Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned Everton a deserved and crucial Merseyside derby victory
Updated
Wed 24 Apr 2024 17.43 EDT
First published on Wed 24 Apr 2024 13.45 EDT
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Thanks for reading this blog on the night Liverpool were left singing the blues.
Jordan Pickford enjoyed his first ever derby win at Goodison: “Thoroughly deserved. A massive win not for the rivalry, but in the league as we keep pushing - hard work pays off. You have to put the hard yards in and Dominic [Calvert-Lewin] was grafting up there on himself and gets rewarded with a goal. I enjoyed it, the mental side takes it out of you and it’s a great win for the fans and club.”
Wayne Rooney’s stint in the Sky studio has caused ructions. He makes a good point about Van Dijk’s 12.30 whinges: “Again, we’re hearing about 12.30 kick-offs after they’ve just lost a derby. That Liverpool team should want to be out there tomorrow. Get on with it!”
Jurgen Klopp speaks to Sky too, and he all but concedes the title: “Arsenal and Manchester City must have a very bad moment,” he says when asked if Liverpool can still win the title. I don’t know. I can only apologise for today to the people. We should have done better but we didn’t.”
Virgil van Dijk speaks to Sky Sports: ““We have to do much better. If we play like today we have no chance to consider ourselves in the title [race]. I don’t want to speak about the ref because that just an excuse.”
He also complains about having to play at 12.30 on Saturday. It’s Wednesday, Virge. That was a bit of a whinge from the great man.
Here’s Andy Hunter’s report from Goodison Park.
Two Liverpool fans now:
Luke: “Am I the only Liverpool fan that feels relieved by that game? They were never going to win the title. Remember that part about City needing to lose a game!? Now we don’t need to stress about it and it completely feels like the right time for Klopp to go, and no one will feel sad if Salah and Big Virgil leave too. I’d rather see Bobby Clark and Danns and all the young guns with an exciting new manager than anything like this game again.”
Tony: “Well, both rival fans and some of our own have been saying we can’t keep coming from behind every game. The last two weeks have proven that conclusively.
I can’t complain. For most of the season we’ve over performed expectations and it was a good ride. Now everyone’s as exhausted as Klopp. At least ONE half of Liverpool is happy tonight. It’s the happy bits of London and Manchester that bother me.”
Tim Smith gets in touch: “Simply put, it is the pressure of needing to match Arsenal’s win last night. This will be on Man City tomorrow night. It’s been happening in the Championship for the past three weeks. One time when it’s advantageous to play first. Oh and to answer your question: Arne could just advise his forwards to slot home instead of blasting all over the place.”
DB also emails in: “This has been a superb Everton display. Hassling and hustling, set piece and a scrappy goals. Vintage Dyche. With that defence, add a bit of guile further up the pitch and you’d think they should avoid a relegation battle next season. For Liverpool, I fear the next manager could be in for a hiding to nothing. Heads dropped after the second goal. For the future, cash in on Salah in the summer and get a goal scorer. Ivan Toney perhaps?”
Kári Tulinius: “In recent matches, when Liverpool shoot from far out, it seems half-hearted, almost a desperation play. Hitting the target from distance seemed like a notable aspect of their style this season. This had the effect of drawing defenders out to them, creating space. Everton have been able to sit back and close off passing options.”
Andy H: “The counter argument to Rick Harris’s “they’ve not coped with the long goodbye” is that most of Liverpool’s players have just done what most footballers do when their boss announces he’s off in the summer, and they’ve hit the beach. Simply because they can, and what’s he going to do - transfer list then?
“Never underestimate the lily-livered psyche of a footballer who thinks he can take his foot off the gas with no repercussions.”
Grim reading for Liverpool.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 34 | 56 | 77 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 34 | 41 | 74 |
| 3 | Man City | 32 | 44 | 73 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 34 | 21 | 66 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 16 | 60 |
Happy reading for Everton.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Everton | 34 | -12 | 33 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 34 | -18 | 26 |
| 18 | Luton | 34 | -28 | 25 |
| 19 | Burnley | 34 | -32 | 23 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 34 | -59 | 16 |
Full-time: Everton 2-0 Liverpool
One last save from Pickford to deny Mo Salah, It was never going in. Victory is complete. Sean Dyche’s team have pulled off a famous win. And Liverpool’s performance in such an important game will live in infamy. They never showed up. Jurgen Klopp loses his last Merseyside derby, and the title looked beyond his ragged team. They look tired, tired of each other, even. Arne, it’s over to you?
90+4 min: Calvert-Lewin, such a good player when he’s fit, leaves the field, and to applause. “You’ve lost the league and that’s a fact,” sing the Goodison faithful.
90+3 min: The Liverpool end is emptied. The second-half onslaught never came. And neither now will a valedictory title for the Klopp regime.
90+1 min: Five minutes added on. Liverpool need a miracle from here. Pickford taking an age over a goal kick won’t hasten it along.
90 min: One last time, Godfrey wins the ball in the air. Harrison was, as ever, backing him up. The corner is cleared, and Elliot forces a nice save from Pickford. One for the cameras.
89 min: Everton fans dancing around. They can barely believe it. They’re staying up. The new ground is imminent and then there’s 777. Still, beating the Reds will do for now. If there’s a better way to stay up, then they’d like to hear it.
87 min: These are painful moments for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp wears the pain, too. He’s on the sideline, abject, unable to effect any change. Where did it all go wrong? It does feel like two visits to Old Trafford are what finished him off.
86 min: Calvert-Lewin takes one for the team. He’s ransacked Liverpool. He’s shown the way how to stop Van Dijk dominating too.
84 min: A devastated Trent Alexander-Arnold is subbed off. He pulls his shirt over his head. Tsimikas comes on, as does Gomez. Robertson, who also had a poor game, has gone off, too.
83 min: This feels like Liverpool are sleepwalking to blowing the title and losing at Goodison for the first time since 2010, when Mikel Arteta was an Evertonian.
82 min: Rick Harris gets in touch: “I don’t know who they will Slot in to replace Klopp, but I can’t help feeling it was a massive mistake for the Liverpool manager to announce he was leaving two thirds of the way through the season.
“That news went down like a lead balloon among Liverpool fans and the players look like they are struggling to cope with the long goodbye. Of course Arsenal’s emphatic thrashing of Chelsea last night and their considerable goal difference advantage makes it even harder for the Reds to win the title, but surely you need your team to make more of an effort than this?”
81 min: Trent’s turn to clank the ball over the bar. Liverpool’s shooting has been simply dreadful all night. Item 1 for Arne Slot?
80 min: Patrick Crumlish gets in touch: “Something shifted the day they lost to United in the FA Cup. Ah well. At least they won’t lose the title on the last day despite beating Wolves at home. And may as well play the kids now. Third place is as good as it gets now. “
79 min: Ball falls to Salah on the edge of the box. He misses and badly. It’s not just Darwin.
78 min: Rupak gets in touch: “As bad Michael Owen is in punditry, his knowledge on finishing is unmatched. Him visibly fuming at Darwin’s miss needs no more explanation on how big of a miss that was.
“Derbies make or break professional footballers’ careers, if Liverpool repeat their finishing form against Man Utd and Crystal Palace in Goodison, there will be serious tensions about Darwin’s stay.”
Doucoure left something in on Mac Allister but VAR seems to be OK with a bit of after.
77 min: Quansah goes long, and that’s meat and drink for Pickford. Too easy. It feels too easy for Everton as a whole. Strange old feeling, especially for Everton.
75 min: Everton make a second change: Gueye’s off, and on comes Amadou Onana. His brief? Stop everything coming past him.
74 min: The key battle has become Diaz against Godfrey and Harrison. So many other avenues closed down.
72 min: Goodison is becalmed. By nerves, almost certainly. Liverpool are plugging at it, but there are jeers when Robertson smashes the ball out of play.
70 min: Diaz beats Godfrey, clubs it out of the ground and off the post. He still wants this. Elliot, so useful off the bench all season, is finding his passes. There is audible relief when Mac Allister hoiks the ball out of play.
69 min: Where is the Liverpool of a few weeks ago? The team that should have beaten Manchester City. Not here, not at Goodison.
68 min: Diaz looks the liveliest of that Liverpool attack. Tarkowski comes across and smashes the ball away from Salah.
66 min: Another Everton corner. Alexander-Arnold has to knock behind. Van Dijk is being menaced by Godfrey. Tarkowski climbs to the next one but Branthwaite – this time – is offside.
64 min: More panic in the Liverpool box. It takes Robertson to clear when Calvert-Lewin caused more problems, and Harrison’s shot comes in.
63 min: Quansah, Elliot and Endo on: Jones, Szoboszlai and Konate off.
62 min: Liverpool corner. Van Dijk falls to the ground and Pickford claims. Van Dijk is being targeted in both boxes, and it’s working. Three Liverpool subs coming….
60 min: Goodison Park is rocking in a fashion unheard of other than in the club’s great escapes from relegation. What can Klopp to do quieten them?
59 min: Liverpool have 30 minutes to save their title bid. Calvert-Lewin headed that in like Bob Latchford or Graeme Sharp. Purest Ev.
Goal! Everton 2-0 Liverpool (Calvert-Lewin, 58)
What a ball from the corner. McNeil whips it in, Van Dijk gets caught out, and Calvert-Lewin heads down. Well well.
57 min: This time, Harrison is used. And he plays it to McNeil. A lash that Alisson has to tip over. Everton corner.
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