Everton manager David Moyes believes his side were hard done by in the Merseyside Derby on Sunday afternoon, as a last-gasp Virgil Van Dijk header handed Liverpool a dramatic 2-1 victory.
There is always guaranteed drama when Everton and Liverpool face each other, with a last-minute goal almost becoming customary in this feisty affair.
Last season, the Toffees had a last-gasp goal to celebrate when James Tarkowski controversially slammed home a 96th-minute equaliser which resulted in a 2-2 draw and led to Arne Slot furiously going onto the Goodison Park turf at the end, to exchange heated words with referee Michael Oliver.
Thankfully, this time around, the Reds head coach was jumping for joy from the sidelines, as Virgil Van Dijk powered home a 100th-minute winner, after a delightful Dominik Szoboszlai corner kick delivery found the Dutchman perfectly.
Amazingly, this is the sixth time, now, that the Reds have scored a 90th-minute winner against their arch rivals, with the Hill Dickinson Stadium’s first ever taste of such a special Derby, ending in pandemonium in the tightly packed away end.
Speaking to the media post-match, an incensed Moyes struggled to digest the defeat, adamant that his players were robbed of a point by Van Dijk’s decisive blow.
On another day, Everton would have walked away from their first-ever Merseyside Derby at their brand-new ground with something tangible to show for their efforts.
Indeed, the Toffees were cursed by unfortunate luck throughout, as Iliman Ndiaye had an early goal ruled out by VAR, as well as having an early penalty shout denied, when Curtis Jones tangled with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Off the back of all this disappointment, Moyes cut a dejected figure when delivering his post-match musings, but he did state that his players were “brilliant” in attempting to grab a result.
He said, when speaking to Sky Sports: “I thought the players played great today, they didn’t get the result they deserved. We deserved more from it than we did. They did a great job. Disappointed with the last goal but in the main the players did a brilliant job.
“There’s no shame in how we performed today, we’re playing against one of the teams in the league who expect to be challenging for Champions League and trophies. I think we gave them a good run for their money. I want this team to always be competitive. They didn’t have it their own way.”
Moyes will hope this performance stands his side in good stead in trying to sneak into the European positions in the Premier League, come the close of the season.
