- First Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium ended in Everton pain.
- Van Dijk’s late header broke blue hearts on a day meant for so much more.
- Toffees’ horrendous form against Liverpool continues and changes needed.
Everton’s defeat against Liverpool will go down as another missed opportunity to claim a famous victory.
It was as if the stars had for once aligned in the Blues’ favour as they sought to stamp their authority on the city, but in a cocktail of errors, poor refereeing and injuries, it was a day that ended in hurt.
The Toffees are used to late heartbreak, particularly against their rivals, but they were the masters of their own downfall.
While in one aspect this should mean that without silly mistakes, Everton can become a force in football, but when errors continue to happen in high-stakes matches, you are never going to reach the upper echelons of the sport.
It is through this that the Blues have to change their approach to the Merseyside Derby.
Giving the Liverpool side way too much respect
Liverpool are a giant in football, and to not say so is just naive.
But they are also Everton’s biggest rivals and always will be.
Yet there is a consistent approach of entering this historic fixture as underdogs, and feeling like the Toffees have to put in a near-perfect performance to claim a win.
And this is one crucial difference between the two sides, which was spotlighted on Sunday.
Liverpool do not have to be playing at their best to find a way to win in the derby, whereas Everton have to be at their finest to even think about victory.
David Moyes and Jake O’Brien claimed they did not deserve defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and while this is a fair argument, they did not deserve three points in a game that was there for the Toffees to win.
It was a match that was handed to them, but from the first blow of the whistle, they flipped the narrative and gave their visitors way too much respect in a match that Everton should have been ruthless in.
Financially, the Reds will usually always go in as favourites on paper, but this factor has to be thrown out the window on Derby Day, yet the Blues consistently let their rivals control the tempo of the game, and with it, the outcome of the match.
Time and investment will heal Everton
Ultimately, Everton squared up against a side that spends far greater amounts than they do, and this will always come with difficulties.
The coming seasons will be characterised by long-term investments into the club, ranging from securing sponsorships to recruiting exciting talent.
At the moment, the Blues have a mixed range in their squad, with some who look fit to play Champions League football week in week out, and others who would struggle in the Championship.
The project at Everton will be a tough one, and there will be more results like Sunday’s Derby heartbreak before it truly gets better.
But no matter the manager or crop of players, they must start treating Merseyside Derbies as level playing fields and show a ruthlessness that their rivals in red always seem to find.
