Everton defender Michael Keane is focused on helping his side’s chances of securing seventh place, and would be happy to dent Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes in the process.
Jurgen Klopp’s side sit top of the Premier League with 69 points after 28 games – and no side to have earned the same number of points or more at this stage have failed to be crowned champions.
But ahead of facing Liverpool on Super Sunday, Keane says that Everton will use their own target of finishing as high as possible to derail their neighbours’ quest for a first league title in 29 years.
“It’s not the main reason we want to win the game – we want to win the game for ourselves,” the centre-back told Sky Sports when asked if dashing Liverpool’s hopes provides additional motivation.
“We’re chasing seventh place ourselves, but in the back of our heads, if we can take points off Liverpool and get a win, that will dent their title chances which is great. That should make the fans happy.
“We want to put in a performance and we want to win the game, and we want the fans to be happy. If that’s what they want, then that’s what we want.”
Everton were in sixth place before the reverse fixture at Anfield and went into the game in excellent form having won five and drawn one of their previous seven matches.
Since Divock Origi’s bizarre 96th-minute winner at the start of December, Marco Silva’s side
Liverpool have scored more 90th-minute winners in #PL matches against Everton than any side has against another in the competition (5)#EVELIV pic.twitter.com/wyvUrtRP4M
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 3, 2019
Keane dismissed the suggestion that Origi’s strike has had a long-lasting impact on the club’s season, and has challenged his team-mates to close the gap on Wolves, who are currently four points above them in seventh – a position that has been good enough for European football in each of the last four campaigns.
“I wouldn’t say it dented confidence but it killed our momentum at the time,” the 26-year-old added. “It killed the run we were on and the momentum we had but I think the players at that point were all still really confident because we had put in a great performance.
“We had a few draws at home [against Newcastle and Watford] after that which we should’ve won and had we done so, it might have been a different story so I don’t think you can just blame that moment.
“We’re strong enough as a group to move on from a moment like that and put it in the past. We need to have the belief that we can and that we will beat them. With our fans behind us, we’ll have a great chance.
“Seventh is still within our grasp, definitely. We know we’ve got the players capable of getting there, and we know we can put in the performances needed.
“It’s just a case of being able to do it consistently, which we haven’t done for the last three months so we’re going to have to change and we’re going to have to improve. Hopefully we can do that and find ourselves there come the end of the season.”
This is what happened the last time the two had an encounter:
Last time we faced Everton, Alisson produced a brilliant save and Gomez made a terrific goal line clearance.
— LFC FANS (@lfc_allting) March 3, 2019
pic.twitter.com/hrCaCWOaSQ