Everton 1-2 Liverpool: The Hill Dickinson Stadium fell silent as Virgil van Dijk’s goal just before stoppage time brought joy to the second half of a Merseyside derby day.
Virgil van Dijk had a heroic derby day for Liverpool (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal in the 100th minute, spoiling Everton’s first Merseyside derby at their new stadium. Beto canceled out Mo Salah’s opening goal, but the Liverpool captain grabbed the winner in the embers.
Everton found the back of the net first, but Iliman Ndiaye’s goal was ultimately disallowed for offside after some fuss. This was the turning point in the first half, with Salah completely breaking the deadlock with a brilliant assist from Kodi Gakpo.
However, Beto scored the equalizer for the Toffees shortly after the restart, with Giorgi Mamadashvili suffering a serious injury. But Liverpool had the last laugh when Van Dijk headed home to boost their Champions League hopes.
Here are five stories from Hill Dickinson Stadium.
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
read more: “I coached Rio Ngmoja – Liverpool’s wonderkid’s performance in the tournament speaks for itself.”read more: Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool owner to make immediate U-turn after fan backlash
1. Slots choose experience
There were no surprises in Everton’s line-up, unchanged from their 2-2 draw with Brentford, but there were some raised eyebrows in Liverpool’s eleven. Manager Arne Slott made changes to both full-backs from Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, replacing Jeremy Frimpong and Milos Kerkes with Curtis Jones and Andy Robertson.
Clearly, Slott was relying on the pair’s derby experience. Jones was one of only two local players on the pitch at kick-off, as Birkenhead-born James Garner started in Everton’s midfield.
2. Salah puts the finishing touches on his derby record
Mo Salah scores what could be his last goal against Everton (Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
In the minutes after Ndiaye’s goal was canceled out, it looked as if the wind had gone out of Everton’s sails. Dwight McNeil, trying to play from the back, missed a pass and Kodi Gakpo immediately pounced on it.
The Liverpool star picked up the ball and played a perfectly weighted diagonal pass through the Everton defense and into the path of Salah. It was an easy task for the Egyptian to race into the box and slot the ball past Jordan Pickford to score his first Merseyside derby goal at this stadium.
It was Salah’s ninth league derby goal, with only Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard scoring more goals.
3. Beto continues to do well
Beto scores his fourth goal in three games to draw level against Everton (Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
If there’s one thing Everton fans look for in Beto, it’s consistency. And now their striker is finally getting there, having established himself as first-choice ahead of Tierno Barry.
Beto scored four goals in three games, scoring the equalizer from Keenan Dewsbury-Hall’s cross. The 28-year-old missed a sitter in a goalless first half, but he got Everton back on level terms within 10 minutes of the second period and got the stadium buzzing again.
4. Liverpool lose to Mamadashvili in a double whammy
Giorgi Mamadashvili had to be carried away on a stretcher due to injury (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
As if conceding goals wasn’t bad enough, Liverpool will need to make a goalkeeper change after Beto’s attack. The Everton player’s sliding finish took both he and Robertson into Mamadashvili’s body.
The shot-stopper, who made a great diving save in the first half, was down throughout the celebrations and it soon became clear he would have to be sent off. A stretcher was called for and Freddie Woodman made his Premier League debut for Liverpool in Mamadashvili’s place.
With Alisson out for a month, the Reds’ goalkeeping department is in an injury crisis. Mamadashvili was not the only player to leave the pitch on a stretcher, with Jarrad Branthwaite also being sent off for the hosts. The player, who is expected to play in the World Cup, appeared to have pulled his hamstring and was in tears.
Will Liverpool qualify for the Champions League? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.
5. Anonymous Isaac
Alexander Isaac failed to make an impact (Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
It’s only his second start since returning from a broken leg, but it’s clear that Alexander Isak is not yet ready to lead a Liverpool team. Slott was understandably unable to call up Hugo Ekitike after Liverpool’s other striker ruptured his Achilles tendon in midweek, potentially leaving him out for nine months.
However, for a £125m deal, Slott would require more than nine touches in more than an hour of football in a match of this size. The Swede did not put much effort into possession and only had one shot, which was easily saved by Pickford.
Should Liverpool enter the market for a new striker this summer? At least there will still be Van Dijk to score goals.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
