Everton supporters were delighted to revel in a double whammy at Goodison Park on Wednesday night as they beat Liverpool 2-0 in the Merseyside Derby.
Victory, their second in succession following another crucial win over Nottingham Forest, moved Sean Dyche’s side onto 33 points – eight points clear of the Premier League relegation zone. Their first win over Liverpool at Goodison Park since 2010 also put a huge dent in their rivals’ title challenge.
Liverpool are now three points off Arsenal following their 5-0 win over Chelsea, while Manchester City are just a point behind with two games in hand. It was a party atmosphere when the final whistle blew and Everton fans made the most of it, blaring out: "You lost the league at Goodison Park” to taunt the Liverpool players and their fans.
Jarrad Branthwaite opened the scoring for Everton, tucking a loose ball under Alisson in the second phase from a corner. It was 2-0 in the second half when Dominic Calvert-Lewin rose highest to head in. Liverpool had chances, but Darwin Nunez blasted straight at Jordan Pickford and Mohamed Salah was off target.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was definitive in his post-match take: Liverpool have surrendered their chance at winning the Premier League title. “In terms of wanting it more, it’s Everton’s night. It’s not been easy and you have seen their record in derby games so you have to accept that as a Liverpool fan,” he began on Sky Sports.
“This is the end of the title run for Liverpool. It almost feels like the end. They just have to make sure they finish the season strong. They had enough chances in the game. At the moment, they are not clinical enough in both boxes. I don’t think it’s the time to get too angry with the team and Jurgen Klopp. It’s been a great ride, a great journey, but tonight is Everton’s night and you have to take it on the chin.”
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A dejected Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was in agreement. “If we play like today then we have no chance to consider ourselves in the title race,” he admitted. “We have to just focus on the next game, and that will be a tough one as well, and then we will see.”
Liverpool are back in action against West Ham in the early kick-off on Saturday and have no other distractions, having been knocked out of the Europa League by Atalanta last week. But it now appears very unlikely that they can end Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge with a second league title under his management.
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