In the “friendly derby”, which this time had great significance as it was the last one to be played at Goodison Park, we witnessed a rather dull match that ended spectacularly. In the 98th minute, Everton managed to make it 2-2, thus bidding farewell to Goodison Park in terms of the Merseyside derby. True to the nature of such derbies, it ended with a festival of red cards.To be honest, the first half didn’t deliver what we expected from a Merseyside derby—especially considering it’s the last one to be played at Goodison Park. From the opening minutes, it was clear the match would be tight, without any spectacular plays. There were barely any serious chances in the first ten minutes.🚨🏴 GOAL | Everton 1-0 Liverpool | BetoBETO OPENS THE SCORING FOR EVERTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/032jg8qkqX— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 12, 2025 Then, in the 11th minute, Everton was awarded a free kick far from Liverpool’s goal. Jarrad Branthwaite played the ball in, and Ibrahima Konate lost focus, allowing the ball to pass him and reach Beto, a Guinea-Bissau international who had no trouble finishing past the visitors’ lone goalkeeper. Naturally, that sent Goodison into a frenzyHowever, the joy didn’t last long. By the 16th minute, Mohamed Salah sent a cross from the right into the box, where Alexis Mac Allister reacted well, heading precisely past Pickford to bring the game level again.🚨🏴 GOAL | Everton 1-1 Liverpool | Mac AllisterMAC ALLISTER EQUALIZES STRAIGHT AWAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/5pB6vtTqiU— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 12, 2025 From that moment on, there was little action from either side. The only noteworthy chance came for Liverpool when Dominik Szoboszlai struck from around 20 meters out. Pickford reacted brilliantly, and Luis Diaz nearly capitalized on the rebound, but the England goalkeeper managed to keep it out.The first half was filled with fouls—16 in total—with five of them resulting in yellow cards.HT. Still in the balance at Goodison. Big 45 after the break. COYB! ✊[1-1] #EVELIV pic.twitter.com/CihFyK5ygX— Everton (@Everton) February 12, 2025 Similar to the first half, the second half started relatively calmly for the first few minutes. It wasn’t until the 54th minute that we saw a concrete attack from the home team, when Abdoulaye Doucoure headed the ball from a good position, but it went wide of the goal defended by Alisson. A minute later, another good chance for the hosts came when Jack Harrison shot, but again the ball went wide of the goal.It was clear that Everton wasn’t just there to defend, and this was evident in the 67th minute when Braithwaite shot after a scramble in the penalty area following a corner, but ultimately an offside was called.Everton didn’t give up in this crucial match for them, continuing to press forward. In the 71st minute, they had perhaps their best chance. Tarkowski found himself in a good position with the opportunity to shoot, but he chose to pass to Doucoure, who blasted the ball high over the goal with his right foot.However, in football, everything gets punished, and just two minutes later, after a long Liverpool attack, the ball came to Curtis Jones, who shot. Braithwaite cleared it with his head, but the ball fell to Salah, who easily slotted it into the net. This was Egyptian’s 22nd Premier League goal of the season.🚨🏴 GOAL | Everton 1-2 Liverpool | SalahSALAH GIVES LIVERPOOL THE LEAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/U29DzoJIay— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 12, 2025 It was as if Everton had expended all their energy, and by the end, they didn’t have the strength to mount any more serious attacks. On the other hand, Mohamed Salah could have added his 23rd goal when he took a well-placed shot from the edge of the box in the 88th minute, but Jordan Pickford reacted well and prevented another goal for Liverpool.However, to ensure that this legendary derby at the legendary stadium didn’t end in an Everton defeat, it was none other than Everton’s captain, James Tarkowski, who, in the final seconds of the Merseyside derby at Goodison, scored an equalizer with a thunderous volley shot, sending the crowd into a frenzy.🚨🏴 GOAL | Everton 2-2 Liverpool | TarkowskiTARKOWSKI HAS EQUALIZED IN THE 98TH MINUTE FOR EVERTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/e3UM7MhQbD— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 12, 2025 If everything went in the same manner as this derby, it was ensured by Doucoure and Curtis Jones when a conflict broke out on the field. The players involved in this altercation did not go unpunished, and they recieved red card. Besides them, the red card was earned by the manager of Liverpool, Arne Slot.With this result, Liverpool made another mistake after their elimination by Plymouth, giving Arsenal the chance to close the gap on the Reds. Meanwhile, for Everton, this result, in addition to the sentimental value, provides a boost of energy in their fight for survival in the Premier League.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 15Everton – Liverpool 2-2 (1-1)/Beto 11, Tarkowski 90+8 – Mac Allister 16, Salah 73/
