David Moyes admits he isn't happy that he will be without the services of Abdoulaye Doucoure after he was sent off following the Merseyside derby. The Everton midfielder was involved in a furious bust-up with Curtis Jones after Wednesday night's 2-2 draw, which led to players from both sides clashing. He and Jones were also shown red cards for their part in the brawl. Doucoure's dismissal was the only blot on a memorable night for Everton, whose late goal was a fitting finale for what was the final Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park.
And Moyes admitted he is not best pleased at the prospect of playing without Doucoure, who he felt was outstanding against Liverpool. Moyes said of the post-match fracas on TNT Sports: "I didn't see it from where I was. I have had a chance to see it and I'm disappointed because Doucoure played really well tonight and I'm going to now lose him because he's got a second yellow card which turned into a red.
"The emotions were running high here all night, the stadium was at fever pitch. You could see what it meant to supporters at the end of the game, the crowd was rocking. It was one of the big nights.". James Tarkowski was the Everton hero after finding the net with a dramatic volley at the death. And the veteran defender was singled out by Moyes post-match - even though the Toffees boss admitted he didn't have the best game.
He said: "It was an incredible volley [for James Tarkowski's goal]. He didn't have the best game last week so he's made up for it with a goal in the last minute. It was a great goal but then it was a wait for VAR, we weren't sure if we were going to get the decision or not. I think it seemed to be a really tight call but fortunately it went out way.". Moyes continued: "We made a good start and I thought in the second half we played well, looked more likely than Liverpool to score. When they scored I thought, 'Oh, well this is just going to be one of those days'. We're just a little bit short of when the moment comes in the final third to have the quality to finish at times.
"It started to look as if it was difficult but we got an incredibly good goal at the end. It was a great point which keeps our position in the Premier League a little stronger.". Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
