Jamie Carragher hails Carlo Ancelotti as Everton’s ‘man of the match’ from Merseyside derby win

Jamie Carragher heaped praise on Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti following their Merseyside derby victory over rivals Liverpool on Saturday. 

The Toffees ended a torrid 22-year spell without a victory at Anfield in the Premier League with a 2-0 win thanks to an early goal from Richarlison and a late Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty.

The result dealt a huge blow to Jurgen Klopp’s side, who are now without a win in six matches at home and are on course for one of the worst Premier League title defences in recent history.

Jamie Carragher heaped praise on Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti following Merseyside derby

The Toffees ended a torrid 22-year spell without a victory at Anfield in the Premier League

Carragher said that the Italian tactician was Everton’s man of the match in their ‘huge’ win against the Reds.

When asked on Everton’s key to success from the derby victory, Carragher answered: ‘It was the manager. Carlo Ancelotti.’ 

‘I never gave a man of the match in that game, for whatever reason it maybe slipped my mind, there were probably four or five Everton players you could have given it to. I watched the game again and Everton’s man of the match was the manager. 

‘You mentioned the record, 22 years since they won. But that’s the Premier League. 

‘Notoriously Everton’s record at Anfield is horrendous. So to actually win at Anfield is huge, they celebrated like mad and rightly so.’

Carragher praised the former Real Madrid manager for ‘taking the emotion’ out of the feisty match-up and making some bold calls with his team selection.

Carragher praised the former Real Madrid manager for ‘taking the emotion’ out of the match

‘I’ll tell the reason, in my experience, why the record is so poor, and also at Goodison Park. Everton never get the derby right emotionally, they are either too up for it and get players sent off or they are absolutely terrified going into games, certainly at Anfield. 

‘And the reason I say Ancelotti won them that game was he took the emotion out of that game with the team he picked. So when that team came in, Everton fans’ hearts would have sank. No Dominic Calvert-Lewin and no Allan. 

‘Allan hadn’t played for two months and Calvert-Lewin was coming back from a  hamstring injury so it was the right decision. Because emotionally the derby is the biggest game they have to win.

‘Roberto Martinez told me he felt pressure to play Gareth Barry in a derby game at Anfield. He wasn’t 100 per cent fit, got injured, they lost the game and then he missed an FA Cup semi-final, he always looks back on that as a regret. 

‘Ancelotti though, said this was three points for our European ambitions, forget Liverpool.’

Everton usually like to keep possession and play out from the back, but Ancelotti switched methods for the match against Liverpool.

Carragher also praised Ancelotti for bringing on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who won the penalty

He also introduced another attacker into the fray with Calvert-Lewin, who was fouled by Trent Alexander-Arnold for the penalty that doubled the visitors’ advantage late on. 

Carragher added: ‘What we see is Ancelotti is a manager who likes to play from the back, but tactically against Liverpool don’t do it. You’re going to cause yourself a problem. That for me, is a great manager. Spot on, don’t play into oppositions strength.

‘Then you go to Calvert-Lewin. I thought he only comes on if Everton are losing but he brings him on at 1-0 and that won them the game, keeping two attacking players on the pitch. Richarlison and him. 

‘I don’t think it was a penalty but it doesn’t matter it doesn’t affect the result.’