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Liverpool sack Rodgers

LIVERPOOL — Liverpool have fired manager Brendan Rodgers after three years in charge of the Premier League club.

LIVERPOOL — Liverpool have fired manager Brendan Rodgers after three years in charge of the Premier League club.

The dismissal came after a 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby against Everton yesterday. The club came close in the 2013-14 season to winning the league for the first time since 1990, but they were way off the pace last season.

In a statement, Liverpool owners the Fenway Sports Group said: “We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment.

“All of us have experienced some wonderful moments with Brendan as manager and we are confident he will enjoy a long career in the game.

“Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch. Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it. The search for a new manager is underway and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner.”

Rodgers had taken charge of Liverpool in June 2012. The club have won only three of their opening league games, against Stoke City, Bournemouth and Aston Villa, and count a 3-0 thrashing at home by West Ham United among their early results.

An inconclusive afternoon had seen Liverpool and Everton share the points in a low-quality, scruffy game. Neither club will be convinced by what they saw after Danny Ings and Romelu Lukaku took advantage of howlers in the first half.

The most exciting games are often founded on error-ridden defences. Both sets of supporters arrived at Goodison anticipating what damage their strikers might inflict, while openly admitting deep trepidation at what similar misery their defenders had in store. Both teams duly met expectations.

Everton’s inexperienced back four looked anxious from the early stages, and with greater composure, Daniel Sturridge, Ings and Martin Skrtel might have taken advantage. Indeed, the greatest concern for the visitors was how little pressure they put on youthful Everton defence as the game progressed.

Eventually it would be Ings with his third goal since joining Liverpool who would head the away side in front. He did so unchallenged from two yards three minutes before half-time, James Milner’s corner admired rather than attacked by the Everton defenders.

Such is Liverpool’s capacity for cock-up in their own rearguard, however, no side will ever surrender hope against them when going behind.

Simon Mignolet had already made two smart saves at 0-0, Steven Naismith and James McCarthy denied with good reflexes.

The Belgian was helpless in first-half injury time when Emre Can failed to deal with Gerard Deulofeu’s left-wing delivery. A ricochet off Skrtel gifted Lukaku the equaliser. In games where you must toil for supremacy, such carelessness is unforgivable but all too familiar for Rodgers’ side.

Everton showed more attacking thrust at the start of the second half and Liverpool resisted far better, but there was a broader lack of quality in both sides. The best opportunities continued to come from mistakes, and Barkley should have taken advantage on 66 minutes after being granted acres of space in midfield.

With numerous options he tried to pick his spot but shot wide.

Despite so much time on the ball, Liverpool were carving few chances in the second half until Coutinho struck directly at Tim Howard on 72 minutes. That was as close as they would come as the service to Sturridge dried up.

Everton tried to find openings in the later stages, but this was not a good game, neither team offering compelling evidence they will be in the top four when next they meet.

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