Both were cleared, the second to the fury of Arne Slot and the Liverpool bench, and when the final whistle sounded Abdoulaye Doucouré celebrated in front of the away fans who seconds earlier had been singing ‘We won the league at Goodison Park’ in response to last season’s taunts.
The Everton captain thumped home an unstoppable volley with virtually the final kick of the game to prevent Liverpool going nine points clear at the Premier League summit and, more importantly in Goodison terms, winning the final duel across Stanley Park.
Liverpool’s ten fouls to Everton’s six in the first half also showed Slot’s warning to his team not to repeat the errors of last season’s fixture had gone unheeded.
Early in the second half Oliver ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow for Mac Allister when he accidentally caught James Garner in the eye with his finger.
An overall scoreline of 42-41 Goodison victories beckoned in Liverpool’s favour after Mohamed Salah’s late strike but Tarkowski’s even later strike gave the hosts a deserved point.
