Virgil van Dijk has admitted Liverpool rode their luck in the Merseyside derby.
Anfield witnessed a third 2-0 win in as many seasons on Saturday as Jurgen Klopp’s side saw off a 10-man Everton thanks to Mohamed Salah’s double.
But the Reds could have easily been a man down themselves when Ibrahima Konate fouled Beto on the halfway line after already picking up a booking.
And Van Dijk acknowledges that referee Craig Pawson’s decision not to see the France international become his side’s fifth dismissal of the season so far.
Asked if Konate was lucky to avoid dismissal, he said: “Definitely.
“He could have given it, he didn’t give it and it was a bit of luck for us. So what can I say? Nothing else.
“I think with tackles and stuff, that’s for the referee’s to judge.
“Especially the second I noticed that when there is a decision, we wanted to stay away from the referee and to make sure we don’t get yellow cards for shouting.
“That’s something we have influence on and we should stay away from. We did that very well, especially in the circumstances.
“But I think we were quite lucky not to concede the second yellow with Ibou.”
Van Dijk also revealed his conversation with Andy Robertson as the left-back faces a lengthy lay-off after picking up a shoulder injury on Scotland duty.
He added: “When it happened, I immediately spoke to him and told him that it’s not a nice injury to have.
“An injury anyway is bad but a shoulder is hard work. We’ve seen it with Mo, there’s so much work going on behind the scenes.
“He has to go through it but we’re here and we support him all the way through. He’ll be fine but it’s definitely a tough couple of weeks ahead.”