In December the Merseyside Derby was postponed due to dangerous and unfavorable weather conditions in Storm Darragh. It is therefore quite ironic that the scenes caused such a massacre in the streets of Liverpool after the game in Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.
Storm Doucoure, if you want, after Everton -midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure turned on a series of events that saw four red cards, fights, fans on the field, thrown bottles of the stands and eight arrests made by the police.
Walking from this large old stadium just before midnight was to witness a scene like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film. Fireworks shops have done a roaring trade, based on the floor. There was also Glass Intenty and hundreds of empty beer cans along Goodison Road.
This was the calmness after the storm, at least outside the ground. Back in the city, Evertonians went on their way to their favorite cast holes to toast a famous night and sang hundreds of at 11 p.m. at the station of Kirkdale, who tiles those lonely supporters with stains of red on their clothes.
There was also a calm for the storm. That came when David Moyes brought his team to Goodison at about 3 p.m., almost like taking a squadron to the battlefield before the war. They have followed a very light training session and the Everton boss gave them an almighty Pep Talk.
He spoke the importance of the luminaire and what it means for the loyal fan base that the team held through good and, more recently, the bad times. Moyes discussed the old lady a famous broadcast. Replicate the passion of the terraces on the field.
At that time, the Winslow -Pub was already full of gamblers to calm the nerves. Sky Sports News was live outside to talk to fans. With four and a half hours until the kick -off, Moyes had achieved his goal to give his troops a feeling for the occasion and what it means for the city.
That was probably the last moment of calmness all day. From that moment it was a night of chaos on and next to the field. When the Everton team bus returned to the stadium at 5.45 pm, they were greeted by thousands of fans singing and illuminating the early evening blue sky blue.
A man played bagpipes to greet them and Moyes was said that he was surprised by the reception, which was louder and more partizan than he ever saw in the game in his several decades.
Some reporters were submitted in the press box as if they had just left their daily task by the mines. “It is the massacre outside,” a colleague said, his cheeks blown up with his face considerably darker and dirt from a hundred blue torches and pyros.
“Supporters on Goodison Road, go to the sidewalks to allow the team bus to leave the building,” a call on a PA system came out. Big chance of that there was just no room to go into.
Children were stuck on their father's shoulders with fireworks – not also little ones – and some fans were climbed on top of street plates. It felt like the Premier League leaders Liverpool walked into a kettle of noise and hostility, who dared to peek behind enemy lines.
Many clichés are used to describe the atmosphere, but here, when Beto Everton fired after 11 minutes, you really felt the ground vibrate. The press box was so tight that you could not move more than a centimeter of elbows or knees, the interest of the media in this event, was the start of a long farewell to this stadium.
This was the location where Liverpool's title costs crashed and burned last year and for a large part of this competition it felt as if the sound and the feeling of occasion strangled them again. Team-of-the-season contenders such as Ryan Gravenberch looked like a rabbit in the headlights.
Small pieces of work were done by Everton's staff – deliberately or not – to complete their neighbors. Former Blue Mikel Arteta, now the best rival of Liverpool for the Premier League title as Arsenal -Baas, was the program -coverer, depicted by celebrating a goal in this fixture in 2010. Coincidence? The lips were sealed when our questions rained on Thursday, so you have to make your own mind.
Assemblies of former Derby Day triumphs for Everton were shown on the big screen. Liverpool players, who warmed up, were hardly glued to the clips, but it was all part of the process to deliver the playing field for two teams that are now a wave apart.
But despite the fact that they did not play at their highest level, the men of Arne Slot saw in winning the game after Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah objectives had made the score on 2-1. It would not have been their best victory, but certainly their biggest in terms of importance and would have protected a nine points lead at the top of 14 games.
Some Everton fans had seen enough when we entered the stopping time. Former rugby player of England Austin Healey called in to say that this was his last game ever at Goodison because of work obligations, but he left early because he could no longer take. Shameful, really, but he was not alone.
Hundreds of those who had given up could quickly reverse their decision and came back into the ground after James Tarkowski came up with one of the Great Derby moments in his history with a thunderous strike to be tied in the 98th minute.
“It was a special, special evening,” said the Everton stand-in skipper. 'What a way to complete the last derby here. There were people who grabbed me, I had an 80-year-old who grabbed me and then a five-year-old child who pulled me on the floor! There were stewards everywhere, it was chaos.
'I had a few promotions and played for my country, but this is the biggest moment of my career. With everything that happens now, so that this iconic stadium, a special stadium, will be the biggest moment. '
The sound when that strike hit the back of the net, was 131 years old mersideerbies in this stadium in a microcosm. “The place cooked warm all night,” as Moyes described it. It also led to the moment that this competition has been perfectly summarized.
Slot threw his hands in the air and turned to the fourth official, a calm man lost his cool and let his frustrations become known. In the background of the clip of that scene, Jordan Pickford suddenly appears while he slides knee to the touchline. Anger versus euphoria.
Then the storm of a full fight came full time after Doucoure ran to the end of the road. The football media can often exceed such moments, but this was really a melee, fight or fracas for the centuries. Whatever word you prefer, it was a real free for-all anger.
Curtis Jones rushed to Doucoure to take a problem. As a scouser this meant more for people like Jones. Both midfielders will be banned for their competitions at the weekend for their actions. If it was not for teammates who stopped him, Jones might have been in further problems.
Referee Michael Oliver looked for what he believed as an injustice was a small push in Ibrahima Konate in the run-up to the goal and also received himself. Slot's assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, also saw that Red and Virgil van Dijk had to pull him off the commotion.
Many believe that Slot was sent for an aggressive handshake that was given to Oliver, but sources that were at spit distance of the event, Mail Sport said that the real reason was that the Reds -Baas was punished for two separate tirades that the referee believed That a red card justified.
Oliver immediately submitted his competition report and the FA assesses that, plus match images, to determine whether or not he should charge the lock for his actions. He can get a touchline ban if the FA considers it suitable, although there will be a delay in this process.
The Premier League wrote on Thursday on her website that he would get a suspension of two games, but this was human mistakes. A red card for coaching staff does not automatically lead to a ban and the FA takes it on a case -by -case basis.
Slot looked frustrated when he left the stadium with Hulshoff closely on his tail. According to the Premier League rule K141, the boss was not obliged to do a press conference after the game. He was not forbidden to do one because stadium staff told the media room, but was not obliged to do this.
Bruno Fernandes spoke with the media, for example, after he was sent to Tottenham in September. Given the frustration of Slot about the outcome and referee, it was probably the best that he did not speak, because this could have caused him more problems with the FA.
Expert Lip-Reader Jeremy Freeman told Sport Sport that he believed that Slot to Oliver said: 'Great game. Of course, do you give me a red for that? I will watch it for later. '
Back in the tunnel there was a large number of wild sounds from all corners. Liverpool players continued to express their anger – Alexis Mac Allister was said that it was extremely vocal – while the stars of Everton and laughed in the faces of their bitter rivals.
Both teams are likely to be confronted with a probe not to control their players.
Replacement Harvey Elliott, who moves to the commotion near the end, held an interview for TNT sport where he joked how he didn't feel the atmosphere, apart from that of the traveling head.
The Liverpool players quickly left with their hoods and faces such as Thunder. In the meantime, Everton stars kept around to catch up with family and friends in the tunnel, some with pizza boxes in hand … Although there would be no 'pizza -mate' follow -up!
Apart from the players, the police of MerseSide made eight arrests – four outside and four in the ground. Mail Sport also understands that they have started a study that is working with stadium staff to identify people who threw bottles on the field full -time, one of which hit the group of players who struggled with each other before the end of the Liverpool.
A 34-year-old from Croydon was arrested after throwing an electric cigarette. Four arrests were for singing tragedy, two were for 'violation of peace' and one was for drunk and disorderly behavior. Four men were interviewed in police detention on Thursday.
Back in the stands was the pandemonium. Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham was one of those in the director's box, but soon celebrated with ordinary fans on the cheap seats.
About 100 fans stormed the field, one of them grabbed the corner flag in Delirium.
Fans remained good after the last whistle and did a medley of songs that ended with Elton John's I des that is why they call it The Blues, a song that played on Howard Kendall's funeral in 2015. It felt appropriate.
Striker Beto ran a round of the field in jubilation, soon accompanied by Doucoure and the couple danced before the end of Gwladys Street. As Peter Drury said in commentary, this was a moment for all Evertonian generations as a savior.
Toffees -Legend Peter Reid joked to email sport: “I have to go to the hospital … to have this smile removed from my face!” The walk back to the city was mainly until the song of Everton fans who bow music and sing out of their car windows.
While the game ended, an older gentleman with a walking stick was heard that 'nothing changes' while he left at the start of the stopping time to beat the hurry.
In this case, old guy, it did that. It doesn't matter if you are old and gray like him or a child in your first derby, it will be a memory for life.
Additional reporting: Alex Jennings and Sami Mokbel.
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