An entertaining 241st Merseyside derby ended with honours even.

Little separated Everton and Liverpool during Saturday’s latest encounter as both Jordan Pickford and Alisson produced a string of impressive saves.

The visitors hit the post three times while Frank Lampard’s side were denied by the woodwork in the first half from a well-taken shot from Tom Davies.

Conor Coady appeared to have broken the deadlock against his old club after turning the ball home from Neal Maupay’s shot but was disallowed for offside.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Derby debutants keep their cool

Calm heads are not usually forthcoming when Merseyside derbies roll around; it remains, after all, the most ill-disciplined fixture in Premier League history.

There was no shortage of contenders who might succumb to its pressure cooker environment with no fewer than four debutants under the age of 23.

Darwin Nunez appeared the obvious candidate on the back of a suspension for rising to provocation during his full Liverpool bow just three weeks ago.

Yet the Uruguayan demonstrated great composure and attacking potency to come through a potentially bruising encounter at Goodison largely unscathed.

The same could not be said for Fabio Carvalho, who was withdrawn at half time with a physical reminder of his derby bow after receiving a dead leg.

Still, the pair appeared unfazed and matched by those behind enemy lines as Amadou Onana and Nathan Patterson both acquitted themselves superbly.

Onana, in particular, continued to prove impactful for Everton while also walking a fine line since picking up a yellow card late in the first half.

Better players than the quartet have allowed themselves to fall into the trap of playing this occasion rather than the game and paid a hefty price for it.

Lampard’s plan is starting to show

Jordan Pickford’s man-of-the-match display invariably stole the headlines from this game but his multitude of saves belied Everton’s overall performance.

At regular intervals, it was Frank Lampard’s side – not their visitors – who were slowly beginning to turn the screw and dominate proceedings.

The Blues manager’s decision to stick with the 4-3-3 system over a previously favoured 5-3-2 approach offered a more balanced game plan from the outset.

Persevering with the midfield triumvirate which helped record back-to-back draws on the road had a knock-on effect of fuelling players’ confidence.

Tom Davies produced comfortably one of his best outings in a royal blue shirt and was unfortunate not to have found the woodwork with a well-placed shot.

Defensively, too, Everton were noticeably compact which helped successfully nullify Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Nunez as would-be thorns in their side.

Lampard had maintained that this would be the end result during the fallow opening weeks from the season when picking up points appeared ominous.

Now, however, Evertonians are starting to see their manager’s plan of action.

Are the Reds already too far gone?

It speaks volumes of where Liverpool’s season is presently that drawing against Everton is considered a far positive result than it ordinarily would.

With just one win now in their six most recent visits, Goodison has seldom been a happy hunting ground for Jurgen Klopp’s men at the best of times.

Granted, the woodwork conspired against them multiple times in this game, but the current malaise is deeper rooted than mere issues of profligacy.

If ever there was a year when the stars failing to align could have seismic consequences, this World Cup-induced current campaign is a classic case.

By the time several of their players are jetting off to Qatar, in just over two months’ time, the Reds could be scrapping for a bare minimum target.

They are already six points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal and five short of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur as the current chasing pack.

Plenty were choking on humble pie for prematurely writing Liverpool off last term, yet it is hard to escape the feeling they may be right this time around.