This season has very much been devoid of memorable moments for Liverpool supporters, although they certainly got a couple on Sunday.
As the Reds visited Hill Dickinson Stadium for the very first time, they claimed a dramatic, last-gasp 2-1 victory over rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby. Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock, mere seconds after the Toffees had seen an opener of their own ruled out for offside by VAR.
Beto did equalise for the home side shortly after the break, an incident that resulted in Giorgi Mamardashvili being forced off, with Freddie Woodman making his Premier League debut for the club. At this point, the Blues appeared the most-likely winners but, in the tenth minute of added on time, Dominik Szoboszlai's corner picked out Virgil van Dijk and his towering header snatched victory.
Two modern-day Liverpool legends fittingly making the difference at Bramley-Moore Dock. For Salah of course, every match is part of his farewell tour, with only five fixtures still to go before he departs for pastures new. This was the Egyptian's ninth Merseyside derby goal, putting him on par and above some of the fixture's true greats.
Merseyside derby all-time top goalscorers
Players | Club(s) | Derby appearances | Derby goals |
|---|---|---|---|
Ian Rush | Liverpool | 40 | 25 |
Dixie Dean | Everton | 16 | 18 |
Sandy Young | Everton | 21 | 12 |
Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 33 | 10 |
Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 15 | 9 |
Harry Chambers | Liverpool | 13 | 8 |
Jimmy Settle | Everton | 10 | 8 |
Jack Parkinson | Liverpool | 17 | 8 |
Peter Beardsley | Both | 18 | 7 |
Graeme Sharp | Everton | 32 | 7 |
This was Salah's ninth goal against Everton, a tally only bettered by Ian Rush and Steven Gerrard. The Egyptian has now matched the Premier League record of nine, alongside Gerrard, with the midfield legend having also bagged one in an FA Cup fourth round tie in 2009.
Fair to say, Rush's record of 25 is unlikely to ever be beaten, even if one discounts the five he bagged in the short-lived Football League Super Cup, scoring all five across both legs of the one and only final in the competition's ill-fated history.
For Salah, as mentioned, he has now scored 257 goals in 439 appearances for Liverpool, behind only Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285) on the club's all-time list. Well, with the 33 year old having confirmed he will depart this summer, there are only five more opportunities to see him in a red shirt.
Liverpool's remaining fixutres
- Saturday 25 April: Crystal Palace - Anfield. Kick off 3pm.
- Sunday 3 May: Manchester United - Old Trafford. Kick off 3:30pm.
- Saturday 9 May: Chelsea - Anfield. Kick off 12:30pm.
- Friday 15 May (predicted). Aston Villa - Villa Park. Kick off TBC.
- Sunday 24 May. Brentford - Anfield. Kick off 4pm.
While Everton are among Salah's favourite opponents, the two teams he has scored the most goals against are Spurs and Manchester United, both 16. He has the chance to add to his eight-goal haul at Old Trafford a week on Sunday, before also facing former side Chelsea at Anfield.
The Egyptian king has been nowhere near his best this season, bagging his 12th goal of the campaign at the weekend, following on from a tally of 34 last time round. Nevertheless, his Liverpool legacy will never be in any doubt, and Evertonians will surely be pleased to see the back of him.
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