Liverpool’s season has been littered with late goals, both for and against. It seems fitting that the first Merseyside derby at Everton’s new Hill Dickson stadium should also be settled with a late winner. Everton thought they had struck first, but the goal was correctly overturned for a fairly obvious offside call that somehow was missed on the pitch. Just minutes later, Mohamed Salah made sure Everton supporters had one last memory of him, scoring the opening goal of the rivalry at the new stadium just
before the 30 minute mark. Everton caused plenty of problems for the Reds with route 1 play, and it was a simple ball over the top that was not dealt with by Ibrahima Konaté that led to an equalizer and also the stretchering off of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. The match became and end to end affair as the second half wore on, with both sides failing to take their chances until Virgil van Dijk nodded home in the 100th minute.
Below, we take a look at some winners and losers on the night, and attempt to disentangle narrative from fact.
Winners
Mohamed Salah
Only Mo Salah could score the first goal in the first Mersyside Derby at Everton’s new Hill-Dickson stadium, and Salah’s last match against the Blues as a Liverpool player. The Liverpool legend just had one more dagger for the local rivals with a clean and simple finish past Jordan Pickford just minutes after the Blues saw their own goal chalked off for offside. Mo still struggled to have a sustained impact on the match outside of the goal, leading the team with 8 turnovers on the ball, but that will not be the lasting memory from this match.
Virgil van Dijk
A last-gasp winner for the captain in the Mersyside Derby. You love to see it! He also led all players with 7 clearances.
Cody Gakpo
As a noted Gakpo hater, I have to give props to Cody. He was the best player for Liverpool today. His pass to set up Salah’s goal was perfectly weighted. He put 3 of his own 5 shots on target and narrowly missed wide with a snap shot as well. Gakpo also had 4 key passes on the day before being pulled off in the 83rd minute.
Giorgi Mamardashvili/Freddie Woodman
Both goalkeepers had key moments in the match. Mama made a fantastic diving save low to his left to deny an early goal from Beto. Woodman showed poise as he coolly headed the ball past an attacker while under pressure before calmly settling the ball and playing it. With Alisson likely out for at least another week or two, and Mamardashvili having to be stretchered off, Woodman may get a surprise run of matches during a crucial stretch for the Reds.
Late Drama
Liverpool’s season may well be decided either way by goals scored in extra time. Against Everton, the Reds scored in the 100th minute to win the match. It was their 4th winning goal in extra time this season. They have also conceded 5 goals in extra time as well.
Losers
Florian Wirtz
The diminutive midfielder did not have one of his better matches, especially early on where he looked a bit off the pace. Part of it looked like a spacing issue as he would frequently turn with the ball and expect to see players in certain positions ahead of him when they were not, causing him to hold onto the ball longer and see it nipped off of him from behind. He’s formed such a good connection with Hugo Ekitike, but he and Alexander Isak still have a ways to go to get fully on the same page. He finished with 6 turnovers for the match before being subbed off in the 83rd minute. Wirtz did improve later in the match, and contributed with a joint team-high 4 key passes.
Ryan Gravenberch
The Dutch midfielder just looks pure knackered. He was a half-step slow time and time again, leading to him giving away a team high 3 fouls. His passing was also far from his usual standard, either completely misplaying the ball or playing his teammates into trouble.
Alexander Isak
With Hugo Ekitike out for the season (and beyond) with a ruptured Achilles, Liverpool really need Isak to step up and have an impact. Against Everton he was a passenger, registering just a single shot and only 9 touches over his 71 minutes. Not all central strikers need a lot of touches to make their presence felt, but Isak didn’t seem to worry the Everton defense with his runs, rarely pulling them out of position.
Giorgi Mamardashvili
The Georgian goalkeeper made his 6th consecutive start in place of Alisson Becker, but he had to be stretchered off himself after taking a nasty collision as both Beto and Andy Robertson slid into him while Mama slid out during Everton’s goal.
Dissecting the Narrative
With a tough stretch of matches to finish the season, Liverpool NEEDED to take something from the match with Everton. As expected of a Derby match, it was physical and frequently ugly, but the late winner sees the Reds go 7 points ahead of Chelsea for the last Champions League spot. Aston Villa managed to pull out their own late winner to stay 3 points ahead of Liverpool. The Reds will face the two teams directly ahead of them (Aston Villa – 3 pts, Manchester City – 3 pts) as well as the two teams directly below them (Chelsea – 7 pts, Brentford – 7 pts) over the final five matches of the season.
What Happens Next
All focus is now on securing a Champions League spot as Liverpool have been knocked out of all other competitions. The Reds continue their crucial set of fixtures in the run in with what on paper is their easiest opponent left as they host 13th place Crystal Palace next Saturday. Palace have been a bit of a bogey team for Liverpool as the Reds have 3 wins in their last 10 fixtures against the London side.
