Five reasons the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park will live long in the memory

Goodison Park said goodbye to the Merseyside derby in some style on Wednesday night as a late equaliser from James Tarkowski saw Everton hold neighbours Liverpool to a 2-2 draw.

Everton boss David Moyes called it a “throwback”, and there was a lot to digest, from dodgy decisions, red cards, scraps, along with some good old-fashioned sh*thousery.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Jack Burgess outlines five key reasons why this game won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

The perfect ending for the Grand Old Lady

Before the late rescue, Everton had gone quiet. The fans looked like they were losing belief and Goodison’s last hurrah looked to be petering out agonisingly for the Blues.

As a Liverpool fan, it is my duty to remind Blues that Tarkowski’s late goal was not the winner. In fact, I have had to remind myself of that fact too, such were the limbs at the Gwladys Street end.

But in a way, the draw, and not a win, was the perfect ending for Everton at Goodison Park, and makes for a promising start in their new stadium next season.

Long gone are the days of the two clubs competing for more than just bragging rights when they face each other. 

After nearly 30 years without a trophy, so much of the Toffees’ history in this fixture in the Premier League has been about not letting Liverpool win. 

Therefore, the grit to dig deep and deny Liverpool eternal bragging rights was a fitting ending for the historic stadium.

But it is telling that Everton’s matchday programme ahead of Goodison Park’s big farewell was so focused on their neighbours. 

The front cover contained a picture of former Evertonian Mikel Arteta, coincidentally the same man in North London tasked with denying the Reds a 20th Premier League title in May.

Leaving the ‘celebration police’ debates aside (if you can’t let yourself loose after watching your team score a 98th-minute equaliser against your old enemy, then what’s the point), if the Toffees want the next chapter in their history to be a success, then they’ll be hoping this mentality shifts at Bramley Moore.

Though even if it does, it’s doubtful the limbs will ever be the same in their new home.

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The near perfect ending for Liverpool at Goodison Park

It was looking oh so sweet for Liverpool fans.

Despite being brought down to Everton’s level and forced into a physical battle which suited their rivals more than the league leaders’ technical qualities, Liverpool were on the verge of a win that had the hallmarks of champions.

Coming from behind in your rivals’ own backyard, in an atmosphere even more heightened than usual, would have sent a strong message to their title rivals, Arsenal.

But back to local matters. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was starting to ring out amongst the away fans as this significant chapter of Goodison Park’s history looked set to finish with a humiliating whimper. 

Instead, James Tarkowski’s late equaliser sent the Grand Old Lady out with a bang.

A win would have seen Liverpool edge out the Toffees for all-time wins in Merseyside derbies at Goodison Park.

And to have potentially done so after seeing a 98th-minute thunderbolt ruled out by VAR would have been the icing on the cake for Liverpudlians.

In the end, it just wasn’t to be and a draw was probably fair. 

But this missed opportunity will linger in Red minds long after the derby moves to Bramley Moore next season.

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The dodgy decisions

For an occasion usually synonymous with crunching tackles, Goodison Park’s last iteration of this fixture will be associated with moments of fleeting contact.

Everton’s first goal came from a free-kick that was awarded after Iliman Ndiaye jumped between two Liverpool players with neither man laying a glove on the Senegalese international.

Liverpool were then even more incensed for the second goal, which saw Konate nudged out the way by Doucoure before the ball found its way to Tarkowski at the far post.

Whilst Liverpool may feel they have been hard done by the officiating, ultimately it wasn’t Michael Oliver who put the ball in the back of the net and both goals were poorly defended, regardless of whether the decisions leading up to them were fair or not.

Still, the referee hasn’t done his reputation any favours and his performance was branded ‘weak’ by former referee chief Keith Hackett.

It’s one Oliver will be hoping to forget, but the reality is this is another game fans will have bookmarked should their own team suffer at the hands of the Englishman this season.

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Arne Klopp

Arne Slot was managing Liverpool in his first Merseyside derby, but by the end of it I bet it felt like his 100th.

As a novice to the famous old rivalry, the Dutchman was pressed by journalists over what he’d been told to expect from the clash. 

And let’s not forget, after the original fixture in December was re-scheduled, Slot has had to endure these questions twice over.

But in those frantic 99 minutes, you wouldn’t have known it was his first time setting foot into Goodison Park.

It was as though he had spent all week injecting old clips of the Merseyside derby directly into his veins.

Slot had emphasised the importance of his players keeping a cool head before the game, and the vitality of his squad staying mentally strong. Yet after all that, it was the 46-year-old who lost his head.

From the moment he fell to the floor, pinching his eyes in frustration at Andy Robertson’s idiotic yellow in the first half, to being given his marching orders by Michael Oliver after the full-time whistle, Slot was every single one of us.

But it’s okay. Moral quandaries aside, it christens him as a Red.

Whilst the Dutchman has been praised on account of how little his beloved predecessor has been mentioned at Anfield this season, some fans have taken the loss of Jurgen Klopp’s charisma on the touchline as a slight stain on any future success the club might have.

Of course, Slot will never be him, and he hasn’t tried, instead seeking to blend the chaos of Klopp with his preferred methodical control.

But after Wednesday night, and three other yellow cards this season, it goes to show that there is more of Dad, I mean, Jurgen, in Arne than people give him credit for.

The clash might even be remembered as the true beginning of Arne Klopp.

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The final act at Goodison Park belonged to a scouser

The match looked set to be partly remembered for the fact Liverpool lined up for a top-flight fixture with no Englishmen in their starting XI for the first time in their history.

What was more notable was there wasn’t even a scouser starting on the pitch for this Merseyside finale.

Eventually that all changed when Liverpool subbed on scousers’ Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the second half.

And it was the former who instantly made his mark on the game, with his sharp combination with Darwin Nunez followed by a blocked shot leading to Salah’s goal to make it 2-1.

But it was Jones’ contributions after the final whistle blew that made this affair all the more memorable.

After Abdoulaye Doucoure taunted the away end to celebrate the Blues’ late equaliser, it was the Merseyside man who ran over to confront the Evertonian, resulting in a massive brawl and a red card for both men.

In a game that looked set to betray the roots of the historic rivalry, it was fitting to see both some real sh*thousery and a scouser grab the headlines at Goodison Park’s farewell, even if things did get ugly.

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