Julius OkorieIt was celebration of red cards, rough tackles and near blow situation, as Everton and Liverpool settled for a 2-2 draw in the EPL on Wednesday.
The chaotic Merseyside derby, featuring a last-gasp goal, brought to the fore the old-fashioned tussle between Everton and Liverpool. Interestingly, the occasion marked the last battle at the Goodison Park after 131 years, as Everton prepare to move to their Bramley-Moore Dock, beginning with the next match against Crystal Palace.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelEverton captain, James Tarkowski, equalised deep into stoppage time to earn them a 2-2 Premier League draw and all hell was practically let loose.
Everton’s Beto scored the game’s opener in the 11th minute, before Mohamed Salah first set up Alexis Mac Allister’s goal in the 16th minute and then scored his own in the 73rd and the league leaders looked poised for victory.
Tarkowski struck a blistering goal into the corner in the 98th minute, sparking bedlam among players and fans. A melee between Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and the Reds’ Curtis Jones, saw both receive red cards after Jones took umbrage at Doucoure celebrating in front of the Liverpool stands.
Liverpool boss, Slot and assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, were also shown reds, meaning neither were permitted to speak to TV after the game or attend a post-game press conference.
The stadium exploded after a lengthy VAR check for offside allowed Tarkowski’s goal to stand.
“The bit after the game, it’s not the things you really talk about,” Moyes said. “But the place was boiling hot all night, emotional, incredible atmosphere inside the stadium. The stadium was at fever pitch. You could see what it meant to supporters at the end of the game, the crowd was rocking. It was one of the big nights.”
But it felt like a victory to Everton boss, David Moyes and the Toffees faithful, who serenaded their squad long after the final whistle.
“I think the night was made for something to happen,” said Moyes, whose team are unbeaten in their last four league games. “It wasn’t the greatest; it wasn’t the cleanest game of football you’ve ever watched, bit scrappy on both sides. It was a bit of an old-fashioned throwback in some ways.
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“Mental probably sums it up. A brilliant finish for us, to finish the last Goodison Merseyside derby and score in the last minute is in a way fitting.”
The final derby before Everton move to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for next season was due to be played in December but was postponed due to Storm Darragh.
After all said and done, neither Everton nor Liverpool was able to claim the bragging rights of their age long rivalry.
With the last game at the Goodison park recording four goals and four reds, both side still maintained their tally of 41 wins and 38 draws at the ‘jolly good venue’ Goodison park. The memories will linger and even that of the last match will not be forgotten in a hurry.
“I’ve watched (the goal) about 15 times, I won’t lose the image of me volleying that ball into the roof of the net against Liverpool, for sure,” Tarkowski said.
“We are leaving this special stadium so a nice memory for everyone going into the future.”
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
