Liverpool beat Everton in dramatic fashion to solidify its spot in the Champions League places and give Arne Slot a huge boost after a difficult campaign for the Reds
Quite simply, Liverpool needed a moment like this. Arne Slot needed a moment like this. And Virgil van Dijk delivered it.
Scoring the 10th minute of added time to earn the three points against Everton, there might have been a new venue for this fixture, but there was the usual level of drama. Not for the first time, Liverpool required a late shot to beat Jordan Pickford — and got one to send the away section into raptures.
Set up by a sensational pass from Cody Gakpo, the soon-to-depart Mohamed Salah got his moment too, and the celebrations in front of the Liverpool fans will live long in the memory. The win, though, sets an early marker.
READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Everton as Mohamed Salah and 4 more strongREAD MORE: Arne Slot handed huge Liverpool boost as bold move pays off – 5 talking points vs EvertonThere have been few moments of celebration like this for Liverpool this season, but the scenes at the final whistle were triumphant.
Salah and then Van Dijk had their moments, and they certainly enjoyed them, while Curtis Jones was excellent and Dominik Szoboszlai and Giorgi Mamardashvili, before the latter’s injury, played their part.
Liverpool fans needed something positive — a big moment — and so too did Slot. Results like these go a long way to determining fan sentiment, and in a few weeks, the trip to Manchester United will offer a similar opportunity.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates with Curtis Jones(Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
“[The win is] good for all of us; it’s not just the manager that get criticized and rightly so,” Van Dijk said.
“It’s about being together, going through these five games together. It’s going to be very difficult. We have to regroup and be fresh for next season because that won’t be easy.”
In addition to the short-term task of finishing at least fifth, of course, there is an added factor: Van Dijk has ended the Liverpool wait for a win in this stadium at the first time of asking.
There will be no lead-up to next season’s edition of this game and beyond centered around Liverpool being yet to win there; the fortress has been knocked down before it could be properly forged.
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The talk, whatever the context in the future, will be about how Liverpool inflicted a painful blow that saw those in the home end swiftly turn on their heels and head for the exits.
That it was Salah and Van Dijk who netted — two veterans — feels significant. In the future, others, including Alexander Isak, will have to step up.
That, though, is a problem for another day. With this win, Liverpool took a huge step towards Champions League qualification and started the Hill Dickinson era with a massive statement.
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