Frank Lampard’s side looked to break up Liverpool’s rhythm in the first half of the contest at Anfield and put in a dogged performance as they tried to take something away from their rivals’ home.
Liverpool eventually made the breakthrough with Andrew Robertson scoring after the hour mark, while Divock Origi made it 2-0 for the hosts in the 85th minute.
Mellor thinks that the game could have been very different in the second half if Everton had succeeded in tempting the Liverpool players into a potential sending off.
He said post match on LFC TV: “In the first half, Everton tried four or five times to get players sent off.
“But we didn’t react.
“If we had gone down to ten men that it becomes that much more difficult.”
Liverpool enjoyed 83 per cent possession during the derby and had 13 corners compared to Everton’s one.
Frank Lampard’s men had five players booked, with Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, Dele Alli, Richarlison and Anthony Gordon being shown yellow cards during the course of the derby.
