Andy Robertson had the lowest profile Merseyside Derby of the most senior Liverpool players given that the other two scored in it, but the left back would have felt pleased to get the nod. Starting was never certain given Miloš Kerkez’s strong performances, but Arne Slot presumably felt Robertson’s experience would go far in a game with so much mental weight.
Speaking to the press post-match, Robertson reflected on the dramatic late win at Everton’s new ground being his last derby experience given
his confirmation of leaving the club at the end of the season:
I’ve loved the Merseyside derby. They are the games I will look back on in the nine years I have been at Liverpool that kind of got the best out of me, [they] always got the juices flowing inside me and today was no different. When I got the nod yesterday, me and Mo spoke about it and said, ‘Let’s just go and enjoy it.’ It’s our last one and we’ve had so many great memories in the Merseyside derby, so many highs, a couple of lows but not too many. They are fantastic games to be involved in and I’m going to miss them, that’s for sure.
He did also feel like Liverpool were the more likely side to win, a feeling I admit to not feeling until stoppage time well and truly took hold. When asked if he felt the winner coming, he answered in the affirmative:
Yes, I think so. I thought [in the] first half we were excellent and were really in control. I thought actually when we conceded the goal we were the dominant and most in control. [It felt like] it was just a matter of time before we got the second [after we scored]. I’ve been here long enough and I know how Merseyside derbies go and sometimes when you’ve got momentum, sometimes you get punished. I think that’s what we did. We took a little bit of time to recover, and we just had to keep pushing and then a set-piece right at the death, you can’t ask for much better than that and it was great to see the away end react how they did.
Both the press and Robertson gave young Rio Ngumoha a lot of credit for the late resurgence, with all in agreement that the teenager’s late near miss added to belief:
Yeah, that was too early for us so we decided to leave that one! No, Rio had a great chance, which I’m sure he would have hoped to have done better with. But we started knocking at the door a little bit. When you get the set-piece you always believe when you’ve got Virgil and you’ve got Ibou [Konate] in the team, you always believe that they can get on the end of it and thankfully the big man popped up. It’s a massive three points for us.
Robertson also spared a lot of time to talk about the debutant, Freddie Woodman, who unexpectedly made his debut as a third-string keeper in one of Liverpool’s most important matches of the season. Woodman finished the match with a clean sheet and the game’s only completed dribble, and Robertson’s comments underscored the keeper’s importance beyond his new derby record:
I take the mickey out of him a lot and me and Freddie always have a laugh and a joke but he’s a credit to himself. Since he has come in he has been unbelievable. Whether that’s Mo Salah wanting to stay out and take penalties an hour after training – Woody is the one that is out there – or whether it’s running after the game as well. I’ve dragged him out after PSG and he got through it with the lads and he is always there for everyone and always there to support. These people in a club like this are so important. Maybe they don’t always get the credit they deserve and get the limelight or things like that, but when he walked back in the changing room he got a nice reception.
He’s a well-loved player in our changing room, he has a great personality and he’s fitted in so well. It took him a couple of weeks to actually talk to any of us – I think he was a bit nervous! But once he settled down, he has been a credit to himself. I think he showed his quality as well. Forget about the personality but I think he showed his qualities, his composure on the ball and the little header and pass out to me. He’s got a massive amount of quality, but we are very lucky to have good goalkeepers. Ali [Alisson Becker] is the best in the world so hopefully he is back soon and hopefully Giorgi [Mamardashvili]’s isn’t too bad, but if these two are out then we all fully believe Woody is the one to step up and I think he showed that today.
It is perhaps these comments more than anything else that will highlight what Liverpool will miss without Robertson in the dressing room.
