Gravenberch leads the way for Liverpool, but they're not making it easy

LIVERPOOL -- With Liverpool nether unit successful the dying minutes of their battling 2-1 triumph implicit Everton, the shot fell to Ryan Gravenberch. The midfielder, camped heavy wrong of his ain half, took it successful stride and released it to Mohamed Salah. Within seconds, Liverpool were bearing down connected the Everton goal.

It was acold from the astir eye-catching infinitesimal successful Gravenberch's all-action display, but it reinforced a sentiment that is becoming progressively hard to reason against: helium has go irreplaceable to Liverpool.

The Netherlands midfielder was thing of an afterthought erstwhile helium archetypal arrived astatine Anfield successful a £34 cardinal determination from Bayern Munich successful 2022. Now, helium stands alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk and the talismanic Salah arsenic a captious cog successful Arne Slot's Liverpool machine.

The 23-year-old proved that again connected Saturday afternoon, scoring a superb opener earlier teeing up striker Hugo Ekitike to people a well-worked 2nd extremity for the hosts. In doing so, helium became the youngest subordinate to some people and assistance for Liverpool successful a Premier League Merseyside derby, and ended the crippled tied for the squad precocious successful recoveries (seven) and 2nd successful presumption of completed passes (47).

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After the break, Gravenberch was afforded little licence to roam guardant arsenic Everton cranked up the pressure, yet halving the shortage done a good decorativeness from Idrissa Gueye, but helium remained a reliable anchor astatine the basal of Reds' midfield, helping his squad to support their flawless grounds successful the Premier League with 5 wins from 5 games truthful acold this term.

Of course, Gravenberch's quiescent brilliance volition not person travel arsenic a astonishment to those of a Liverpool persuasion. Last season, lone Salah and Van Dijk played much minutes for Slot's broadside successful the Premier League arsenic they romped to the title. After starting conscionable 12 league games successful his debut play nether Jurgen Klopp, Gravenberch made himself indispensable arsenic a repurposed deep-lying No. 6 nether Slot, with Liverpool's failed pursuit of Real Sociedad's Martín Zubimendi -- who signed for Arsenal successful the summertime -- opening the doorway for the Dutchman to play a starring role.

His extremity against Everton was a culmination of a full-throttle commencement from the hosts successful the derby, with his sublime fractional volley arrowing past a stretching Jordan Pickford. Gravenberch past turned provider, feeding the pall into the way of the lively Ekitike who slotted location to enactment Liverpool 2-0 up wrong 29 minutes.

But, contempt their aboriginal dominance, Slot's broadside erstwhile again failed to termination disconnected the crippled and were made to wage soon earlier the hr people erstwhile Gueye rifled past Read Entire Article