Key Takeaways
- Virgil van Dijk headed home in the 10th minute of added time to give Liverpool a 2-1 win at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
- Mohamed Salah opened the scoring on his final derby appearance, matching Steven Gerrard’s record of nine goals against the Toffees.
- The victory lifts Liverpool seven points clear of Chelsea in the race for next season’s Champions League places.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk rose above James Tarkowski to power in a last-gasp corner and seal a dramatic 2-1 victory for the Reds in the first Merseyside derby played at Everton’s new ground.
The match looked set to end in a draw after substitute Beto had cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s first-half strike, but the Dutch defender’s towering header in the 100th minute sparked wild celebrations among the travelling fans.
Salah, appearing in his final derby before an expected summer exit, had given Liverpool the lead against the run of play, sweeping in Cody Gakpo’s threaded pass after 29 minutes.
Everton, desperate to avoid defeat in their maiden derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, levelled when Beto slid in ahead of Andy Robertson to finish Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s low cross.
The hosts thought they had gone in front earlier when Iliman Ndiaye found the net, but VAR ruled Jake O’Brien offside in the build-up.
Liverpool, reeling from four defeats in five games including a midweek Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, were second-best for long spells. New signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz struggled to impose themselves, while stand-in right-back Curtis Jones looked uncomfortable throughout.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, deputising for the injured Alisson Becker, was stretchered off after colliding with Beto for the equaliser, handing 29-year-old third-choice keeper Freddie Woodman his Premier League debut for the club.
Woodman, whose last top-flight action came for Newcastle in 2022, denied Ndiaye with his first touch, but could only watch as Van Dijk stole the points at the death, heading Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner past Jordan Pickford.
The win moves Liverpool onto 55 points with five matches left, strengthening their grip on fifth place and a Champions League berth, while Everton remain on 47 points and still anxiously glance over their shoulders at the relegation zone.