Arne Slot handed huge Liverpool boost as bold move pays off - 5 talking points vs Everton

Liverpool moved in front through Mohamed Salah against Everton but Beto leveled in the second half. This is what we spotted in the first derby at the Hill Dickinson.

Iliman Ndiaye of Everton runs through Curtis Jones and Florian Wirtz of Liverpool.(Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside via Getty Images)

HILL DICKINSON STADIUM, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool won the first Merseyside derby at Everton's new ground thanks to Virgil van Dijk's header deep into added time, with Mohamed Salah also on the scoresheet.

Moments after Iliman Ndiaye had seen a goal ruled out for an offside offense earlier in the move, Salah netted the afternoon's first goal after a great pass from Cody Gakpo parted the Everton defense.

Only a few minutes into the second half, though, Beto leveled when Ibrahima Konate switched off and Giorgi Mamardashvili was stretchered off in the process. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded as Van Dijk scored a huge late goal for Arne Slot's side, delivering a massive moment in a season that has been so lacking of such joy in the Reds' away end.

New venue, same derby

The first game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was always going to feel like a huge event — just like the last trip to Goodison Park. In the eyes of many, the big game of the day is Manchester City vs Arsenal, though not on Merseyside.

The bus welcome that unfolded outside the stadium before kick-off and the atmosphere — jeers before, during and after for Liverpool players — ensured that the occasion lived up to the billing.

The home crowd was electric, at least until the double whammy of seeing a goal ruled out by the VAR and then instantly going one behind. From the moment that Salah scored, things quietened until Liverpool offered a route back in.

David Moyes' men seemed to lose their way for a while but when Konate switched off and Beto finished well from a low cross, the game changed. Freddie Woodman's introduction also offered some extra hope, even though the 29-year-old looked calm and composed, and then there was a familiar sight: Liverpool winning almost with the last kick.

David Moyes and Arne Slot.(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Mohamed Salah leaves his mark

This was to be Salah's final Merseyside derby, and he certainly left a positive impression in the first half. His opening goal saw him join Steven Gerrard as Liverpool's record Premier League scorer in this fixture (on nine), and he played with a great deal of determination.

Salah worked hard defensively to help out Curtis Jones at right-back and looked faster and sharper in the final third than he has for a while, stepping up on the big occasion, once again giving Vitalii Mykolenko a really stern test.

His celebration in front of the traveling Liverpool fans was one that showed how much it meant to him to get on the scoresheet in this fixture once more.

Could this be one last iconic Salah image? He will hope not — there is still a trip to Old Trafford to come — but there is a possibility. He desperately wanted to leave a mark, and he certainly did in the first half, even if he faded a little in the second.

Mohamed Salah celebrates after putting Liverpool 1-0 ahead against Everton.(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Alexander Isak gamble

Jamie Carragher said before the game that it was a gamble to go with Alexander Isak, who was only physically capable of doing 45 minutes against PSG earlier in the week — when he didn't really get many touches.

It seemed that he was proven correct. Isak touched the ball just four times in the first half and while he clearly has quality, he just as obviously isn't match fit.

"During the week he was able to play 55-60 minutes," Arne Slot said. "The good thing was if you let him start, he has 15 minutes to rest at half-time and go again."

Another big-money signing, Florian Wirtz, was not given the opportunity to start the Anfield edition of this game, but the German is closer to being able to cope with the intensity of the Premier League at this stage of the campaign.

He too looked like he needed some more time to get used to playing against Everton, though he pressed and ran as hard as he could.

As with Isak, the only way of learning and improving is by playing. As Salah and Gakpo stepped up, their deficiencies were compensated for to a point, aided by Van Dijk.

Alexander Isak during the Champions League game between Liverpool and PSG.(Image: Michael Regan - UEFA via Getty Images)

Liverpool defensive instability

Another to be playing for Liverpool for the final time in a derby, Andy Robertson was chosen ahead of Milos Kerkez on this occasion, with his experience and battle-hardenedness in mind.

"One of the reasons we came up with the line-up, we all know how special this game is, so to have a little bit of experience can help," Slot told Sky Sports ahead of kick-off.

Liverpool has not been anywhere near solid enough at times this season as a defensive unit and there were times that Everton seemed to get the other side of the Reds' defense too easily.

Curtis Jones, though, playing out of position, was very good in and out of possession, a selection gamble that paid off for Slot. He was excellent throughout out, considering he was out of position.

Once Liverpool went ahead, however, the tide seemed to turn for a while. That seemed to pop the balloon in terms of the atmosphere inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and it took some time for Everton to get back on track again.

The thing that instigated it was Everton scoring, almost from nowhere, as Konate didn't do enough and Beto got across his marker to beat Mamardashvili from close range. It could have been a costly error.

Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool looks dejected during the Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Paris Saint-Germain(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Image)

Statement made at Hill Dickinson

Liverpool knew that a win would have cemented it as the favorite over Chelsea in the race for the Champions League places, with Manchester United's win away at Stamford Bridge only further underlining that.

Perhaps just as importantly, it has also gone a long, long way to easing the negativity after a difficult season. A victory in the derby, especially in that manner, will go a long way to making people forget some of the troubling scorelines that have come before.

Liverpool looked like it was going to set itself up for that, but was then unable to hold onto the lead in the second half. It may have taken a draw before a ball was kicked, but not when the half-time whistle went. In the end, it didn't need to settle, with Van Dijk stepping up when his side needed him most.