Virgil van Dijk's 100th-minute header earned Liverpool a dramatic 2-0 victory over Everton in a fiery Merseyside derby at the visitors' new Hill Dickinson Stadium. The late winner, from Dominik Szoboszlai's corner, ended a tense affair and moved Liverpool closer to Champions League qualification.
Mohamed Salah had opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time after Cody Gakpo's incisive pass. The Egypt international slotted home for his ninth derby goal, only behind Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard in Liverpool's record. Everton thought they had equalised through Iliman Ndiaye, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check.
Everton did level in the 58th minute when Beto slid in to convert Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's cross. The home side had earlier missed a good chance when Beto sidefooted wide. David Moyes's side also saw a penalty appeal dismissed when Dewsbury-Hall went down under a challenge from Curtis Jones.
Liverpool, still smarting from their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, showed resilience. Arne Slot's substitutions proved decisive as the visitors seized control in the closing stages. Van Dijk held off James Tarkowski to power home the winner, sending the away fans into raptures.
The victory was Liverpool's second in the league this season against their local rivals, having won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Anfield. The result keeps pressure on the top four as the season enters its final stretch.
