A last-gasp goal from James Tarkowski ensured the final Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton at Goodison Park ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Reds looked on track to secure victory at the home of their neighbours thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah cancelling out Beto’s early strike.
But James Tarkowski’s brilliant strike in the eighth minute of injury time levelled things up before ugly scenes at full-time saw Abdoulaye Doucoure, Curtis Jones and Arne Slot all red carded.
How it unfolded
With Goodison Park generating noise worthy of the occasion, it was inevitable that the sides would put on a breathless, chaotic start.
But it was a moment of coolheadedness that saw the scoring opened in the 11th minute, Jarrad Branthwaite fooling a Liverpool defence expecting a free-kick to be launched into the box by instead playing a low ball in behind for Beto to run onto and pass beyond Alisson.
Unfortunately for the home supporters, they had little chance to relish the lead, with Mac Allister replying almost instantly in brilliantly heading home a Salah cross from the right.
Everton’s hopes of victory were then dealt a further blow when key man Iliman Ndiaye limped off in tears with an apparent knee injury.
But there were few chances to speak of before half-time, aside from Jordan Pickford almost spilling a Dominik Szoboszlai shot into the path of Luis Diaz and being bailed out by a fine Tarkowski challenge.
There had been a sense that Liverpool were beginning to control things before the break, but it was Everton who started the second half brighter.
They went close when Abdoulaye Doucoure headed just wide following the restart, before Jack Harrison dragged a shot wide after showing good feet in the box.
And Everton thought they had taken the lead just past the hour mark as Branthwaite turned the ball home from a corner, only for the offside flag to deny him.
However, as is so often the case in football when a side fails to take its chances, a goal for the opposition was in fact just around the corner.
Inevitably, it came from Salah, who produced a superb touch to kill Branthwaite’s headed clearance before quickly poking the ball home with his right foot.
That goal seemed to sap all belief from Everton, who could not then get near a Liverpool team happy to keep safe possession thanks to their one-goal advantage.
But their big moment came in the eight added minute, the ball dropping to Tarkowski in the box, who smashed a centre-forward’s finish into the top corner.
And further bedlam followed, with Jones taking exception to Doucoure’s decision to celebrate the goal in front of the away end resulting in both men seeing red, before Slot was also sent off after remonstrating.
Check out the player ratings for Everton vs Liverpool here.
It is not just because it was Everton’s final home derby that it would have been a travesty had they been beaten here.
Rather, it is because the Blues had arguably the better of a pulsating game in which they fed brilliantly off a passionate Goodison Park crowd.
They ‘won the xG’ with 0.98 to their opponents’ 0.65, took more shots (10-6), and seemed to win the majority of challenges across the pitch throughout.
A Liverpool win would doubtless have been of a smash a
As much as this one will hurt, it is a draw that ensures Liverpool sit seven points clear at the summit of the Premier League with all teams involved in the title race now level on games.
Yes, it could have been nine, but the Reds will surely fancy their chances of turning that huge advantage into a coveted title in the coming months.
It is not just that they are so far ahead but also that it is hard to see an injury stricken Arsenal doing enough to eat into the deficit.
It was thought when Jurgen Klopp stepped down that Liverpool were getting a new manager who might be more restrained in his dealings with referees.
And yet Slot was so enraged by Michael Oliver’s performance in this one that he picked up the first red card of his time in English football.
The Dutchman may feel he has a point after a clear shove on Konate in the build-up to the late equaliser went unpunished, while Liverpool’s foul count of 20 versus the nine committed by a physical Everton offers a fair summary of Oliver’s management of the game.
Liverpool would surely be better served, though, by simply moving on from a forgettable evening.
