The blue wall was holding firm, the visitors were relishing delaying the hosts’ bid to paint the town red, and then Liverpool’s legendary captain made a horrendous, uncharacteristic error sending an opposing striker one-on-one with the goalkeeper at the Kop end.
This could have been eerily and despairingly familiar for Merseyside’s league leaders. For Chelsea’s Demba Ba in the spring of 2014, read Everton’s Beto in April, 2025. The outcome may prove equally consequential in determining which name is engraved onto the Premier League trophy.
Huge chance! 😲
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 2, 2025
Beto breaks free but his effort crashes against the post! 💥 pic.twitter.com/Rz0ZtlouH7
Should the ticker-tape parade begin in this stadium on May 25, Caoimhin Kelleher could be forgiven for leading a ceremonial kissing of his right post before receiving the silverware, acknowledging how it came to his club’s rescue on this emotionally charged night.
Sliding-doors moments are in danger of being name-checked to the point of cliché when analysing matches, seasons and even eras.
Had Beto taken his chance to leave Virgil van Dijk fearing seeing his defensive mishap replayed as often as Steven Gerrard’s 11 years ago, Liverpool’s response at the start of the second half may have given them the necessary momentum to restore their 12-point lead over Arsenal.
And yet there was an unshakeable sense that the Merseyside derby was evolving like a reconstruction of Jose Mourinho parking double-decker buses around Anfield the last time Liverpool turned into the closing straight with a lead and a raucous crowd begging them to cross the line.
You could sense the anxiety before Diogo Jota’s winner. It was audible with every howl when a pass was delayed or misplaced, or scream for the ball to be moved quicker through the zones before Everton’s retreat to the edge of the penalty had the necessary reinforcements.
"The Reds BURST through on derby night!" 🎙️
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 2, 2025
Diogo Jota opens the scoring in the Merseyside derby in front of the Kop! 💥 pic.twitter.com/r2B3xRAfaa
It was still there when Liverpool were protecting their lead, Arne Slot’s players navigating their way through the exasperation when six minutes of added time ushered in the final, aerial barrage for Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate to resist.
The neutrals have been calling the title race a formality for weeks, and will no doubt reassert that view following the latest victory. There are enough demons to banish to guarantee nothing can be taken for granted when Liverpool are closing in on a championship.
Even the one success in the past 35 years absorbed a world health crisis and some insidious attempts to null and void ...
