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David Moyes has said he will look to punish one recurring Liverpool “vulnerability” in this weekend’s Merseyside derby, but admitted his side will have to show resilience against the Reds’ penchant for netting late winning goals.
Everton heads to Anfield three days after Virgil van Dijk’s injury-time header secured another dramatic victory for Liverpool. That’s a fifth game in a row that Arne Slot’s side has scored a decisive goal in the 83rd minute or later.
Liverpool will hope to secure three points well before the latter stages of Saturday’s derby, and also eradicate the defensive issues that have at times plagued performances. Two sloppy goals nearly cost the Reds against Atletico Madrid, while Liverpool looked brittle in the early-season displays against Bournemouth and Newcastle United. Clearly, it’s an area Moyes is looking to exploit.
“I think Liverpool have shown at different times where they have been very good but then there have been some times when they’ve shown vulnerability when they have conceded goals,” said the Scotsman, ahead of his 28th Merseyside derby.
“We will have to try and take advantage of those moments as well.
"We played them last season at Anfield and lost to an offside goal and we want to try and run them close again; we want to work hard and maybe this time it will fall in our favor.”
On the late goals, Moyes likened Liverpool’s recent run to that of Sir Alex Ferguson’s fabled “Fergie time” at Manchester United.
“The better sides tend to wear you down a little bit," he explained. "In the main, we have shown resilience defensively and we hope to maintain that.
“It’s difficult to coach except for making people aware and obviously, we are aware. It was the same with Fergie, and he used to get 'Fergie time'.
“I see that the same with Liverpool. He used to be looking at his watch and telling referees he wanted more added time, and his team used to get goals late on because they prepared themselves to score and were always very attacking. I see that the same with Liverpool.
“They’ve have got a strength which a lot of the clubs have,” added Moyes. “I heard Mikel [Arteta] call them finishers the other day.
“I think that’s a big part of the game now that you should be able to bring people off the bench and help them change the game.
“Certainly, the teams at the top of the league that play so many games are needing the extra players.”
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