- Everton suffered a 100th-minute winner to lose 2-1 against Liverpool.
- Toffees drop to 10th in the table, but are only one point behind Chelsea.
- Branthwaite injury adds another layer of disappointment to derby pain.
Everton tasted the cruelty of football in the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium. For 90 minutes, David Moyes’ side matched their champions neighbours, fought back from a goal down, and looked capable of taking at least a point. Then came the 100th minute. Virgil van Dijk rose above James Tarkowski to nod home a corner and steal all three points for Liverpool.
The final whistle left a hollow feeling. Everton had been the better team for long spells. They had seen an Iliman Ndiaye goal ruled out for offside. They had responded to Mohamed Salah’s opener with a deserved Beto equalizer, the striker’s fifth goal in six matches. But football does not always reward the deserving.
David Moyes: ‘We did not deserve the outcome’
David Moyes, speaking in his post-match press conference, did not hide his disappointment.
“We did not deserve the outcome we got. Football can be cruel sometimes. You have to bounce back from adversity.”
Asked if the defeat would affect his team’s confidence, the Everton manager was defiant.
“I don’t think it will. The players have been told that I thought they did a great job. There were periods when Liverpool had control but we had big periods of control, especially in the first 20 minutes. I don’t think we offered Liverpool too many chances in the whole game. The players did a good job.”
On the disallowed Ndiaye goal, Moyes was measured. “The game was quite chaotic. In that period, it looked like a good goal for me but we trust the people that they got it right. We’re not here to make any excuses, we should have got more, we didn’t.”
Branthwaite injury adds to the pain
Worse than the result was the sight of Jarrad Branthwaite being taken off on a stretcher late in the game. The young centre-back had been outstanding, with Moyes later describing him as “head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch”. The manager admitted the injury “doesn’t look great” and could be serious.
Michael Keane replaced him, but by then Everton had already used most of their substitutes. The disruption may have contributed to the chaotic final moments.
Jamie Carragher, commentating on the game, offered an observation that will sting Liverpool fans as much as it comforts Everton fans. “With the situation with the goalkeeper, Everton were a little bit more threatening. Liverpool were a small team towards the end of that game and I was fearful of set-pieces,” the former Liverpool defender said.
Those set-pieces proved decisive. Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner found Van Dijk, and the Dutchman powered his header past Jordan Pickford.
David Moyes refused to let his players dwell on the defeat. “There’s no shame in how we performed today,” he said. “We’re playing against one of the teams in the league who expect to be challenging for Champions League and trophies. I think we gave them a good run for their money. I want this team to always be competitive. They didn’t have it their own way.”
The defeat will be a massive blow to Everton’s European dreams as they drop to tenth, but with five more games left and just 1 point behind Chelsea, who are in fifth, the European dream is not dead. The performance at Hill Dickinson Stadium showed what this team is capable of.
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