Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the FA Cup third round clash between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield.
The hosts come into this Merseyside derby on a 16-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, making it their longest ever such run under manager Jurgen Klopp.
Everton, by contrast, have lost their last two games and are winless in their last four, while they are also yet to win a single match at Anfield this century.
Make sure you don't miss a moment of the action courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
The Premier League may be taking a break this weekend, but the football keeps on coming and this Merseyside derby tops the bill in one of the best third-round draws in recent memory. The two sides met less than a month ago, but this is sure to be a much different encounter this evening.
We will take a closer look at both sides in more depth a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
Well, there really is only one place to start as Jurgen Klopp hands a debut to Virgil van Dijk, who became the most expensive defender of all time, the most expensive January signing of all time and Liverpool's most expensive player of all time when he joined the club for £75m on January 1.
It is a huge price tag to live up to, but Liverpool have wanted the Dutch defender for a while and his arrival should help address Liverpool's biggest weakness. The fans will be looking forward to seeing him in a Liverpool shirt for the first time tonight.
Coutinho misses out again this evening, then, due to a thigh injury according to the club, and Liverpool are also without top-scorer Mohamed Salah due to the groin injury which also kept him out of the New Year's Day victory over Burnley.
© Offside
That allows Matip to return alongside debutant Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, while Andrew Robertson makes up the back four on the left. He replaces Alexander-Arnold in the starting lineup, with the versatile Gomez switching to right-back tonight.
James Milner also comes back into the midfield, while Loris Karius is chosen in goal ahead of Danny Ward, who could be leaving the club on loan this month.
Rooney is no stranger to playing in the middle of the park now - indeed it is his primary position now - but this may be a slightly deeper role than he is used to. That said, he will be the most attacking of that midfield trio alongside Schneiderlin and McCarthy.
© SilverHub
Chelsea got their man for a cut-price deal of just £15m - a bargain in today's market - but Everton will look to reinvest that into Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun, who is on the verge of completing his move to Goodison Park. Sam Allardyce had initially hoped that the striker would be signed in time for this game, but the deal has hit a snag which has slowed its progress.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who won the controversial penalty which earned his side a draw in the Premier League meeting between these two, returns to lead the line up front, while Gylfi Sigurdsson is also back in the side as Oumar Niasse and Vlasic drop out.
Pickford, Holgate and Martina all retain their places in the defensive unit, though, as does Schneiderlin in front of them as Idrissa Gueye once again misses out with a hamstring injury.
For Jurgen Klopp this represents his latest and most likely chance to finally win a bit of silverware at Anfield, although Liverpool as a club have not lifted this trophy since the memorable 'Gerrard final' in 2006 - their seventh FA Cup crown.
Five of those games have ended all square - including an Anfield meeting with Everton already - which is too many for Liverpool's liking, but Klopp's side have won four of their last five, scoring 16 goals in the process.
Liverpool have actually only lost two games in the Premier League all season - only unbeaten Man City can better that tally - but their main problems have been draws, sharing the spoils on eight occasions.
That includes a goalless draw with lowly Plymouth Argyle in the third round last year and, while they went on to win the replay at Home Park, they were knocked out by Championship side Wolves at Anfield in the following round.
Liverpool have already equalled that win tally this year with the victory over Burnley, but they will know that they cannot afford another January dip if they are to keep their noses in front in the Champions League race in particular - yet alone close in on a first trophy under Klopp.
The Reds are also unbeaten in their last 17 matches here at Anfield across all competitions, including all 15 so far this season, scoring 37 and conceding only eight. The last visiting team to win here was managed by Sam Allardyce, though, with his Crystal Palace side running out 2-1 victors in April.
Everton come into tonight's match off the back of successive defeats either side of New Year, losing 2-1 to Bournemouth and then 2-0 at the hands of Manchester United on Monday. The Toffees had been unbeaten in eight matches since Allardyce's appointment prior to that, but they are now winless in four.
The likelihood of the Toffees being dragged back into the relegation battle looks quite slim right now, but they are still only seven points off the bottom three compared to 12 points adrift of the top six, which is what they wanted to be challenging for this season.
Everton have picked up only two points from the last 12 on offer in the Premier League, having amassed 13 from 15 at the start of Allardyce's reign.
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The Toffees did reach the semi-finals in 2015-16, but last year they were dumped out by Leicester at the first hurdle and now face the prospect of losing three FA Cup games in a row for the first time since 2008.
Prior to that Everton had won just one of their previous 20 away games in all competitions, while across the whole of 2017 they managed only two Premier League away wins from 20 attempts.
Things don't get any easier for the Toffees either, with a North London double-header to come after tonight's trip to Liverpool, facing Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in their next two away games.
Everton fans would love to continue that run tonight, not just to get one over on Liverpool but also to take a step closer to ending their long wait for silverware, which now stretches back 23 years to 1995, when they lifted this trophy for the fifth time.
FA Cup matches are always a little more difficult to call than Premier League games due to the rotation and some teams not taking it quite as seriously as others. A Merseyside derby always demands full commitment, though, and for that reason I am backing Liverpool to come out on top tonight.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 2-0 Everton
Since then Liverpool have remained unbeaten in 15 games across all competitions, which is their joint longest ever run against the boys from the other side of Stanley Park, levelling the streak they went on from March 1972 to April 1978. A win - or even a draw - tonight would see the Reds create a small slice of history for this fixture.
Liverpool have never beaten Everton in the FA Cup at Anfield, though, drawing each of their four previous such meetings.
The result may have felt like a win for Everton, but they have still not won at Anfield this century, last doing so in September 1999 when Kevin Campbell scored the only goal of the game.
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Can, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Lallana, Mane, Firmino
EVERTON STARTING XI: Pickford; Kenny, Holgate, Jagielka, Martina; Schneiderlin, McCarthy, Rooney; Bolasie, Calvert-Lewin, Sigurdsson
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It is Holgate who gives the penalty away as Adam Lallana goes down under his challenge, with the Everton defender tugging the Liverpool midfielder back. It is a fairly soft one, but you can see why Bobby Madeley has pointed to the spot.
Milner steps up and sends Pickford the wrong way for his first goal of the season!
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Sam Allardyce on whether it was a pen: "Yes. Don't put your hands on a forward when he's in the box. Don't mess with him, push him or shove him. He had no need to do it. Credit to Craig Pawson for giving it at Anfield."
— Andy Hunter (@AHunterGuardian) December 10, 2017
Do you think that Holgate's challenge on Lallana warranted a penalty? 🤔
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 5, 2018
James Milner does the business from the spot to get his first goal of the season... 👊 #FACup pic.twitter.com/t4tfYkAscI
1992 - Liverpool haven't lost a Merseyside derby in which they've scored first since December 1992. Confident.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 5, 2018
Chances have been at a premium at both ends of the field, but it is shaping up to be a very tasty derby following a couple of flash points. Neither set of players are pulling out of any challenge, and it is bubbling under very nicely at the moment.
James Milner stepped up to take it and waited for Pickford to commit before clipping his finish down the middle.
Milner had the only other real opening of the first half when he volleyed an effort wide from the left side of the box, while Mane has fired two long-range efforts well off target. Everton, meanwhile, are yet to have a single shot of note.
Pickford's pass 😷
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 5, 2018
Holgate's push 👎
Davies' smirk 😬
Firmino in the crowd 😮
No yellow cards given 🤔
A couple of minutes of #MerseysideDerby madness in the #FACup 👀 pic.twitter.com/Tt6g3Lx0L9
🔵 | Welcome to Everton, @CenkTosun_!https://t.co/Y2c85CfGUb
— Everton (@Everton) January 5, 2018
Bolasie kicks the counter off with a ball forward to Lookman, who they cuts inside and picks out Jagielka - of all people - who is the further forward on the right channel. He cuts inside before teeing it up for Sigurdsson, who just passes the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
4 - Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored four goals against Liverpool - all have come at Anfield. Equaliser.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 5, 2018
Van Dijk leaps like a salmon to meet Oxlade-Chamberlain's corner, and beats two Everton defenders as well as keeper Pickford to the ball. Pickford came and missed it, so some blame should be attributed to him, but it's all about Van Dijk now!
Bolasie ➡️ Lookman ➡️ Jagielka ➡️ Sigurdsson ⚽️
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 5, 2018
What a counter-attack from Everton. The Blue Arrows 🔵✈️ #FACup pic.twitter.com/rC4WRdwzIX
The £75m scores the winner in a Merseyside derby in front of the Kop end with only six minutes remaining on his Liverpool debut to fire the Reds into the fourth round of the FA Cup and dump Everton out in the process. Sigurdsson had earlier cancelled out Milner's opener, but it is Van Dijk who will dominate all the headlines from this one.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as the FA Cup third round gets underway in style with a dramatic end to a Merseyside derby which ultimately sees Liverpool progress thanks to their new record signing. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
