What a send-off for Goodison Park. And what a sending off with no fewer than four red cards issued after the final whistle by referee Michael Oliver, who later stood accused of losing control. In reality, almost everyone lost their heads in what was this grand old stadium, in its 120th and final Merseyside derby, at its snarling, defiant, chaotic, almost riotous best. Arne Slot, the Liverpool head coach, had paid tribute before kick-off in those calm, measured tones of his. By the end the Dutchman was among those red-carded – he had held Oliver’s hand for far too long and too aggressively, he had reacted with fury to Everton’s last-gasp equaliser, he had rushed on to the pitch and he looked in a state of shock. It is what this fixture can do to you.
In the context of the Premier League title race a draw is hardly a disaster for Liverpool – although the last-gasp manner of being denied the win, again, will hurt – as they extended their lead over Arsenal to seven points with 14 games to go. A glimmer of hope for those trying to catch Liverpool? Well, maybe, but no more than a chink of light. In the context of the two halves of this famous football city meeting here for the last time it felt far more momentous, though.
If Liverpool had won it would have been a 42nd and last victory on this ground. One more than Everton. They could boast Goodison belonged to them, forever. And how that will have hurt. Instead it ended in a draw. For this game and for the 141-year history of playing each other here. Emotions ran high, as they always would, and they exploded at the end, following James Tarkowski’s dramatic strike – timed at 97:08 – which went through two VAR checks one for a potential offside, the other for a possible foul, before being confirmed. With that powerful volley the Everton captain wrote his name in the club’s folklore. “The place was boiling over all night,” David Moyes said and he liked it that way.
WHAT A GOAL. WHAT A MOMENT. THE SCENES! 😳. 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/m85MGf2rdY. It was not just Slot who was dismissed with Oliver issuing second yellows and then reds to Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucouré – who stood accused of provocation – and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones as they fought in front of the away fans. There was also a red for Slot’s assistant Sipke Hulshoff in what was, already, the Premier League meeting with the most sendings off. With three reds for the Reds – as well as one for the Blues – it only confirmed its notorious, colourful status.
Whatever Moyes achieves in his second spell as Everton manager he has allowed the club to leave their home, and head for their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, with this defiant, pride-filled, spiky draw. He has brought that back, that “dogs of war” spirit and he called it a “throwback”. It was just that. Yes, it was celebrated like a win – and maybe that shows where Everton are in relation to Liverpool – but in the context of the occasion, who could begrudge them? “There are places I’ll remember 1892 – 2025” read a banner at the Gwladys Street End and how Everton will remember this meeting in which they once again showed their new-found belief under Moyes.
EVERTON TAKE THE LEAD!. Beto keeps his composure in front of goal as Jarrad Branthwaite's free-kick catches the Liverpool backline sleeping 🎯. 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/tIqIpbW7TD. Certainly there was an inevitably febrile atmosphere that found its way on to the pitch, making the game pocked with free-kicks, fouls and endless skirmishes. For Everton this was about that pride. For Liverpool it was about the point but they will leave bitterly disappointed with Mohamed Salah having over-turned the concession of an early goal with yet another assist and a predatory strike to put his team in front. In this brilliant campaign for him he now already has 46 goal involvements, including scoring 27 times.
When the theme from Z-Cars struck up, after the siren call, and kick-off came, the response was stirring. Everton scored. The stadium, well, this tight, evocative ground that has been Everton’s proud home since 1892, with the club having previously played at Anfield before leaving over a rent dispute, it erupted. As did Liverpool who were furious at the award of a free-kick. Slot led the touchline protests, captain Virgil van Dijk did so on the pitch and it set the tone.
In truth Liverpool switched off. Had Everton’s new set-piece coach Charlie Adam noticed something?. Jarrad Branthwaite picked out the run of Beto, Ibrahima Konaté did not react, Conor Bradley played the striker onside and the Portuguese calmly slipped his shot under Alisson Becker. But that lead lasted less than five minutes and it was like a pin pricking that royal blue balloon as Salah crossed and Alexis Mac Allister – who had conceded the free-kick – superbly angled a header that left Jordan Pickford flat-footed.
