Jurgen Klopp leaves Coutinho and Firmino on bench for Merseyside derby
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made some big calls for the 229th Merseyside derby at home to Everton by leaving out playmaker Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
Coutinho, captain and scorer of his first club hat-trick in the midweek 7-0 Champions League win over Spartak Moscow, was relegated to the bench with his fellow Brazilian as the Reds boss made six changes.
England Under-20 World Cup winner Dominic Solanke and fellow summer signing Andrew Robertson, with just three Premier League appearances for his new club, were given their first experience of the derby.
Danny Ings made a rare appearance among the substitutes after Daniel Sturridge missed out with injury.
Despite the team selection being greeted with surprise by fans, there was some method behind Klopp's line-up.
Firmino is usually the man who starts the early forward press for his side but with Everton under new manager Sam Allardyce likely to be keen to get the ball forward as early as possible that usefulness would probably be negated, so Klopp opted for a 4-4-2 formation to give his side a more solid appearance.
