Van Dijk provides Liverpool with a Champions League advantage and renewed hope following additional late excitement.
LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool required this victory. Following a challenging season, they needed Virgil van Dijk to elevate his performance. They needed Mohamed Salah to create one more extraordinary moment. They sought a reason to have faith.
The defense of their Premier League title has primarily been a joyless endeavor for Arne Slot’s team, with hope seemingly diminishing week by week. However, with Liverpool, there is always a possibility, and when the opportunity arose against Everton — this time in the 100th minute — Van Dijk took it with the courage and determination of a player aware that more than just three points were at stake.
It was appropriate that, as Liverpool clashed with Everton in the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Arsenal and Manchester City were gearing up for the weekend’s main event at the Etihad. The fact that Liverpool was merely the preliminary match for this season’s title showdown should and will sting for the reigning champions — yet a last-minute 2-1 victory at the home of their local rivals will help alleviate some of that discomfort.
There is no doubt that this was not Liverpool at their most vibrant — far from it. However, Slot’s team did demonstrate the resilience and character that has been lacking for much of this difficult season, and in doing so, they inflicted further disappointment on an Everton side many had considered favorites heading into this match.
The pre-match atmosphere on Merseyside left little uncertainty about the significance of this match for Everton fans. They lined the streets with flares and flags to welcome the team bus, before displaying an impressive Tifo banner as the players prepared for the match.
The energy in the stands quickly transferred to the players on the field, and Everton pressured their opponents with the intensity of a team sensing an opportunity. Certainly, Liverpool entered Sundayβs match as a wounded animal, having exited the UEFA Champions League with a 4-0 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, during which they also lost striker Hugo Ekitike to a severe Achilles injury.
So when the dynamic Iliman Ndiaye scored for Everton within 27 minutes, it seemed like yet another dismal prediction was about to come true. However, perhaps fortune favored Slot’s team, as a VAR review spared the Reds’ embarrassment and provided them with a chance to demonstrate their resolve.
Just 66 seconds later, Liverpool took the lead thanks to Salah’s brilliance, who calmly finished past Jordan Pickford following an excellent pass from Cody Gakpo. Suddenly, it felt as though the blue haze had lifted.
Salah smiled as he faced the jubilant away supporters, having just equaled Steven Gerrard for the most goals scored by a Liverpool player in Premier League Merseyside derbies (9). This season has not been a standout one for Salah — and it will be his last — but the sight of the Egypt international being “crowned” by teammate Curtis Jones after achieving another milestone felt like a significant moment in one of the great careers at Anfield.
Nevertheless, Liverpool did not have everything their own way. Too often this season, they have made things difficult for themselves, and they did so again when some careless defending allowed the in-form Beto to convert a clever Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall delivery early in the second half. It marked Beto’s sixth goal involvement in as many matches, with his instinctive finish reigniting the excitement inside Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Liverpool’s distress was compounded by the sight of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili being carried off on a stretcher immediately after the goal, having suffered what Slot later described as a “big wound” to his leg. His substitute, Freddie Woodman, could hardly have wished for a more intimidating setting for his Premier League debut for the club, but the former Preston North End player remained resolute, as did his teammates. Liverpool may not have been electrifying, but they did not need to be.
Instead, they pressured and troubled Everton, who never quite managed to regain the momentum they had enjoyed during the early phases of the match. And when, in the dying moments of stoppage time, Dominik Szoboszlai delivered a tempting corner-kick into the Everton box, Van Dijk was there to provide the decisive touch.
The Dutchman’s powerful header secured a victory that strengthens Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League qualification, with the Reds now seven points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea with only five matches remaining. More importantly, though, Van Dijk’s goal restored an intangible belief for Liverpool; the notion that they should never be underestimated.
“It’s a privilege to represent this club and today they showed what it means to the players to represent this club,” Slot stated in his post-match press conference. “And the fans were, as they’ve been throughout the whole season, a big, big, big support for us. And to beat them then in the first game in their new stadium after what I just said, the week we had, is an enormous compliment to everybody involved in Liverpool FC.”
For Slot, the final whistle must have felt like a release — a rare moment to pause and breathe in a season that has been filled with speculation about his future. For those in the away section, this was also an afternoon to relish.
As the home supporters exited the stadium, the Liverpool fans began a defiant chant of: “Champions, Champions.” With the end of the season clearly in sight, their opportunities to express that refrain are now limited.
On Sunday, however, Liverpool seized their moment. How they needed it.
