April 19, (THEWILL) — A last-gasp header from Virgil van Dijk gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory over Everton on Sunday, deciding the first Merseyside derby ever played at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton supporters lined the streets to welcome both sides ahead of kick-off, and the home team nearly capitalised on the atmosphere in the sixth minute when Beto’s header was clawed away by Giorgi Mamardashvili. Iliman Ndiaye then had a goal ruled out after Jake O’Brien was adjudged offside in the build-up.
Liverpool broke the deadlock shortly after play was restored, with Cody Gakpo intercepting a loose ball from Dwight McNeil before feeding Mohamed Salah, who stroked a first-time finish beyond Jordan Pickford. Everton levelled nine minutes into the second half when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall found space behind Ibrahima Konate and set up Beto, who converted from close range.
Both clubs suffered serious injury setbacks in the second period. Mamardashvili was stretchered off after conceding the equaliser, bringing third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman into the action. Everton’s difficulties mounted when Beto sustained a head injury, and Branthwaite left the pitch in tears with what appeared to be a hamstring problem, developments that contributed to 11 additional minutes at the end of the contest.
With a draw looking likely, Van Dijk rose to meet a corner from Dominik Szoboszlai and powered a header home in the 10th minute of stoppage time. The winner placed seven points between Liverpool and the teams outside the top five, while also putting an eight-point buffer between the two Merseyside clubs.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.