There was a new home for the Merseyside derby but an old and familiar script. Virgil van Dijk’s 100th minute winner brought victory and relief for Arne Slot as Everton’s hopes of christening Hill Dickinson Stadium in style were punctured by another late Liverpool show.
The 248th Merseyside derby was petering out towards a forgettable draw when the Liverpool captain held off James Tarkowski to head home a Dominik Szoboszlai corner. Liverpool had tried the routine all afternoon and, in the tenth of 11 minutes of stoppage time, it finally paid off. Slot’s prospects of leading Liverpool into the Champions League next season lifted along with the noise from the delirious away section.
Liverpool could have been forgiven for tiring in the closing stages after their midweek exertions against Paris Saint-Germain but Slot used his five substitutions wisely. David Moyes’ introduction of Thierno Barry and Tyrique George, by contrast, sent Everton’s performance plummeting. Both were dreadful and helped hand the initiative to Liverpool in the closing stages. The visitors took full advantage.
Everton will again ponder what might and should have been in a derby. Urged on by an impassioned home support, the hosts were the better side until Mohamed Salah produced a bolt from the red in the 29th minute. Moyes’ side produced the more controlled, inventive football while Liverpool’s threat came exclusively from corner kicks. Everton could not contain them for ever.
Beto forced Giorgi Mamardashvili into a good early save with a glancing header from a James Garner cross, rising above Ibrahima Konaté to direct his attempt towards the bottom corner. The Everton centre forward then lost his footing when played through on goal by Dwight McNeil and produced a howler when spinning away from the Liverpool defence to collect Jarrad Branthwaite’s long ball out of defence. Beto had more freedom than he realised as he bore down on Mamardashvili’s goal and took the shot first time. He side-footed a dreadful effort somewhere in the direction of the corner flag.
Everton’s main frustration in the opening period centred on Chris Kavanagh’s leniency when the referee refused to book Van Dijk for a late foul on Idrissa Gana Gueye. Jordan Pickford was shown a yellow card instead for rushing out of his area to protest. An ambitious penalty claim, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall went down under a touch from Curtis Jones as they chased Tarkowski’s ball into the box, was rightly dismissed.
The flow of the derby and the respective performances of the two teams was transformed inside three minutes.
Hill Dickinson Stadium erupted when Jake O’Brien’s cross landed at the feet of Iliman Ndiaye and the Senegal international swept a cool finish beyond Mamardashvili. It was a merited lead and prolonged celebrations ensued. O’Brien, however, was offside when collecting Pickford’s clearance down the right and the celebrations switched to the away section when the goal was disallowed after a video assistant referee check.
Everton were still stewing over the decision when Liverpool deepened their torment in devastating style. The home side played themselves into trouble deep inside their own half before McNeil miscued a poor touch straight to Cody Gakpo. Gakpo was a surprise inclusion ahead of Rio Ngumoha but justified his selection with a superb pass that dissected the Everton defence and found Salah sprinting unmarked into the area on the far side. The Egypt international dispatched a clinical finish under Pickford for his ninth goal in a Merseyside derby. Only Ian Rush (25) and Steven Gerrard (10) have scored more in the fixture for Liverpool.
The breakthrough changed the complexion of the contest. Liverpool controlled the remainder of the first half and performed with a confidence in possession that had been missing previously. Gakpo forced Pickford into a fingertip save from distance and Alexander Isak steered a decent opening from a Florian Wirtz pass straight at the Everton keeper. It was Isak’s only contribution of note before being replaced by Ngumoha in the 73rd minute.
Liverpool’s authority did not last long into the second half. Everton needed half-time to regroup and soon drew level when Dewsbury-Hall chased Vitalii Mykolenko’s ball down the left. The midfielder controlled well on his chest before sweeping a dangerous cross along the face of the Liverpool goal. Beto, holding off Andy Robertson, arrived first to slide home the equaliser. The striker collided with Mamardashvili on the follow-up and the Liverpool goalkeeper was eventually taken off on a stretcher with a serious-looking knee injury. Slot was forced to hand third choice keeper, Freddie Woodman, his league debut for the club.
Beto would later depart with a head injury and, with Barry inept, the danger from Everton went with him. Neither side had seriously threatened a winner until Liverpool regained control in the final minutes. Everton were weakened by the departure on a stretcher of Branthwaite, in tears after suffering yet another hamstring injury, and were punished when Szoboszlai’s shot deflected out for a corner. Van Dijk proved the strongest man in the box and, just like his late winner against Everton on his Liverpool debut, tormented the local rivals once again.