2 April 2025
Liverpool 1 Everton 0
Liverpool welcomed Everton to Anfield for a crucial match as they looked to restore their 12-point lead at the top of the table. The Toffees came into this game unbeaten in nine games and they would love nothing more than to derail their neighbours title ambitions. It was a packed house for the Merseyside derby with Gunners’ fans glued to their screens, hoping to see points dropped.
The Reds started on the front foot and some neat skills from Jota saw him try to get a shot off at goal but a brave block from Branthwaite denied him. As the ball broke outside the box, Mac Allister looked to beat Tarkowski to it. The Everton defender got there first but followed through to catch the Argentine halfway up his leg with some force.
Samuel Barrott, the referee for the game, was perfectly positioned just yards away from the incident. He immediately brandished a yellow card for the Everton defender. What is even more baffling is that it was then reviewed by VAR and cleared. This was a ‘clear and obvious error’ from the official and should have resulted in the former Burnley defender being given his marching orders.
Other than Premier League official, there are only two other professions where you can mess up so regularly and still have a job. Those are politician and police officer. Paul Tierney, in Stockley Park, should be immediately struck off and told to find a new career. The only more surprising thing than the decision, was the fact that Mac Allister did not break his leg in the process.
Szoboszlai took the resulting free-kick and bent it narrowly wide of the far post. The Toffees went long with a ball up to Beto, who muscled his marker off the ball and poked it past Kelleher to seemingly give the visitors the lead. However, the flag immediately went up for offside and the replay showed it was the right decision.
Diaz was causing real problems for the visitors down the right flank. He twisted and turned before lifting a cross into the back post. Salah was there to meet it with his head but Pickford made a comfortable save. It felt as though a goal was coming for the hosts, but in the same way you expected Man City to be held accountable for those 115-charges.
Then came the big moment of the first-half. Doucoure spotted Beto in space and played it into his path. Van Dijk made a hash of trying to clear it and the striker was clean through on goal. It felt like that moment when Demba Ba was one on one with Mignolet. Fortunately for The Reds, despite beating Kelleher with his shot, it came crashing back off the post.
Liverpool were dominating the game but struggling to get shots off on target. The Toffees were putting their bodies on the line and frustrating the league leaders. As both teams trudged off at the interval, you wondered if Arne Slot’s side were going to be able to find that breakthrough. Tarkowski knew he was entering a changing room he should have been in thirty minutes earlier.
After the break, the hosts seemed to change tactics a little. They were now looking to test Pickford from distance. Gravenberch worked a shooting position but his effort was palmed away by The Toffees’ keeper into the danger area. Fortunately for Moyes’ side, Branthwaite was on hand to head it behind for a corner, taking it off the toe of Salah in the process.
Everton were camped out in their own half and could not stop wave after wave of Liverpool attack. Diaz knocked it into the path of Jota, who weaved his way past the visitors’ defence before slotting it past Pickford to send Anfield into delirium. What a moment to pick to end your own personal goal drought, it was a calm finish from the Portuguese international.
The visitors wanted an offside given against Diaz. As the replay showed, despite being ahead of the Everton defence, the Columbian did nothing to affect the actions of Tarkowski. He was then in an onside position when he backheeled it into the path of Jota to go on and score. VAR reviewed the incident and rightly cleared it, although based on earlier decisions, Anfield was worried.
Many have tried to brush off the achievements of Slot this campaign, stating he inherited a quality squad from Klopp and was reaping what the German had sewed. To an extent, that is true but the Dutchman has added a solidity to this team and an ability to see games out from positions such as this. His go to man for this job seems to be Endo who was soon brought on for The Reds.
Then came another bizarre moment of the game. Szoboszlai played the ball forward and was caught by Iroegbunam. The referee blew his whistle but nobody could hear it. Nunez chased it down and knocked it around Pickford who then lashed out at the striker. He caught him with the same sort of ferocity that ended van Dijk’s season in the past.
While you can understand why a penalty was not given, play had already been stopped. However, the referee then showed Nunez a yellow card. The Reds held on for a massive three points in their race for the Premier League title. Using the term in the loosest sense of course, with a twelve point gap, it is like Usain Bolt taking on Stephen Hawking.
After the match, David Moyes was adamant Liverpool’s goal should have been ruled out for offside. The Toffees’ manager may need to brush up on the laws of the game a little. It all seemed sour grapes to deflect from an incident where one of his own players nearly ended the season of Alexis Mac Allister, if not worse.
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