That is the way to say goodbye. And it means the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park will go down in folklore. Four red cards, an almighty bust-up and James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute leveller as Everton took such great delight in holding back Liverpool’s title charge. Liverpool boss Arne Slot and his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, were both shown red cards amid his anger after the last-gasp equaliser was allowed to stand while Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones were also sent off as tempers ran out of control.
Let’s be absolutely clear. Liverpool are now seven points clear and it is their title to lose. Their closest challengers Arsenal will need a three result swing to claw it back. And it was still a point gained from the game postponed in December because of Storm Darragh with Everton giving absolutely everything and more to blow Liverpool’s title challenge off course. If you take the emotion out of it all then it was still a good result. But football is all about emotion and that was why Everton loved the finale so much. When Mo Salah put Liverpool ahead in the 73rd minute, it looked as if they would win the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park to go nine points clear.
But it was never going to be that straightforward on a night of high drama and raw emotion. Everton refused to say goodbye to this wonderful old place with a defeat. No chance. There was still one final twist. Everton came back and, at the final whistle, the delirious home fans were celebrating while Liverpool’s players sank to their knees in despair. What a game. What drama. It was raucous and unforgettable. That is why these games and 131 years of history and Merseyside derbies at Goodison mean so much. After all these years, they ended up with 41 wins each and 38 draws from this fixture. That is how tight it is.
And it was also why despite Liverpool being the best team in the country by a mile - and with Salah the best player in the country - Everton were able to rouse themselves and get a result against all the odds. It was niggly, hard-fought and scrappy. Liverpool allowed themselves to get sucked into a scrap and that suited Everton who refused to lay down and die. Where does this rank in the all-time Merseyside derbies? Have your say in the comments section.
It did start well for Everton. Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister conceded a free-kick, Jarrad Branthwaite took it quickly and fed the ball through to Beto who caught the Reds defence napping as he slotted the ball past keeper Alisson Becker for an 11th minute lead. The whole place exploded. But it lasted all of five minutes. Salah floated a deep cross into the Everton box, Mac Allister’s back header did not have much pace on it but it still seemed to deceive keeper Jordan Pickford and the ball crept in. The whole place went flat.
There was always going to be more goals. Liverpool looked to have won it after Luis Diaz put over a cross, substitute Jones saw an effort cleared off the line by Branthwaite and there was Salah to fire home. Incredibly, Salah has 22 goals and 14 assists in the Premier League. His 36 goal involvements are more than TEN teams have managed this season. But there was one last twist. Everton launched the ball into the box, Liverpool screamed foul for Beto’s challenge on Ibrahima Konate but the ball broke to Tarkowski to smash home. It survived a VAR check for offside and then a foul and only then could all hell break loose.
Join our new WhatsApp community and 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. Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
