Jurgen Klopp's first Merseyside derby ended in a comfortable victory as Liverpool beat 10-man Everton for their third consecutive Premier League win.

Divock Origi and Mamadou Sakho headed in two goals in as many minutes at the end of the first half.

Everton lost Ramiro Funes Mori for a nasty challenge on Origi, who had to be replaced by Daniel Sturridge.

The substitute then drove in a third before Philippe Coutinho's curled finish completed an emphatic win.

The result keeps Liverpool in with an outside chance of a top-four finish. They are seventh on 54 points, six points behind Arsenal in fourth while Everton are 11th on 41 points.

Everton have not won at Anfield since 1999 and, in truth, they never looked like getting anything from their latest visit.

The Reds looked more organised from the outset, attacked with pace and in numbers, and only a couple of good saves from Joel Robles prevented the hosts from taking the lead much earlier than the 43rd minute.

The sending-off of Funes Moris, after he stood on Origi's ankle, arguably ended any hopes of an Everton fight-back but there had been little to suggest that was ever on the cards.

Liverpool finished with 37 shots on goal, 13 of those on target, while all three of Everton's efforts were wide.

This was the 226th Merseyside derby and one of the most one-sided but it did come at a cost for Liverpool as Klopp confirmed Origi had twisted his ankle.

The first Merseyside derby this season proved to be the final game in charge for Klopp's predecessor Brendan Rodgers.

Pressure had been mounting on the 43-year-old after a disappointing start to the season in which the Reds had won just three of their opening 10 games and, after a 1-1 draw at Goodison on 4 October, he was sacked.

The situation Rodgers found himself in before his departure mirrored Roberto Martinez's going into this game. The Everton boss was under pressure to get a positive result on Wednesday, having overseen just three wins in the 10 games prior to the trip to Anfield.

That pressure now shifts to Everton's next game, with Martinez needing to pick up his players for an FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday.

Since Klopp arrived at Liverpool shortly after Rodgers' departure, the transformation of some of the club's once-out-of-favour players has been impressive.

Origi was sent out on loan to Lille last year and failed to shine as he was named in L'Equipe's worst Ligue 1 team of the season, while Sakho found himself a peripheral figure at Liverpool in the latter stages of Rodgers' reign.

Both, though, have become important parts of a Liverpool side that have now won four straight games games in all competitions - including last week's impressive victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.

Just as on that night, both Origi and Sakho scored against Everton while Lucas Levia, who almost left the club at the start of this season, provided the assist for Sturridge's goal.

On top of that, Klopp was able to make nine changes from the side that beat Bournemouth 2-1 at the weekend. The former Dortmund boss has found a way to get the best out of the players in his squad.

(BBC)