Van Dijk header in stoppage time gives Liverpool derby win at Everton

Liverpool captain's late goal secures 2-1 victory in first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk scored a header in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory over Everton in the first Merseyside derby at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday¹².

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 29th minute after Everton gave the ball away cheaply and Cody Gakpo picked out the Egyptian, who fired past Jordan Pickford¹. The goal settled Liverpool's nerves after an energetic start by Everton². Salah's strike was his ninth goal in Premier League Merseyside derbies, equalling the record held by former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard². The 33-year-old winger is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season¹².

Everton equalised early in the second half when Beto held off Liverpool defender Andy Robertson and steered a low cross from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall into the net from close range¹.

Liverpool lost goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to injury during the equalising goal and replaced him with Freddie Woodman¹. The 29-year-old goalkeeper "had some worrying moments" after stepping in, according to one report¹.

Van Dijk's late winner provided what his teammate called "the perfect send-off" for Salah². The Liverpool captain said of Salah: "There will be a lot of words coming out of my mouth in the next couple of weeks about him, but he's so important for us, on and off the pitch"².

The victory leaves Liverpool fifth in the Premier League standings on 55 points, three points behind Aston Villa with five games remaining¹. Everton sit 10th on 47 points¹. The top five teams will qualify for next season's Champions League¹.