James Tarkowski prompted scenes of bedlam in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, snatching a 2-2 draw for Everton against title-chasing Liverpool before a hail of post-match red cards.
Mohamed Salah’s 22nd Premier League goal of the season looked to have opened up a nine-point lead over Arsenal at the summit with 14 games remaining after Beto and Alexis Mac Allister traded early first-half goals.
But there was a thrilling sting in the tail, as Tarkowski strode forward to lash an unstoppable volley into the top corner seven minutes into an extended period of stoppage time.
VAR checks for offside and a possible foul by Beto and Ibrahima Konate made for an interminable wait and, when the goal was confirmed, emotions spilt over. Liverpool substitute Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure were each sent off after the Everton midfielder celebrated in front of the away fans and a melee ensued. Slot continued his protests to also see red as blue joy erupted around him.
Full commentary and highlights | Team news and lineups
Everton vs. Liverpool score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| Everton | 2 | Beto 11′, Tarkowski 90+7′ |
| Liverpool | 2 | Mac Allister 16′, Salah 73′ |
Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool
Referee: Michael Oliver
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard
Lineups:
Everton (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Jordan Pickford (GK) — 15. Jake O’Brien, 6. James Tarkowski, 32. Jarrad Branthwaite, 19. Vitaly Mykolenko — 37. James Garner (18. Ashley Young), 27. Idrissa Gueye (42. Tim Iroegbunam) — 29. Jesper Lindstrom (24. Carlos Alcaraz), 16. Abdoulaye Doucoure, 10. Iliman Ndiaye (11. Jack Harrison) — 14. Beto.
Liverpool (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Alisson (GK) — 84. Conor Bradley (66. Trent Alexander-Arnold), 5. Ibrahima Konate, 4. Virgil van Dijk, 26. Andy Robertson (21. Kostas Tsimikas) — 38. Ryan Gravenberch (17. Curtis Jones), 8. Dominik Szoboszlai, 10. Alexis Mac Allister — 11. Mohamed Salah, 7. Luis Diaz (20. Diogo Jota), 18. Cody Gakpo (9. Darwin Nunez).
MORE: All the latest Liverpool news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
Everton’s 2-0 win in this fixture last season effectively ended their neighbours’ hopes of Premier League glory in Jurgen Klopp’s final season and the Goodison faithful were dreaming of another fairytale night when Beto struck after 11 minutes, tucking past Alisson after Jarrad Branthwaite’s quick free-kick caught the Liverpool backline napping.
Liverpool had ambled into the contest but responded impressively as Salah delivered a teasing cross from the right and Mac Allister arrived to loop a clever header into the far corner.
The rest of the half descended into a flurry of fouls and yellow cards, although Tarkowski produced his first moment of stoppage-time heroism when he flung himself into a challenge to deny Salah after Jordan Pickford spilled Dominik Szoboszlai’s shot.
In a game of rumbling momentum shifts, Everton were the better side in the period after halftime. Doucoure botched a good headed chance and Branthwaite had the ball in the net, only for Jake O’Brien to be penalised for offside.
It meant Salah’s goal came against the run of play, lashed home right-footed after Jones caused panic in the Everton box. It proved not to be the Liverpool midfielder’s last notable involvement of the evening after Tarkowski shook the old place to its foundations.
Everton vs Liverpool stats
| Everton | Stat | Liverpool |
| 10 | Shots | 6 |
| 3 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 0.95 | Expected goals | 0.62 |
| 36% | Possession | 64% |
| 294 | Passes | 529 |
| 2 | Corners | 3 |
| 9 | Fouls | 20 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 3 | Offsides | 2 |
Everton vs. Liverpool live updates, highlights, and commentary
Fulltime
That’s all, folks. Emotion and passion riding high. Jones has instigated a skirmish after Doucoure celebrated in front of the away fans. It looks like Jones has been sent off after fulltime! And Doucoure gets a red card too! MAYHEM! And Arne Slot! WOULD EVERYONE STOP GETTING SENT OFF SO I CAN WRAP THE BLOG? Cheers! So Liverpool lead Arsenal by seven points with 14 games to play. It should be enough but the door is slightly ajar thanks to one last derby moment for the ages at Goodison Park from James Tarkowski. Thanks for joining us.
90+10 mins: THE GOAL STANDS! EVERTON HAVE SNATCHED A DRAW AT THE DEATH! There was still another check for a Beto push on Konate but that’s cleared and Tarkowski’s incredible hit stands.
90+7 mins: GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!! James Tarkowski!!!!!!!
INCREDIBLE SCENES AT GOODISON PARK!!! Tarkowski clatters a volley into the the top corner and it’s complete bedlam. Some fans on the pitch. But, hang on, we’ll have a VAR check.
WHAT A GOAL. WHAT A MOMENT.
THE SCENES! 😳
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/m85MGf2rdY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
90+4 mins: We’ll be a playing a little longer because Everton team-mates Alcaraz and Branthwaite are down following a clash of heads.
90+3 mins: Iroegbunam is the latest Everton player to spank one into the Gwladys Street End.
90+1 mins: Into five added minutes. Salah is off and running at the Everton defence. He thinks Alcaraz fouled him and might have had a point. Here come the hosts, pushing Liverpool back but Mykolenko blooters a cross out for a goal kick.
88 mins: Blistering hit from Salah and Pickford does superbly to tip it over. One for the cameras but a fine save nevertheless.
87 mins: Switches for each team as Jota replaces Diaz for Liverpool and Everton send on veteran Ashley Young in place of Garner.
86 mins: Beto has been a relentless presence in attack for Everton but that’s a tired effort as a he scuffs into Alisson’s gloves from outside the box.
82 mins: Liverpool have taken the sting out of this really impressively. All the composure they lacked earlier in the half is back.
75 mins: Double change for Everton with Iroegbunam and Alcaraz on for Gueye and Lindstrom.
73 mins: GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!! Mohamed Salah!!!!
It’s against the run of play but Liverpool won’t care a jot. Bedlam in that away end. Jones nips in to take the second ball off O’Brien’s toe after Diaz’s cross is blocked. He dinks across goal and it’s cleared as far as Salah, who lashes in with his weaker right foot.
It just had to be him 👑
Mo Salah’s goal gives Liverpool the lead as we approach the closing stages!
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/x23uqvtA2a
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
71 mins: Harrison whips in his deliver, Alisson gets a good punch on it. The ball comes back in and Doucoure skies his shot.
70 mins: Mac Allister brings down Harrison and this is another good crossing position.
69 mins: Tsimikas replaces Robertson, who is one of those men on a booking, while Nunes comes on for Gakpo and is just what a chaotic, physical game needs.
68 mins: Branthwaite has the ball in the net but the flag is up! It’s against O’Brien who came back from an offside position to flick the ball into his fellow defender’s path. VAR confirms as much.
67 mins: Fabulous defensive header from Van Dijk but Doucoure sticks to his task and wins the corner. Everton on top here, sensing their moment.
65 mins: Szoboszlai goes to ground in the Everton box in the vicinity of Mykolenko, but there’s no contact. That’s pretty shambolic. On we go.
63 mins: Jones straight into the spirit of things by clattering into Lindstrom, sending the Everton winger flying and getting a booking. Liverpool seem determined to meet Everton’s physicality here but they’ve kind of stopped playing much football of any description.
62 mins: Now then! A long ball forward catches Konate’s arm. VAR has a look… no penalty.
61 mins: A slaloming Diaz run ends in his conceding a free-kick. Bradley now makes way with Gravenberch. Alexander-Arnold and Jones on.
57 mins: Ohhhh, careful. Doucoure takes a tumble under a challenge from Bradley. He’s been booked, Michael Oliver decides against another but Slot has seen enough. Trent Alexander-Arnold is coming on.
55 mins: Beto powers in from the right channel and finds Harrison, who drags a tame strike wide across goal. A good spell for the home side.
54 mins: Ohhhh, that’s a bad miss from Doucoure. The Everton midfielder pops up in the box unmarked but he tries to generate power on the header and can’t hit the target.
51 mins: We restarted with an uncontested drop-ball, which is entirely out of keeping with the general vibe.
49 mins: Garner is down needing treatment after being caught by a stray hand in the face from Mac Allister. No malice in that one.
Kickoff: 2nd Half
Right then, here we are again. I hope everyone had a nice herbal tea.
Halftime
That was really good fun for the first 20 minutes or so as Beto and Mac Allister traded goals. The game then became increasingly fractious as fouls and yellow cards piled up. Whether or not that’s to your taste, that definitely suits Everton and David Moyes is likely to be the happier of the two managers.
45+5 mins: Chance for Liverpool on the stroke for the interval! Szoboszlai drives in a hard, low effort. Pickford parries in but Salah is alert to the rebound. Tarkowski gets there first with a heroic piece of defending.
45+4 mins: Now Diaz fouls Branthwaite in mid-air and the Everton man is furious. It feels like everyone involved needs halftime right now.
45+3 mins: Ohhh, Doucoure is high on Bradley and gets a yellow card. I think the Everton midfielder was trying to hang in the tackle to get Bradley in trouble.
45+2 mins: Branthwaite, who has risen to the occasion again, gets across to block off Diaz. The ball stays in play and Bradley is late on Mykolenko. That’s another yellow. Four over all and one for each Liverpool fullback.
45 mins: There’ll be five added minutes, largely on account of that nasty-looking injury for Ndiaye.
44 mins: Gueye, already on a yellow, drags Gravenberch back. The referee tries to play advantage but a few Liverpool players look like they wouldn’t have minded another booking.
38 mins: Liverpool punch a hold through the middle of the Everton midfield but Branthwaite is a cross to challenge and concede the corner.
37 mins: Idrissa Gueye pulls down Luis Diaz because he has neither the time nor the inclination to chase after the livewire Colombian. That’s another yellow card.
35 mins: Mac Allister is the next man into the book as he arrives late to clump into Garner. Oh, actually, hang on. The yellow is for Lindstrom for asking for a booking. How bold! Liverpool deal with the free-kick. Everton’s set-pieces have been poor so far and you sense that can’t continue to be the case if they’re going to win here.
28 mins: Another one for Arsenal fans to enjoy: Andy Robertson has been booked for kicking the ball away.
27 mins: Some Arsenal-style bunching at the far post from the Everton, which is something of a moot situation given Harrison’s delivery doesn’t beat the first man.
26 mins: A fairly wild giveaway from Szoboszlai gives Beto a shooting chance the Van Dijk blocks. The ball breaks out to Harrison who wins a free-kick from Bradley in a dangerous position on the left flank.
24 mins: Ndaiye’s race is run, he stands up and then breaks down in tears, doubled over in agony. Sad to see. Jack Harrison is coming on for Everton.
21 mins: Both managers taking the chance to get some instructions on as Ndiaye receives some treatment. Slot and Moyes will probably welcome this as it’s been frantic out there.
16 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Alexis Mac Allister!!!!!!
Swift and vital response from Liverpool. It’s a wonderfully worked goal and Salah stands up a delicious cross from the right and Mac Allister arrives to cleverly loop a header into the far corner.
It’s an instant response ⏰
Mo Salah’s pinpoint cross is finished off by Alexis Mac Allister!
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/6YvgpzFkqS
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
11 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! Beto!!!!!!
First blood to Everton and Goodison is rocking to its foundations. Branthwaite, the hero of last year’s win, takes a quick free-kick to thread Beto through on goal. The striker coolly slots past Alisson and VAR confirms he’s onside.
EVERTON TAKE THE LEAD!
Beto keeps his composure in front of goal as Jarrad Branthwaite’s free-kick catches the Liverpool backline sleeping 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/tIqIpbW7TD
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
10 mins: Lindstrom looks like he’s pulled back by Robertson. The referee waves play on and he cracks his cross into the side-netting. Lindstrom is getting into some dangerous positions but he needs to settle down a bit.
7 mins: Beto looks to chase a ball through the middle of the Liverpool defence but he has Konate, Van Dijk and Robertson for company and they snuff out the danger.
4 mins: Nice give and go from Lindstrom, whose low cross is cleared behind by Konate. Gravenberch clears. It’s lumped back into the box and the flag goes up, which is handy for Szoboszlai, who made an absolute spectacle of his clearance.
Kickoff: 1st Half
Off we go. Liverpool rumble forward from kickoff Luis Diaz is caught offside. It feels important they push Everton back to try and quieten the crowd.
4 mins before kickoff: Sirens, Z-Cars, here we go. It sounds febrile out there. There’s a “30” balloon in the Liverpool end to signify how long it is since Everton won a trophy. What japes.
15 mins before kickoff: Obviously these games are all about local pride and bragging rights, while means Liverpool have made a piece of history tonight that sits somewhat askew with all that. Alexander-Arnold and Jones being on the bench contributes to this being the first time Liverpool have named a Premier League XI without a single English player in it, as per Opta.
There is some precedence for this in Premier League derbies. In 2002, Manchester City claimed their first win over Manchester United for 13 years with no English representation.
30 mins before kickoff: Ryan Gravenberch makes his 50th Premier League appearance for the leaders tonight. The Dutchman has been a wonderfully calm and assured presence at the base of Arne Slot’s midfield and his absence was keenly felt at Plymouth. If he can do his usual thing amid the white-hot atmosphere of a derby affair, Liverpool won’t go far wrong this evening.
50 #PL appearances for Ryan 💪🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/y2PT1CUjdu
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 12, 2025
45 mins before kickoff: The last time these teams met on this ground, Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin got the goals to the Everton a memorable 2-0 win, their first on home soil for 14 years. The home faithful would dearly love to have more of the same tonight.
MORE: Everton vs Liverpool final score, result, stats, lineups as Branthwaite, Calvert-Lewin demolish Klopp’s title hopes
1 hour before kickoff: By contrast, David Moyes has made just one change from the Everton team that lost to Bournemouth in the cup at the weekend, with Vitaly Mykolenko recovered from a calf problem to start at left-back.
Tonight’s Toffees for the Merseyside derby! 🔵#EVELIV pic.twitter.com/yjv2hrzHgE
— Everton (@Everton) February 12, 2025
1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: Okay, let’s have a look at the teams. First the visitors, with Conor Bradley starting as expected at right-back, although Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit enough to take a place on the bench. Luis Diaz is the only player retained as Arne Slot makes 10 changes from the shock 1-0 FA Cup loss to Plymouth Argyle.
The Reds to take on Everton 🔴 #EVELIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 12, 2025
1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Everton vs. Liverpool in the Premier League, the last time this great fixture will take place at the Toffees’ famous Goodison Park home.
Home. 💙 pic.twitter.com/kl9CyN4Lb9
— Everton (@Everton) February 12, 2025
Everton vs. Liverpool kick off time
The Premier League match kicks off in Liverpool at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Wed, Feb 12 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Wed, Feb 12 | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| UK | Wed, Feb 12 | 7:30 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Thu, Feb 13 | 6:30 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Thu, Feb 13 | 1:00 a.m. IST |
Everton vs. Liverpool lineups, team news
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin having picked up a hamstring injury against Brighton in late January, Beto will continue in his role up top.
He’s the latest in a long line of Everton injuries that has swept up the likes of Dwight McNeil, Seamus Coleman, Armando Broja, and Youssef Chermiti. Vitaliy Mykolenko, though, returns from his calf injury to start.
Everton starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Pickford (GK) — O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko — Garner, Gueye — Lindstrom, Doucoure, Ndiaye — Beto.
Everton subs: Virginia (GK), Begovic (GK), Keane, Harrison, Young, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam, Sherif, Heath
Joe Gomez attempted a comeback for Liverpool in the weekend’s FA Cup loss to Plymouth Argyle, but he was hauled off after just 11 minutes as his hamstring issues continue to prove a problem.
The thought is that Trent Alexander-Arnold will return from his own hamstring strain soon, but this match is thought likely to be too soon for such a moment.
Otherwise, Arne Slot will have his full complement of players at his disposal, likely to return Luis Diaz to the No. 9 after Diogo Jota fired a blank in their recent FA Cup exit.
Liverpool starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Alisson (GK) — Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson — Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister — Salah, Diaz, Gakpo.
Liverpool subs: Kelleher (GK), Endo, Nunez, Jones, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah
Everton vs. Liverpool live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Wed, Feb. 12 | 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT | USA Network, Universo | Fubo USA |
| Canada | Wed, Feb. 12 | 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | Wed, Feb. 12 | 7:30 p.m. GMT | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| Australia | Thu, Feb. 12 | 6:30 a.m. ADST | — | Optus Sport |
| India | Thu, Feb. 12 | 12 a.m. IST | Star Sports Select 1 | Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema |
