In December, the Merseyside Derby was postponed due to dangerous and adverse weather conditions in Storm Darragh. It is rather ironic, then, that the post-match scenes at Goodison Park on Wednesday night caused such carnage on the streets of Liverpool.
Storm Doucoure, if you like, after Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure incited a string of events that saw four red cards, brawls, fans on the pitch, bottles thrown from the stands and eight arrests made by police.
Walking away from this grand old stadium just before midnight was to witness a scene like one from a post-apocalyptic movie. Firework shops did a roaring trade judging by the floor. There was also smashed glass aplenty and hundreds of empty beer cans lining Goodison Road.
This was the calm after the storm, at least outside the ground. Back in town, Evertonians headed to their favourite watering holes to toast a famous night and hundreds were singing at Kirkdale station at 11pm, taunting those lonely supporters with flecks of red on their clothes.
There was also a calm before the storm. That came when David Moyes took his squad to Goodison at about 3pm, almost like taking a squadron to the battlefield before the war. They did a very light training session and the Everton boss gave them an almighty pep talk.
He talked up the importance of the fixture and what it means to the loyal fanbase who have stuck by the team through good and, more recently, the bad times. Moyes discussed giving the Old Lady a famous send-off. Replicate the passion from the terraces on the pitch.
Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure were both sent off for brawling after the final whistle
Doucoure had run over to the Liverpool fans to celebrate, with Jones fighting back
The full-time scenes descended into an all-out melee as players from both sides piled in
The police spilled onto the pitch to break up the fracas between the two teams at full-time
It came at the end of a fractious 2-2 draw, in the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park
At that time, the Winslow Pub was already packed with punters drinking to calm the nerves. Sky Sports News was live outside the ground talking to fans. With four-and-a-half hours until kick-off, Moyes had achieved his aim of giving his troops a feel for the occasion and what it means to the city.
That was probably the last moment of calm all day. From that point on, it was a night of chaos on and off the pitch. When Everton’s team bus returned to the stadium at around 5.45pm, they were greeted by thousands of fans singing and lighting the early evening sky blue.
A man was playing bagpipes to greet them and Moyes was said to be taken aback by the reception, which was louder and more partisan than he has ever seen in his several decades in the game.
Some reporters filed into the press box looking like they had just clocked off from their day job down the mines. ‘It’s carnage out there,’ said one colleague, puffing out his cheeks with his face significantly darkened and dirtied from the dust of a hundred blue flares and pyros.
‘Supporters on Goodison Road, please make your way on to the pavements to allow the team bus to leave the premises,’ came a call on a PA system outside the ground. Fat chance of that, there was simply no space to move into.
Children were on their dads’ shoulders holding fireworks – not little ones either – and some fans had climbed atop street signs. It felt like the Premier League leaders Liverpool were walking into a cauldron of noise and hostility, daring to peep behind enemy lines.
There are many cliches used to describe the atmosphere but here, when Beto fired Everton ahead after 11 minutes, you could genuinely feel the ground shaking. The press box was so tight that you could not move elbows or knees more than an inch, such was the media interest in this event, the beginning of a long goodbye to this stadium.
This was the location where Liverpool’s title charge crashed and burned last year and, for much of this match, it felt like the noise and sense of occasion was strangling them again. Team-of-the-season contenders like Ryan Gravenberch looked like a rabbit in the headlights.
James Tarkowski had fired a 98th-minute equaliser to send Goodison Park into raptures
Euphoric Everton fans rushed onto the pitch to celebrate with Tarkowski
Smoke bombs were thrown onto the pitch as tensions boiled over between the two teams
There were little bits of work done by Everton’s staff – whether deliberate or not – to wind up their neighbours. Former blue Mikel Arteta, now Liverpool’s closest rival for the Premier League title as Arsenal boss, was the programme cover star, pictured celebrating a goal in this fixture in 2010. Coincidence? Lips were sealed as our enquiries rained in on Thursday, so you’ll have to make your own mind up.
Montages of former derby day triumphs for Everton were shown on the big screen. Liverpool players, who were warming up, were hardly glued to the clips, but it was all part of the process to level out the playing field for two teams who are a gulf apart in quality right now.
But despite not playing at their top level, Arne Slot’s men looked set to win the game after Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah goals made it 2-1. It would not have been their best win but certainly their biggest in terms of importance and would have secured a nine-point lead at the top with 14 games to go.
Some Everton fans had seen enough as we headed into stoppage-time. Former England rugby player Austin Healey called in to talkSPORT to say this was his last-ever game at Goodison due to work commitments but he left early as he could not take any more. Shameful, really, but he was not alone.
Hundreds of those who had given up soon reversed their decision and filed back into the ground after James Tarkowski came up with one of the great derby moments in its history with a thunderous strike to equalise in the 98th minute.
‘It was a special, special night,’ said the Everton stand-in skipper. ‘What a way to finish the last-ever derby here. There were people grabbing me, I had an 80-year-old grabbing me and then a five-year-old kid pulling me to the floor! There were stewards everywhere, it was chaos.
‘I’ve had a couple of promotions and played for my country but this is the biggest moment of my career. With everything that’s happening right now, leaving this iconic stadium, a special stadium, it will be the biggest moment.’
The noise when that strike hit the back of the net was 131 years of Merseyside derbies at this stadium in a microcosm. ‘The place was boiling hot all night,’ as Moyes described it. It also sparked the moment that summed up this match perfectly.
Everton striker Beto was mobbed by Everton fans as they celebrated their late leveller
Everton supporters broke through the stewards to celebrate on the pitch with their team
Fans stayed inside the ground for a long time post-match, serenading the players
Slot threw his hands in the air and turned to the fourth official, a calm man losing his cool and letting his frustrations be known. In the background of the clip of that scene, Jordan Pickford all of a sudden pops up as he knee slides towards the touchline. Rage versus euphoria.
Then came the storm of a full-blown fight at full-time after Doucoure ran over to goad the away end. The football media can often overplay moments like this, but this was truly a melee, brawl or fracas for the ages. Whatever word you prefer, it was a real free-for-all of anger.
Curtis Jones charged over to Doucoure to take issue. As a Scouser, this meant more for people like Jones. Both midfielders will be banned for their games at the weekend for their actions. If it was not for team-mates holding him back, Jones might have got himself into further trouble.
Slot sought out referee Michael Oliver for what he believed to be an injustice – there was a slight push on Ibrahima Konate in the build-up to the goal – and also got himself sent off. Slot’s assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, also saw red and Virgil van Dijk had to pull him away from the commotion.
Many believe Slot was sent off for an aggressive handshake given to Oliver, but sources who were in spitting distance of the event have told Mail Sport the real reason was that the Reds boss was punished for two separate rants that the referee believed warranted a red card.
Oliver filed his match report promptly and the FA are reviewing that, plus match footage, to determine whether or not to charge Slot for his actions. He could be handed a touchline ban if the FA deems it appropriate, though there will be a lag in this process.
The Premier League wrote on its website on Thursday that he would be given a two-match suspension, but this was human error. A red card for coaching staff does not automatically trigger a ban and the FA take these on a case-by-case basis.
Slot looked frustrated as he left the stadium with Hulshoff closely on his tail. As per Premier League rule K141, the boss was not required to do a post-match press conference. He was not banned from doing one, as stadium staff told the media room, but was not obliged to do so.
One fan managed to get all the way to the Liverpool players and referee Michael Oliver
Tarkowski’s goal was subject to a long VAR check, but was eventually confirmed
It sparked wild celebrations in the Gwladys Street End as Everton rescued a point
Bruno Fernandes spoke to the media after being sent off against Tottenham in September, for example. Given Slot’s frustration at the outcome and referee, it was probably best he did not speak as this could have gotten him into more trouble with the FA.
Expert lip-reader Jeremy Freeman told Mail Sport that he believed Slot said to Oliver: ‘Great game. Sure, you give me a red for that? I will check it out for later.’
Back in the tunnel, there was a host of wild noises coming from all angles. Liverpool players continued to vent their anger – Alexis Mac Allister was said to be extremely vocal – while Everton’s stars danced around and laughed in the faces of their bitter rivals.
Both teams are likely to face a probe for failing to control their players.
Substitute Harvey Elliott, who sprinted over to the commotion near the away end, conducted an interview for TNT Sports where he joked how he did not feel the atmosphere apart from that made by the travelling Kop.
Liverpool’s players left quickly with their hoods up and faces like thunder. Everton stars, meanwhile, lingered around catching up with family and friends in the tunnel, some with pizza boxes in hand… though there was to be no ‘Pizzagate’ sequel!
Aside from the players, Merseyside Police made eight arrests – four outside and four inside the ground. Mail Sport also understands they have launched an investigation working alongside stadium staff to identify individuals who threw bottles on to the pitch at full-time, one of which hit the group of players wrestling with each other in front of the Liverpool end.
One 34-year-old from Croydon was apprehended after throwing an electric cigarette. Four arrests were for tragedy chanting, two were for ‘breach of the peace’ and one was for drunk and disorderly behaviour. Four men were being questioned in police custody on Thursday.
The 245th Merseyside derby – and last at Goodison Park – served up a fitting level of drama
Everton players and manager David Moyes celebrated as they prevented an agonising defeat
Arne Slot was sent off for his interaction with Oliver at full-time and may face a ban
Slot walked up to Oliver afterwards and shook his hand, but his reaction earned him a red card
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk came over to separate Slot and Oliver at full-time
Back in the stands, it was pandemonium. Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was among those in the directors’ box, but was soon celebrating with plain-clothed fans in the cheap seats.
Around 100 fans stormed the pitch, one of them seizing the corner flag in delirium.
Fans stayed well after the final whistle doing a medley of songs which ended with Elton John’s I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, a song played at Howard Kendall’s funeral in 2015. It felt fitting.
Slot’s side were denied a massive victory but remain seven points clear at the top
Slot reacted with fury as he saw his team drop two points at Goodison on Wednesday
Liverpool fans brought balloons that referenced Everton’s 30-year wait for a trophy
But Everton fans had the last laugh as they denied their arch-rivals victory late on
Striker Beto ran a lap of the pitch in jubilation, soon joined by Doucoure and the pair danced in front of the Gwladys Street End. As Peter Drury said in commentary, this was a moment for all Evertonian generations to saviour.
Toffees legend Peter Reid joked to Mail Sport: ‘I have got to go to hospital… to get this smile removed from my face!’ The walk back into town was mainly to the tune of Everton fans booming music and singing out of their car windows.
As the game drew to a close, one elderly gentleman with a cane was heard saying ‘nothing changes’ as he exited at the start of stoppage time to beat the rush.
In this case, old chap, it did. No matter if you are old and grey like him or a kid at your first derby, it will be a memory for life.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: Alex Jennings and Sami Mokbel.
