Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 in the first Merseyside derby to be played at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Virgil van Dijk heading home the decisive goal in the 100th minute. Mohamed Salah had given the visitors the lead in the first half, Beto equalised early in the second, and the contest seemed to be drifting toward a draw before the dramatic final twist.
Everton made the sharper opening and produced a combative display that David Moyes could feel deserved at least a point, but late punishment turned the occasion into a painful one for the home side. The result leaves Liverpool seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea with five games to play, while Everton miss the chance to go sixth and remain 10th.
A new home stages an old argument
This was the 248th Merseyside derby, but the first to be played at Everton's new home, and the occasion carried immediate intensity. Everton started with real purpose, with Beto twice threatening an early breakthrough, first when Giorgi Mamardashvili denied him and then when the striker's own finishing let Liverpool off.