That was not the desired result by Jurgen Klopp’s men when they returned to action after missing three months, but with a 23-point advantage over Manchester City, the celebration would not be long overdue.
Everton, rising under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, were the closest to securing a victory with Tom Davies seeing his effort late against the post and Brazilian striker Richarlison force a smart save from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Despite concerns about fans gathering near the stadium with Liverpool Anfield less than a mile away, permission was given for the match to continue at Goodison. But in an empty stadium, derby atmosphere which is usually full of fever does not exist.
What was also lacking was a clear opportunity for both sides, with Liverpool, leaving Mo Salah who did not fully fit on the bench, rarely breaking into the goal of host Jordan Pickford.
Joel Matip should have done better than Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free kick in the first half and Liverpool started the second half strongly with Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita joining in well to set the opportunity.
But Everton survived the pressure and almost caused disappointment in the last few minutes when a smart film from Dominic Calvert-Lewin was prevented by Alisson with the first attempt of Davies who hit the wood and away.
The draw left Liverpool unbeaten in the last 22 Merseyside derbies, but still five points from the coveted guarantee of the coveted English Premier League crown.
The Liverpool manager said his team did not create enough opportunities for the amount of time the ball had.
“Most of the time we are dominant but then they have the biggest chance, we are lucky at that moment,” Klopp said.
“Both teams showed it was a derby, even without a crowd,” Klopp said.
Before the match, both teams bowed to support the Black Lives Matter movement and stood for a minute in honor of those who had died in the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Chelsea increase Champions League bid
Earlier on Sunday, Chelsea strengthened its grip on fourth place with a 2-1 win at relegation-threatened Aston Villa.
Kortney Hause put Villa ahead against the game just before halftime, but after the break it continued to be a one-way traffic because Chelsea dominated possession without carving out a series of opportunities.
Manager Frank Lampard sent US international Christian Pulisic in an attempt to spark his attack and it paid dividends almost immediately when he connected with Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross for a half-volley equalizer in the 60th minute.
The winner came just two minutes later when Olivier Giroud was allowed to enter the penalty box and his deflected shot beat Orjan Nyland in Villa’s goal.
Villa had a late chance to equalize when Jota shot wide, but Dean Smith’s team were well beaten and remain second in the bottom of the table.
The victory completes a good week for Chelsea, who have strengthened their squad by acquiring RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, and moving five points from Manchester United in fourth place and only three adrift of third place Leicester City.
Sheffield United faltered in their bid for a place in the Champions League, losing 3-0 to Newcastle, which could be under new ownership by the controversial Saudi-backed consortium.
Manager Steve Bruce admitted before the match that it was “a nuisance” but that did not prevent his team from securing an impressive victory, helped by a second-half dismissal because of two yellow cards from visiting defender John Egan.
The lively Allan Saint-Maximin scored the opening goal soon after Egan left and Matt Ritchie doubled Newcastle’s lead with a hit 14 minutes later.
The icing on the cake for Newcastle fans is the third – a rare goal for Brazilian striker Joelinton, who had previously missed a very hard first-half chance to put his side ahead.
It was his first league goal since August 25 against Tottenham and only his fourth goal of the season after his move of £ 40 million ($ 44 million) from Hoffenheim last year.
Despite a draw and loss since the campaign resumed, Chris Wilder United is only two points behind fifth place Manchester United, who drew 1-1 with Tottenham on Friday.