Van Dijk touches the sky in Merseyside debut

In their last visit, Everton snatched a draw thanks to a rather controversial penalty at a snowy Anfield and this time around it was the hosts who took the lead thanks to a hotly-disputed spot kick converted by skipper James Milner.

Both sides were well aware of the importance of the competition, sharing similar targets this season, fireworks were to be expected in yet another Merseyside derby, only this time in the third round of the FA Cup. And tensions were certainly flying high, tackles flying in all over the pitch with Bobby Madley benevolently attempted to calm things down.

The official was perhaps too lenient when Holgate shoved Firmino into the stands with the ball out of play. The Everton man escaped unpunished but may have to face retrospective action from the FA for an incident that increased tensions between both sides.

£75m man Virgil van Dijk made his Liverpool debut, joined by wantway star Emre Can in midfielder, while the Toffees were without Ross Barkley after the injured playmaker sealed his move to Chelsea hours before kick-off. Mane returned from Ghana after missing out on the African Player of the Year award to teammate Salah and the Senegalese forward seemed eager to prove his worth.

He drove a couple of speculative efforts into the stands before Lallana was brought down by Holgate and the referee pointed to the spot. Cool as you like, Milner slotted the ball down the middle with Pickford diving to his left.

The Reds appeared to recoup the upper hand after the break with a flurry of chances which should have seen their lead doubled, but the Toffees broke with pace and punished Klopp's feeble defence.

Gomez and Lallana failed to hit the target and a great drive from Robertson tested Pickford at the near post, before Van Dijk headed into the hands of the goalkeeper from a free-kick. Calvert-Lewin warned Liverpool after Everton had struggled to threaten and a stunning counter-attack brought the game level again.

Lookman found Jagielka in the box and the adventurous defender pulled back for Jagielka to slot into the bottom corner with a perfectly-placed shot. The game opened up after the equaliser but, as the final whistle approached, new boy Van Dijk emerged as the unexpected hero.

The Dutchman raised the highest to head a corner into an empty net as Pickford came out to punch it, promping a huge roar from the Anfield crowd. The £75m signing began to pay off the hefty fee with a crucial goal in the Merseyside derby to send the Reds into the fourth round of the FA Cup.