Everton’s first ever Merseyside Derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium ended in tragedy, rather than the incredible joy of getting a good result against their arch-rivals.
Indeed, if we continue to add time to the end of the Premier League’s never-ending saga, it looked as if the Toffees would get a point in a very tense game, after Beto made it 1-1, early in the second half.
Beto canceling out Mohamed Salah’s cool performance ultimately meant nothing at the full-time whistle, however, as Liverpool’s heroics captain, Virgil van Dijk, would ensure another Merseyside Derby win for Arne Slot’s men when he powered the ball into the final corner.
It was the climax of the Merseyside Derby, which was sad, yet impressive, for those of the Toffees’ persuasion, with many in David Moyes’ camp not playing at their best against their biggest rivals.
What went wrong for Everton against Liverpool
After the Dutch defender scored the crucial header in the 100th minute, Liverpool have now won six Merseyside Derbies at the death, as Moyes and Co broke down again.
Michael Keane, an experienced Premier League full-back, like Van Dijk, will come on for the last game, thanks to the injury of Jarrad Branthwaite, and the Scotsman was left wanting more from his veteran defender when the Reds captain linked Dominik Szoboszlai in an inch-perfect corner.
In addition, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was a thorn in Liverpool’s side all afternoon, collecting two important passes and six duels won as a living midfielder, Iliman Ndiaye was not always busy, as a one-time Chelsea midfielder.
The former Sheffield United man would have been upset that his strike in the 27th minute was ruled out by VAR, but he failed to leave a lasting mark on the competition, which went through this incident, and his successful three-pointer, unfortunately came to nothing.
In fact, despite a couple of poor performances here and there, Everton struggled not to pick something up from a fiery game, with Moyes admitting after the game that football can be a “brutal” game.
But, there was one low-profile player the Glaswegian needed to drop, for the crunch games to come…
Everton’s worst performance in the Merseyside derby
Despite stumbling to a last-minute defeat, Everton remain just one point behind sixth-placed Chelsea, ahead of Liam Rosenior’s Blues, who face Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night.
With Brentford, AFC Bournemouth, and the aforementioned Seagulls also within striking distance, the Toffees could seal a place in the Europa League or Conference League, at the end of a struggling season, if they play their cards right.
In order to get back to winning ways against West Ham United next weekend, however, Moyes must abandon loyalty to Dwight McNeil at right-back and ditch him for a visit to his former employers.
|
McNeil vs Liverpool |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
McNeil |
|
Minutes played |
80 |
|
To touch |
33 |
|
Shots |
3 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Accurate passes |
15/18 (83%) |
|
Accurate crosses |
1/5 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0 |
|
The property is lost |
10x |
|
Total battles won |
1/2 |
|
Duels won |
2/4 |
While Salah and Ndiaye tried to twist and turn defenders throughout the game, the former Burnley man looked like a rope whenever the ball came to his feet, mustering just 15 accurate passes, from his memorable 33 touches of the ball.
Even Pickford will accumulate plenty of touches, as Moyes’ first-choice goalkeeper finished with a game-high 54 to his name.
Failing to complete a single dribble or check Liverpool’s goal with a single on-target effort, again, the needy, 26-year-old should definitely be given the boot for the trip to the London Stadium, with Tyrique George’s youthful exuberance perhaps preferred.
It has been a long, disappointing season for the number seven, who has just one assist to shout about in 20 Premier League clashes on Merseyside, a far cry from his 2024/25 output, which saw him collect four goals and six assists as a brave player option.
Now, he looks lost whenever he steps onto the pitch at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Moyes may be ready to embrace him, as he prays his side can bounce back from this huge disappointment, with a road win over the Hammers.
Everton are tracking the “new Messi” and are ready to compete with AC Milan for his signature
The Toffees are looking up to him for both club and country.
