Liverpool’s title defence suffered a huge dent with a 1-0 loss to Burnley at Anfield last night.
It ended an impressive run of 68 top-flight games without defeat at home, and left the Reds fourth in the table – six points behind league leaders Manchester United.
Liverpool’s defeat blew the title and top-four races wide open, and Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has reacted to the shocking result.
“I was pleased to watch the game and how Burnley competed,” the Italian told Liverpool Echo ahead of his side’s FA Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday.
“This is the beauty of football. Liverpool in this moment is not in a good moment but has a fantastic team & manager so they will be back soon.”
Everton host Leicester City on Wednesday in the Premier League, and a victory will see them move into fourth-place and leapfrog both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the table.
They still have another outstanding game, and could go four points clear of their bitter city rivals with a win.
Everton are targeting a top-four finish, and their brilliant start to the campaign has made the prospects of playing in the Champions League next season feasible.
Ancelotti does not believe that the Toffees are in the title race, but another win against an impressive Brendan Rodgers’ side could give the players a morale boost and huge belief.
The Everton boss has won league titles with Chelsea, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, and clinching the EPL title with the Goodison Park outfit would be one of his best feats as a manager.
Everton have a quality squad and have recorded impressive victories against Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal this term while holding Liverpool to a draw, but consistency has been one of their shortcomings.
Defeats at the hands of Newcastle United, Southampton, Leeds United and West Ham United have highlighted that, and it will be interesting to see where they finish this term.
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