Diogo Jota repays Arne Slot’s faith as Liverpool edge another dramatic Merseyside derby

Liverpool 1-0 Everton: VAR, and Diogo Jota, come to Liverpool’s rescue in another incident-filled Merseyside derby

After a Merseyside derby defined by the red cards, a match that may be remembered for the one what wasn’t. After a meeting with Everton that brought Liverpool frustration, one that instead produced celebration with the Kop chorusing about winning the league. After Arne Slot ended the draw at Goodison Park suggesting referee Michael Oliver was to blame if Liverpool did not win the title came a match when the officiating, however questionable, will not cost them the silverware.

Instead, Diogo Jota assumed the role of derby decider, ending his drought and Liverpool’s mini-slump with a crisp strike; with it, too, went Everton’s unbeaten run, curtailed at nine. What is instead extended is David Moyes’s perhaps never-ending wait for a win at Anfield; it is now 22 games and counting.

The numbers look rather better for Liverpool. A 100th derby win came in the context of defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle. It was gritty rather than pretty – “hard-fought, definitely,” said Slot – but a 12-point lead at the Premier League summit was restored. Liverpool need a maximum of 13 more to be crowned champions.

But there are facts and there are pictures and the indelible image, perhaps destined to be replayed for quite some time, came early on. This was a second derby to revolve around James Tarkowski: hero for Evertonians at Goodison Park, he was the villain for Liverpool here.

A wild, out-of-control challenge on Alexis Mac Allister meant he clattered first ball and then man, his studs flying into the World Cup winner’s calf. Thankfully, eventually, Mac Allister was able to continue. For the 63rd time, Tarkowski was booked in the Premier League. But, despite a VAR check, he has still never been dismissed. It left Slot shaking his head, his reaction more measured than when Tarkowski levelled in the 98th minute two months ago. He was restrained in his comments, too. “Even people who are not liking Liverpool a lot are saying how clear and obvious it was,” he said.

That may have been a reference to the watching Duncan Ferguson, a sufficiently fearsome figure that he was sent to prison for an act of violence on the football pitch. An Everton cult hero pronounced it a possible leg-breaker and declared it merited a red card. The officials decided otherwise, an odder still decision from the VAR Paul Tierney; Jurgen Klopp’s least favourite official may assume a similar status with Slot.

Moyes, meanwhile, initially felt the yellow card was harsh. “I thought at the time it was a brilliant tackle,” he admitted. “Since I have seen it, we could have been lucky we didn’t get a red. It looked a high one. I think it was the follow-through that looked worse.”

It may not have been what he had in mind when he said football should not be too sanitised. This was frenetic, competitive and, at times, messy but for Liverpool, there was justice of sorts in the result. Briefly, it felt as though Tarkowski’s reprieve could bring a double punishment: it was after his pass that Beto prodded a shot through Caoimhin Kelleher’s legs and into the Liverpool net.

The offside flag was raised but Beto, who had opened the scoring on the other side of Stanley Park, almost repeated the feat, benefiting from the rarity of a Virgil van Dijk air kick to advance and pick out the post with his shot. The Everton striker had a nuisance value. There are sleeker, subtler forwards but he can trouble Van Dijk. Even with Darwin Nunez beginning on the bench, he brought an element of chaos to proceedings.

A pumped-up Arne Slot allowed himself to celebrate (Getty Images)

For Liverpool, meanwhile, there was the challenge to break down an Everton team that, Slot said, “hardly ever concede a chance”. For much of the match, they had effort but not sufficient dynamism. They had possession but were often too predictable. But they displayed persistence and, along with their capacity to get Luis Diaz involved, that proved decisive. “We had to be there so many times and you hope one time it will be enough,” said Slot. It was.

Maybe his stubbornness helped. He had arguably showed too much faith in Jota during his 10-game barren spell. It ended both in style and with a sense of timing. Jota latched on to Diaz’s backheel, weaved his way into the penalty area and drove a shot past Jordan Pickford. The Kop had begun the second half chorusing the name of Divock Origi, long a scourge of Everton. They were soon chorusing about another striker.

Yet, with Mohamed Salah again quiet, the brightest of the front three, as he had been against Paris Saint-Germain, was Diaz. He nevertheless left Everton with a sense of grievance, believing he was offside in the build-up to the goal. “It is quite an easy one to give,” said Moyes.

Slot argued Liverpool did not get lucky. “They made the right decision according to the rules,” he explained. “I hate the rule but the execution of the rule was fortunately for us right.”

Jarrad Branthwaite frustrated Liverpool's attack (Getty Images)

Yet the manner of the goal was “gut-wrenching” for Moyes. “Our players have shown great resilience,” he said. A terrific block from Jarrad Branthwaite to repel Jota’s early shot was a sign of the right kind of commitment: so, too, Tarkowski’s later defiance to prevent Diaz doubling Liverpool’s lead while Pickford saved from Salah and Ryan Gravenberch.

But, those two efforts from Beto aside, Everton recorded no legitimate shot on target. They did too little to test two of Liverpool’s understudies. Kelleher was deputising for the injured Alisson while, sent off in the season’s first derby, Curtis Jones started the second at right-back. He provided a crucial injury-time intervention.

And Jones kept his cool this time, as did Slot. Liverpool have been more fluent, more convincing but they took a step towards the title. Everton held them up once, but not a second time. After the controversy, there should be a coronation.