times and I don’t want to sound like an old fart saying the same things but I found three minutes amazing at the end of the second half,” moaned Moyes.
“We wanted to play quickly, I have seen lots of teams score from quick free-kick but we couldn’t do anything quickly because we had to wait on the referee’s whistle all the time. I found some of the decisions really strange. We have come to get used to that and everyone is aware of that.
“A lot of things that weren’t so good in the first half, a lot of good things in the second half. We probably just let it get a bit far away from us. The players never gave up. We did some good things but not enough to get the result today.
“There wasn’t enough [chances]. Liverpool didn’t have many more than us but they we e more clinical. They looked more decisive in the final third. Not an easy game for anyone coming here, never mind us.
“Overall, we showed signs of what we can do. This might be the hardest away games so we have to accept it, but a lot of good things going on. We have won a lot of games away from home and I am hoping we can continue that.”
Everton manager David Moyes ahead of the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool: Peter Byrne/PA Wire.
John Aldridge’s Premier League verdict is in
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot suggested his side may have struggled physically towards the end of the Merseyside derby after a week that also saw them play an draining Champions League match.
Having made a habit of scoring late goals to win games in their five previous fixtures, a different kind of character was needed at Anfield as the hosts held on for a win.
Idrissa Gueye’s 58th-minute effort changed the dynamic and it was Liverpool who were grateful for the full-time whistle.
“There was tension late on. We needed mentality today in a different fashion maybe than a few times before,” said Slot.
“We already knew it would be a difficult game, let alone if you don’t have proper preparation time. If you play your third game in less than seven days against your rivals you know the second half could be very tough.
“You can see how well we can play if we are fresh – the first 45 minutes we played. The second half was more difficult because of Everton, of course. We ran out of energy a bit but we didn’t run out of mentality.”
Gravenberch continued his rapid upward curve from the start of last season with another man of the match performance, scoring the first with a clever, hooked effort over Jordan Pickford before providing the assist for Ekitike.
“I think for every player it is the same, you need a team around you to show how good you are,” added Slot of his fellow Dutchman, who has been a revelation since being moved to the number six role.
“On the pitch he does like the spotlight. I was planning to take him off after 60 minutes but then we conceded a goal. He has done very well, maybe now he is in the spotlight because of goals and assists.
“Both goals were a similar area that we attacked, first with Ryan and second time with Hugo with the pace these two have.
“First half, it was a joy to watch although we got a bit of a warning just before half-time when they had their first shot on target.
“I think you could see that is the difficult thing with conceding the 2-1 if you’re 2-0 up because then you’re a bit in doubt.
“Normally we are not in doubt and keep attacking, but we had better chances to score the third than they did to score a second.”