Virgil van Dijk earns late Liverpool win in first derby at Everton’s new home

A new £800m setting for the ­Merseyside derby contained an old and familiar script. Everton came to christen Hill Dickinson Stadium’s derby debut in style but were devastated by the latest Liverpool show of all, as Virgil van Dijk’s 100th-minute header brought victory, relief for Arne Slot and Champions League qualification a little closer. It was some response to a trying week for the Premier League champions.

The old guard led the way for Liverpool once more with Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet, either side of a Beto equaliser, and the visitors refusing to settle for the point that both teams merited. Liverpool tried to exploit Everton’s vulnerability at set pieces all afternoon, mostly without success, but in the 10th of 11 minutes added on it finally paid off. Van Dijk held off James Tarkowski to convert Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner at close range, and Slot’s prospects of leading Liverpool into next season’s Champions League soared.

Having exited the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday Liverpool would have been forgiven for tiring in the closing stages. But Slot utilised his five substitutions wisely and the visitors seized the initiative late on. David Moyes’ introduction of Thierno Barry and Tyrique George, by contrast, sent Everton’s performance plummeting. Barry was dreadful, his lack of effort in particular a disgrace, and the loss of Beto and Jarrad Branthwaite to injury badly disrupted the home performance. For all the justified criticism that Liverpool have received, they still possess the quality to torment their local rivals in novel ways.

Urged on by an impassioned home support, the hosts were the better side until Salah produced a bolt from the red to open the scoring. Moyes’s side produced the more controlled, inventive football while Liverpool’s threat came exclusively from corner kicks. They were just warming up, as it turned out.

Mohamed Salah scores the first Merseyside derby goal at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

Beto forced Giorgi Mamardashvili into a good early save with a glancing header from a James Garner cross. The centre-forward then produced a howler when spinning away from the defence to collect Branthwaite’s long ball. Beto had more freedom than he realised as he bore down on Mamardashvili’s goal and took the shot first time. He sidefooted a dreadful effort in the direction of the corner flag.

Everton’s main frustration in the opening period centred on Chris Kavanagh’s leniency when the ­referee refused to book Van Dijk for a late foul on Idrissa Gana Gueye. ­Jordan Pickford was shown a yellow card instead for his protests. An ambitious penalty claim, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall went down under a touch from Curtis Jones as they chased Tarkowski’s ball, was rightly dismissed. Moyes insisted it should have been a spot-kick.

The first half was transformed inside three minutes. The stadium erupted when Jake O’Brien’s cross landed at the feet of Iliman Ndiaye and the Senegal international swept a cool finish home. It was a merited lead and prolonged celebrations ensued. O’Brien, however, was offside when collecting Pickford’s clearance and the celebrations switched to the away corner when the goal was disallowed after a video ­assistant referee check.

Beto celebrates scoring Everton’s equaliser. Liverpool’s goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had to go off after being injured in the incident. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters

Everton were still stewing over the decision when Liverpool deepened their torment in devastating style. The home side played themselves into trouble deep inside their own half before Dwight McNeil miscued a poor touch straight to Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman was a surprise ­inclusion ahead of Rio Ngumoha but justified his selection with a superb pass that dissected the Everton defence and found Salah sprinting unmarked into the area on the far side. The Egypt international dispatched a clinical finish under Pickford for his ninth goal in a derby. Only Ian Rush (25) and Steven Gerrard (10) have scored more in the fixture for Liverpool.

The visitors controlled the remainder of the first half and performed with a confidence in possession that had been missing previously. Gakpo forced Pickford into a finger-tip save from distance and Alexander Isak steered a decent opening from a ­Florian Wirtz pass straight at the keeper. It was Isak’s only contribution of note before being replaced by Ngumoha in the 72nd minute.

Liverpool’s authority did not last long into the second half. Everton drew level when Dewsbury-Hall swept a dangerous cross along the face of the Liverpool goal. Beto, holding off Andy Robertson, arrived first to slide home the equaliser. The striker collided with Mamardashvili on the follow-up and the goalkeeper was eventually taken off on a stretcher with a wounded knee. Slot was forced to hand a first league appearance for the club to his third-choice keeper, Freddie Woodman, who was never seriously tested.

Beto later departed with a head injury and, with Barry inept, the danger from Everton went with him. Branthwaite was carried away in tears after sustaining what appeared to be a recurrence of a serious hamstring injury. The derby was petering out but, of course, there had to be a sting. Van Dijk, the strongest man in the box, delivered.