James Tarkowski’s 98th minute equaliser rescued Everton a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool in the final Merseyside Derby to be played at Goodison Park.
Beto fired Everton into a 11th minute lead after he pounced onto a low free-kick played through into the box by Jarrad Branthwaite.
Liverpool however fought back five minutes later as Mohamed Salah provided a 16th minute cross which was nodded in by Alexis Mac Allister to restore parity.
Salah then put the Reds in front with a 73rd minute rebound strike from Curtis Jones’ deflected shot to put the Reds in front
Tarkowski however salvaged a dramatic late point for the hosts with a 98th minute equaliser to ensure a point apiece in the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Abdoulaye Doucoure and Curtis Jones however were red carded at the full-time whistle following their clash which began a fiery brawl between both teams, with the Reds’ manager – Arne Slot also dismissed amidst the havoc.
Liverpool now sit seven points clear of Arsenal at the Premier League summit, whilst Everton climbed to 15th in the table.
Speaking to TNT Sports post-match, Tarkowski described the match as “tough” but praised his teammates for their fighting spirit as they continue to build confidence.
“We knew it was a tough game but we worked hard, restricted them to a minimum amount of shots. Disappointed with the way the goals go in but we’ve started to score a few goals now, thankfully we got two tonight.”
Coming into their 120th and final Merseyside derby at their natural home of Goodison Park, Everton enjoyed a positive start with a fifth-minute corner which was safely cleared by Liverpool.
David Moyes’ Toffees however took an unexpected early lead from a 11th minute free-kick by Branthwaite which was played low through for Beto to smash in beyond Allison, which delighted the home fans in a sell-out crowd.
Liverpool however equalised just five minutes later as a quick-passing piece of play was worked out to Salah, with the Egyptian free to whip in a cross which was met by a thumping header from Mac Allister into the left corner.
Everton however were soon dealt an early injury blow after influential forward, Iliman Ndiaye was forced off in the 25th minute in tears with a knee injury, following a tackle from Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai.
Tarkowski had endured a clumsy display as Everton crashed out of the FA Cup against Bournemouth and his luck almost got worse here in first-half injury time, as he nearly flicked Dominik Szoboszlai’s deflected into his own net if not for Jordan Pickford’s quick reaction to regather possession from his initial deflection.
Everton proceeded to waste two chances early in the second half as Doucoure nodded wide in the 54th minute, before Harrison fired wide a minute later from Beto’s pass.
Beto however was unlucky not to win a 61st minute penalty after he met a ball up the left flank into the box, but the delivery subsequently hit Ibrahima Konate’s right arm, yet referee – Michael Oliver dismissed their penalty appeals.
The Toffees’ frustrations continued in the 67th minute after Branthwaite fired in from Jake O’Brien’s knockdown header, yet the England defender was deemed offside for his goal.
Those wasted chances eventually haunted Everton in the 73rd minute as Luis Diaz’s cross was deflected by O’Brien to Jones, whose shot was deflected for Salah to smash into the left corner on the rebound to put the Reds nine points clear at the summit.
Tarkowski however snatched an unlikely late point for Everton in the eighth minute of injury time after he pounced onto a header inside the box and smashed into the near-right corner.
The final whistle however was marred by an altercation between Doucoure and Jones which triggered a mass brawl between both teams, with both players subsequently red carded along with Liverpool boss, Slot.
The result also meant that both Everton and Liverpool shared ultimate bragging rights at Goodison Park with 41 victories apiece, whilst 38 of their meetings at the stadium ended in draws as Everton now prepare to move to Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium next season.
What’s Next?
Everton head to Crystal Palace on Saturday 15 February for a 17:30pm GMT kick-off at Selhurst Park.
Liverpool meanwhile face the short journey home as they host Wolves at Anfield on Sunday 16 February at 14:00pm.
Teams
Everton: Jordan Pickford, Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaliy Mykolenko, James Garner (Young 87′), Idrissa Gueye (Iroegbunam 77′), Jesper Lindstrøm (Alcaraz 77′), Abdoulaye Doucoure, Iliman Ndiaye (Harrison 25′), Beto
Substitutes: Carlos Alcaraz, Asmir Begovic, Jack Harrison, Isaac Heath, Tim Iroegbunam, Michael Keane, Joao Virginia, Martin Sherif, Ashley Young
Liverpool: Alisson, Conor Bradley (Jones 61′), Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson (Tsimikas 69′), Ryan Gravenberch (Alexander-Arnold 61′), Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo (Nunez 69′), Luis Diaz (Jota 88′)
Substitutes: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, Caoimhin Kelleher, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Diogo Jota Konstantinos Tsimikas,