Premier League news: Everton vs Liverpool – Merseyside derby bids farewell to Goodison Park

Everton host bitter rivals Liverpool in the final ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, with 133 years’ worth of bragging rights on the line.

After a dismal start to the season under Sean Dyche, Everton have brought in familiar face David Moyes to steady the ship and hopefully move the Toffees away from their annual flirting with relegation.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are flying high under new manager Arne Slot and come into the clash off the back of a thumping win over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Sports News Blitz writer Jack Burgess previews the massive clash.

Arne Slot vs David Moyes

The derby will be a game of firsts for Slot. Not only will Wednesday's showdown be the Dutchman’s first Merseyside derby, but it will also be his first time facing Moyes.

As for Moyes, he returns to manage in a Merseyside derby for the first time since departing Everton for Manchester United 12 years ago.

Moyes’ advantage of experience in this fixture won’t have Slot particularly worried, though. The Scotsman won just three of his 22 Premier League derbies between 2002 and 2013. 

In fact, his overall record against the Reds doesn’t fare much better. Moyes has won just six of his 42 games against Liverpool overall, across stints at United, Sunderland, and West Ham.

Nevertheless, it will be some introduction to the Merseyside derby for Slot. 

As the last ever derby to be played at Goodison Park, the place is likely to be as hostile as it has ever been. And with the Toffees yet again left with absolutely nothing to play for but bragging rights this season, the players should be up for it too.

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Fixture rescheduling a blessing for Everton

Of course, this fixture was supposed to be played back in December until Storm Darragh had other ideas.

At the time, there was an argument to be made that the rescheduled fixture benefitted Liverpool, with the original treacherous weather set to wreak havoc on Slot’s controlled approach while playing to the strengths of the more physical style of Sean Dyche.

With Dyche gone and Moyes’ return revitalising Everton, the Reds might just think that they were better off playing on a windy afternoon at Goodison.

Whilst Dyche’s defence-first approach helped keep the Blues in the Premier League, goals were becoming a key source of concern for Evertonians as they slid towards the relegation zone. At the time of the Englishman’s departure, Everton had managed just 15 goals in 19 games.

Everton’s route-one style of play was also easy to defend against, Dominic Calvert-Lewin cutting a very isolated figure up front.

But since Moyes’ arrival, Everton have managed eight goals in four league games, winning three of those contests in the process. How exactly has the Scotsman done this?

The simple answer is that he has given Everton a little bit more attacking freedom than his predecessor. 

Moyes has played with wing-backs pushing high, tucking in his wingers to give opposing centre-backs more to think about and allowing the midfielders to push up closer to the attack.

This has meant Calvert-Lewin is better supported for knockdowns and Everton are more likely to make the most of attacks when the ball does go forward, rather than having predictable long passes easily cut out and finding themselves under pressure again.

Most significant for Everton is that Calvert-Lewin scored his first goals since September in the recent 3-2 victory over Spurs, and the striker will be hoping he can be better utilised under Moyes’ system.

It’s a tactical tweak that has seen the Toffees move nine points clear of the drop, and they will be more confident of posing problems for Liverpool’s back line than in December when the fixture was originally scheduled.

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Slot’s selection headache

Iliman Ndiaye has been a real bright spark for Everton in a tough season and has six goals already.

With Vitalii Mykolenko now holding the width for the Toffees, Ndiaye has been given license to influence the game much closer to the opposition goal and is really reaping the benefits of Moyes’ return with three goals in four league games.

This means Liverpool’s right-hand side will be particularly tested on Wednesday and, with there uncertainty over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fitness, Slot has a selection headache on his hands.

Should he start Bradley who is the more balanced option? The Northern Ireland international impressed against Spurs in the Carabao Cup last week, the highlight of which was a crunching tackle against Heung-min Son, and his aggression should help Liverpool match the tempo of the game.

Alternatively, the Dutchman can risk starting Trent who is perhaps not 100% fit. To be fair, Trent at 75% is still better than most players, but he did drop a rare stinker against United last month in another big game for the Reds.

Moreover, with a busy schedule ahead, Slot may be less inclined to throw the scouser in for what is going to be a very physical affair.

Whoever plays, expect them to make their mark on the match, whether it’s Bradley throwing a Gerrard-esque tackle on Ndiaye or Trent spraying 40-yard passes to kickstart dangerous counters for Liverpool.

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Darwin Nunez’s pace may be key

With confidence flying high at Goodison Park after a turbulent few months, the Blues will have more impetus to attack than in previous derbies under Dyche.

Whilst Moyes has been seeking more control by adding increased variety to Everton’s attacking play, his side will still be getting used to this newfound freedom and could find themselves more vulnerable on the counter than in previous iterations of this fixture.

With the wing-backs higher up, there should be lots of space for Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo to exploit, whilst the pace of Darwin Nunez in behind looks like a vital key to unlocking Everton’s door.

The Uruguayan did exactly that in the Carabao Cup against Spurs. Making a run that felt like it had started in Stanley Park, the 26-year-old busted his guts to get on the end of a slightly overhit Salah pass to win a penalty for his side.

In what are usually cagey affairs, Nunez may be just what Liverpool need to finish off their bitter rivals, even if the Uruguayan isn’t the one doing the finishing.

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Virgil van Dijk out to leave Goodison on a high

Given how Moyes has Everton set up at the moment, this should be a tough game for Van Dijk, who has been making defending look far too easy lately.

The Dutchman put in one of his most complete performances as skipper against a tepid Spurs side on Thursday night, adding a goal in front of the Kop end to his clean sheet, which was itself achieved without a shot on target from the visitors.

It was a performance that prompted Jamie Carragher to propose that there needs to be a higher level of football for Van Dijk to compete in. 

But Goodison Park hasn’t always been kind to Van Dijk. It was there in 2020 that his season ended prematurely after a ‘robust’ challenge from Jordan Pickford.

Plus, flashback to the same fixture last season and things weren’t looking as rosy for the captain.

A 2-0 loss in April, Liverpool’s last league defeat on the road, severely dented the Red’s title hopes and had some questioning the 33-year-old’s work ethic.

After the match, The Athletic’s Mark Carey wrote: “There were multiple occasions when Van Dijk elected to step off Calvert-Lewin in an aerial challenge, allowing him to bring the ball down as Everton moved up the pitch. He might not have lost an aerial battle in the examples below, but largely because he did not engage in them.”

With knockdowns from Calvert-Lewin likely to be a key factor again on Wednesday, Van Dijk will be out to set the record straight after last season’s off-night.

After bullying former bluenose Richarlison into submission after just 45 minutes against Spurs, the skipper looks more up to the task this time around, and it’s the Dutchman, more than most, who will be hoping to close out Goodison’s derby days on a high.

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Everton’s first ‘trophy’ since 1995 up for grabs

You don’t need me to remind you that Wednesday’s showdown will be the 112th and final Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park.

But you might be surprised to hear that the all-time head-to-head record at Goodison Park is all square.

Incredibly, both sides remain deadlocked on 37 wins apiece in derbies played on the blue side of Stanley Park. 

This means a win for either side will take on even greater significance.

The victors will claim eternal bragging rights as the best Merseyside club to play at Goodison Park, and it would be peak for Liverpool supporters if Everton couldn’t lay claim to that record in their own backyard. 

Having exited the FA cup at the weekend, it is an ongoing 30 years without a trophy for the Toffees at the moment, unless they can win on Wednesday night.

Liverpool know what to do, though. They will have more important on-field records to chase in the coming months, but they will be eyeing a psychological record this week.

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