The 241st Merseyside derby ended in stalemate but was one that you could not take your eyes away from with both sides hitting the woodwork, a goal disallowed by VAR and somehow the game finished with all 22 players on the pitch.
Everton hosted Liverpool in the early kick-off and it was Everton who had the first chance of the game just after the half-hour mark.
Nathan Patterson won the ball back 30 yards from goal and whipped in an early cross that Joe Gomez failed to clear. Neal Maupay picked up the loose ball, his shot blocked by Van Dijk and that dropped to Tom Davies who on the outside of his foot, opted for the far corner but was denied by the post.
With minutes to play of the first half, it was Liverpool’s time to hit the woodwork. Darwin Nunez got in behind James Tarkowski, and from the tightest of angles hit a thunderous half volley goalwards which Jordan Pickford superbly tipped onto the bar. Luis Diaz, kept the ball in play and worked it onto his favoured right foot and tried his luck from inside the box, the ball beat Pickford but like Davies’ chance, cannoned back off the post.
Liverpool started the second half the better of the two sides, getting multiple corners in quick succession with Pickford denying Firmino twice and Fabinho within two minutes. With 25 minutes of the game to play, Everton should have taken the lead.
A Liverpool corner was dealt with by Tarkowski and Everton hit Liverpool on the counter. Demarai Gray skipped over the challenge of James Milner inside his own half, ran the full length of the pitch. When he entered the Liverpool area he played the ball across for Maupay, who just had to hit it first time and it’s a goal. The summer signing took a poor touch and hit the ball straight at Alisson.
Five minutes later and Everton had the ball in the back of the net. Gray’s deep cross was brought down on his chest by Maupay, he drilled the ball across the crowded 6-yard box and former Liverpool player Connor Coady had the easiest of finishes but those celebrations were cut short as VAR deemed Coady offside.
After looking at the replays, VAR said Coady was centimetres offside, but for some reason did not take into consideration that it hit Milner as the ball was crossed, so Coady would be onside.
VAR was not finished.
With 15 minutes of play remaining, Virgil Van Dijk SHOULD have seen red for his tackle on Amadou Onana. The Belgian poked the ball past the defender who left his boot onto the shin of the 21-year-old and Anthony Taylor only deemed it worthy a yellow card. With Onana in pain on the floor, it is unsure why VAR did not look at the challenge as they had enough time to check, with manager Frank Lampard saying after the game via TalkSport – “I think it’s a red card.”
Mohamed Salah who was quiet all game almost won it in the final minute, but once again. Jordan Pickford was on hand to deny the Liverpool attacker and ensure he kept his first clean sheet of the season.
On reflection, it was good to see an Everton team show fight and not throw away a hard deserved point. In past seasons, we would have conceded late on with decisions not going our way, the performances are better and the summer signings are beginning to gel, it should only be a matter of time before we get that first win.
This is the third goal Everton have had disallowed this season for centimetres which is strange considering the Premier League brought out NEW VAR rules last season that would give the attacking side the advantage due to the fact, that it is impossible to know the exact moment the ball has been played.
“We’ve introduced the benefit of the doubt for the attacking player so where we have a really close offside situation, we will follow the same process as last year but now apply thicker broadcast lines.”
No doubt they have made the lines thicker, but when the part of the body that is offside is the player’s arm, you just ask the question what is the point?
What did you make to the game?
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