Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal in the 100th minute as Liverpool secured a 2–1 victory over Everton in the first-ever Premier League derby played at “Hill Dickinson Stadium,” opening up a seven-point advantage within the top five.
The atmosphere may have been different, but Everton fans brought the familiar feeling of “Goodison Park” to their new home before kickoff.
David Moyes’ side came close to a perfect start when Beto headed toward goal, but his effort was stopped by a save from Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The goalkeeper also denied a free kick from James Garner, while Beto missed a golden one-on-one opportunity.
Liverpool registered their first shot only in the 21st minute, when Cody Gakpo’s attempt was blocked by James Tarkowski.
“The Reds” looked weaker early on, but the match changed direction within three minutes.
Iliman Ndiaye thought he had given Everton the lead in the 27th minute, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for an offside position by Jake O’Brien.
Moments later, Mohamed Salah scored after a brilliant assist from Gakpo, drawing level with Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s top scorer in Merseyside derbies in the Premier League (9 goals).
Gakpo came close to a second before halftime, but Jordan Pickford tipped his shot over the crossbar.
Liverpool started the second half better, but Everton equalized in the 54th minute when Beto scored following an assist from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Mamardashvili was injured in that action and was replaced by Freddie Woodman, who made his Premier League debut for Liverpool.
The game opened up afterward, with chances for both teams, including a Gakpo header cleared off the line by Tarkowski and a powerful shot from Ndiaye stopped by Woodman.
A late injury to Jarrad Branthwaite resulted in 11 minutes of added time, and Liverpool took advantage: Van Dijk headed in from a corner taken by Dominik Szoboszlai to seal a dramatic victory.
This win eases the pressure on manager Arne Slot and gives Liverpool their third consecutive win over their local rivals for the first time since 2017.
