The first thing you heard was the noise. Deafening, almost ear-splitting noise, as the ball thundered into the net at the Gwladys Street end.
And then it was bedlam of the kind Goodison Park does best.
Fans poured onto the pitch to celebrate with goalscorer James Tarkowski and his Everton team-mates, one holding the corner flag aloft. Others made their way to goad Liverpool players. Stewards tried and failed to hold them back, unable to stem the tide of bodies. In the corner of Goodison where Everton players and fans had gathered in one big, euphoric huddle, blue pyro filled the air.
Even at that stage, there was a risk those celebrations would be premature. How Everton that would have been on a milestone night like this one.
Scored 97:08 seconds in, Goodison’s derby farewell extended beyond 100 minutes after a lengthy, agonising VAR check — first for offside and then for a supposed foul by Beto on Ibrahima Konate. Jarrad Branthwaite had seen an earlier goal rightly chalked off for offside, but this time Everton would not be denied.
WHAT A GOAL. WHAT A MOMENT.
THE SCENES! 😳
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/m85MGf2rdY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
This was high-octane drama right to the very end, just as it should be. A fittingly chaotic final derby, just as it was perhaps always meant to be.
There was barely time for Liverpool to kick off before the whistle blew and chaos ensued again.
An admission of sorts. In the scramble to file copy for The Athletic’s live match briefing, to be published on full time — RIP those short paragraphs bemoaning Everton’s 2-1 defeat in Goodison’s derby send-off – this reporter only got wind of certain events some time after they had happened.
In truth, it would probably have been hard to keep up even if attention had not been elsewhere.
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones took issue with Abdoulaye Doucoure’s celebrations right in front of the away fans, sparking a mass brawl. Police tried in vain to separate both sets of players, while a bottle thrown from the stands hit Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on the head.
Jones and Doucoure were both shown second yellows and were sent off, accounting for two of the four red cards eventually handed out. As Liverpool manager Arne Slot was receiving one of his own after sarcastically shaking referee Michael Oliver’s hand, Doucoure could be seen in the background sporting a grin and shooing Virgil van Dijk away.
Angry words were exchanged between Liverpool’s players and staff and injured Everton captain Seamus Coleman as they started making their way down the tunnel. When Slot’s assistant Sipke Hulshoff picked up a red of his own, Liverpool could not fulfil their post-match press-conference duties.
“It was mayhem all game, an old-fashioned throwback,” Everton manager David Moyes said. “The place was boiling hot all night.”
After a decade in charge at Goodison during his first stint, he knows better than most that the famous old stadium lives for nights like these. That it is under the intense glaze of the evening floodlights that it really, truly comes alive.
From the off, the atmosphere befitted the occasion. Everyone wanted a ticket for the big game. Executive chairman Marc Watts, of new owners The Friedkin Group, flew over from America to be in attendance, while members of Moyes’ family also took their seats in Goodison’s Main Stand.
Everton supporters lined the streets outside the stadium from nearly three hours before kick-off, waiting to welcome the team coach. There were songs and fireworks. The noise that greeted the teams at the start was as loud as it has been for some time and continued throughout.
The jubilant scenes at the end were in part born out of relief. Supporters could not countenance defeat by fierce rivals Liverpool on Goodison’s derby farewell. Now, thanks to Tarkowski’s goal, they do not have to.
In truth, a draw was the least Everton deserved.
These games are always a battle of wills, particularly at Goodison. When the gap between the two teams is as pronounced as it is now, with 14 places separating them in the table, Everton want chaos and Liverpool want calm so their superior quality can win out.
Moyes’ side succeeded in playing most of the match on their terms. It was frantic, short on quality and sometimes error-strewn. Everything was done at 100 miles per hour. This was their night and it would not be ruined.
“I think it is hugely important that Evertonians get to finish at their stadium as well as they can,” Moyes said. “The support was unbelievable and fitting they got an end like they did.
“The way the crowd stayed to the end was a magical moment.”
Tarkowski, of course, has his own magical moment to savour. It was somehow fitting, at the end, that he was flanked by TNT Sports pundit and former Everton defender Phil Jagielka as he did his post-match interview on the pitch.
Jagielka was the last Everton defender to score an iconic derby goal, netting a stunning late equaliser at Anfield in 2014. Tarkowski’s effort on Wednesday may not have been from as far out or as spectacular, but it was arguably even more important. It means the 32-year-old’s name will now be etched in Goodison and Everton folklore.
“We have had a couple of special nights here that I have been involved in but that was probably the best for me and probably will be forever,” he told BBC Match of the Day later.
To fellow broadcaster TNT, he spoke about overcoming a “tough weekend” in which Everton lost 2-0 to Bournemouth and he was implicated in both goals.
That, somehow, already feels like ancient history now.
In its final season, this was another one to add to the pantheon of great Goodison nights.
(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
