UTFT

Life – Terror. Ecstasy. Fight. Denial. Flight. Failure. PAIN. Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Hope. Love. Peace – Death.

As a long suffering Evertonian [Blue], with a close friendship group of, largely, Liverpudlians [Red] I have had to endure decades of ridicule and negative banter. I have earned the right to enjoy a moment of ‘banter’ in return, in celebration of a vital, rare victory against our closest rivals.

I say closest, of course, I mean geographically, by proximity only. Everton have not been true footballing rivals of Liverpool since the 80’s in the same way as Everton are not footballing rivals of City or Arsenal. The ‘success’ divide between the two Merseyside clubs is currently practically immeasurable.

14 years without a home victory in the longest running football ‘Derby’ in the world. To win with such significant consequences for both teams in victory or defeat, the icing on the cake. A long overdue, priceless victory that presents an irresistible, not to be missed, opportunity for ‘Blues’ fans ‘to give a bit back to the Reds’.

Wednesday night 23^rd April Everton fans sung, with a hint of trepidation at first but the victory song soon spread around this grand old stadium like a virus. ‘You lost the league at Goodison Park,’ was the chant, ramping up in volume and speed as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, ironically by which time only Evertonians heard it as most of the Liverpool travelling away supporters had seen enough and left. Uniquely, many of them meeting up with their Blue friends mere minutes later? Fathers, sons, brothers, sisters. Families divided by allegiances to opposing ‘tribes’ united again after the match.

After countless occasions of last-minute goals for the red half of Merseyside in this fixture, Everton fans feared jinxing it by jumping the gun and singing too early. But as the minutes went by, an unexpected but richly deserved outcome came to fruition. A massive result for both clubs at diametrically opposite ends of the table.

Everton [more or less] secured Premier League survival, Liverpool [more or less], lost the opportunity of a record breaking 20^th League Title. Even the most ardent of Blues did not see this result coming. Like the 5-1 thrashing of, an inform Brighton, away last season, it was completely, ‘out of the blue’ and beyond significant. For Everton an unprecedented, second successive victory and by the end of the weekend, a few days later, a third victory. 3 successive wins, 9 points within 8 days, coming off the back of a devastating 6-0 thrashing, securing Everton’s Premier League future and with 3 games to go.

Liverpool players collapsed to the turf at full-time looking like they had just ran a marathon. The Premier League title race is a marathon not a sprint and, although the Reds started fast and kept the pace for longer than most expected, they have slowed to a walk in the final miles. Of course, it is not over until it is over but the following game a 2-2 draw away to Westham and with the form of Manchester City and Arsenal means a fairytale ending for Jurgen Klopp now requires a miracle more special than the long list of heroics which have come before for the German boss.

Speaking of Arsenal, the last Evertonian to score in a Merseyside Derby win at Goodison Park was Gunners boss Mikel Arteta way back in 2010. ‘Well not any more,’ laughed Dominic Calvert-Lewin. ‘It’s myself and Jarrad Branthwaite, we kick on and put all those records to bed.’

Everton deserve rich plaudits for the Liverpool victory, we earned it. We were the better team on the night even if it was just by ‘wanting it more’ than Liverpool. Nobody at that game would disagree. We deserved the Burnley result, our game before and the Brentford result afterwards where an exhausted squad ‘went again’ and put Everton’s premiership survival to bed once and for all. like many Evertonians, I had pondered and plotted our remaining fixtures, results, points etc. I had us down for 3 points from those three games! An incredible, unexpected week of football.

Everton v Brentford. My match day routine. A few pre-match pints with my match buddies, soccer bus, match, a few post-match bevvies. For the first time in five? seasons, I travelled to the game with a smile on my face. On the train, in the pub, in and around the ground, during the game and (especially) after the game with another victory. Smiley Blues, optimistic blues, faithful Blues. A happy ending to yet another difficult season, an unprecedented season for so many reasons.

So yes ‘we’ are celebrating like we have won the league, like we have won the world cup! ‘You piss with the cock you’ve got’. Blues do not have a lot to celebrate and laugh about and yes it is true we are not just celebrating our own club, we are ‘laughing’ at Liverpool’s demise and our part in that.

The thing about success is that the more successful you are the more people, [press, media, other fans], want to see you fail. The more ‘they’ want to laugh at you, to wish you an your arse. It is not just Blues who are ‘celebrating’ an Everton victory and the Reds demise.

What did happen to Liverpool’s season, that, a handful of weeks ago was heading towards a potential quadruple? Many ‘Reds’, fans, and pundits, believe Liverpool are punching above their weight this season e.g. failing to improve their talented squad in critical areas last summer and again in the January window. The Derby defeat, their second defeat in three league matches? Followed by a 2-2 draw away to Westham.

Many of my red friends believe Liverpool have not been ‘right since their FA Cup defeat at United and if anything ‘we lost the league at Anfield’ against Palace. Fact is all season, Liverpool have started games poorly, going 1-0 down in 15 league matches. Sooner or later, that kind of form was going to catch up with them. So too was an injury crisis that has plagued the squad all year, with Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo particularly missed at Goodison Park. But this is still a multi-million pound squad who looked, tired, disillusioned and bereft of ideas and most critically low on belief something they have never before been short of during the Klopp era.

Klopps leaving is undoubtable significant even if only subliminal. The players will have been informed prior to the incredulous, unfathomable PR decision to announce Klopp’s departure to the world with a third of a season yet to play and so many things to play for? It might be there was little or no choice? However, the effects of the announcement are clear to see? E.G. the touchline ‘words’ between Klopp and his maestro Salah during the Westham game, such negative undercurrents have been clearly fuelled by the disruption and uncertainty caused buy the clubs announcement.

It would be perhaps harsh to question the mentality of such a successful squad of players? When it is something they have been praised for all season and several seasons before. Fact is the Mentality Monsters have looked like Mentality Minnows in the last month. With a Premier League title well achievable, completely within their own hands, they have blown it with only themselves to blame.

‘Games like these, the bare minimum is fight,’ said Virgil van Dijk. ‘We were lacking that at so many moments.’ He added: ‘You can’t accept the way we let our season end, if you play like we did today, you don’t deserve to win the league.’

The most obvious problem is the lack of goals. As detailed in the media before the fixture, Mohamed Salah has been sub-par and a long way from his best. Or as club legend and Sky pundit Jamie Carragher put it, ‘a shadow of himself, especially after his injury.’

Darwin Nunez has shown glimpses of the £85million striker he is across two years on Merseyside but much of that time has been spent frustrating fans. One incident in this game saw him run through on goal only to fire straight at Jordan Pickford (again). As one Everton fan posted on social media, ‘Nunez & Diaz, broke all the shop windows on County Road’!

Even ardent Liverpool fans are fed up of making excuses for the Uruguayan forward and not just reactionary takes after a loss. Luis Diaz left the game with some credit – the only attack-minded Reds player to do so – but he does not add enough goals to the team.

There are plenty more scapegoats. Not one player has been at their best in the last month that has seen losses to Crystal Palace and Everton, a draw when dominant at Manchester United, followed by an FA Cup defeat plus a demoralising 3-0 home defeat and disappointing Europa League exit at the hands of Atalanta, an uncharacteristic Derby defeat and almost certainly the final nail, a 2-2 draw after losing then leading at Westham.

Dominik Szoboszlai, a £65m summer signing, looked like he was going to set the Premier League alight in his first few months on these shores but has played within himself since Christmas. Andy Robertson has not found his best form after a lengthy injury lay-off same with Trent, clearly to blame for Everton second goal on Wednesday evening.

Liverpool Players and staff internally referred to this season as ‘The Last Dance’, a nod to a documentary series about basketball icon Michael Jordan’s final days at the Chicago Bulls. If Liverpool’s season was indeed a dance, Strictly critics would bemoan too many careless errors. late judge Len Goodman would probably give it a ‘seveeeeen’.

No one really expected the Reds to challenge for the title this season so it is an overreaction to lambast them for being on par for their main goal of returning to Champions League football. But at one point, this season promised so much. After the ‘Kindergarten Kop’ won the Carabao Cup, four trophies were a genuine possibility.

The Klopp era looked like it was going to have a fairy tale ending but, instead, the main feeling around Anfield is deflation and devastation. I do think the strange, catastrophic, decision to announce Klopp’s departure, two thirds of the way thru the season will present a further back story that will emerge sooner rather than later.

As for Everton, I am sure I am not alone in having a few sore heads this past week and weekend. Fans had waited 14 years to beat Liverpool at Goodison Park. Some kids have grown up and gone through the majority of their schooling not being able to poke fun at their Red class-mates.

On ‘the night’ every single Everton player could be mentioned for praise, from Jordan Pickford and his string of decisive stops to Dominic Calvert-Lewin who put in a near-perfect striker’s display. He bullied Liverpool’s defence in a way that no other striker has managed this season.

Goal-scorer Jarrad Branthwaite and skipper James Tarkowski barely put a foot wrong, Jack Harrison never stopped running, Idrissa Gana Gueye was imperious in the middle and made world cup winner McAllister look ordinary, while Vitalii Mykolenko played through a nasty ankle injury that epitomises the fighting spirit within the miniscule group of players.

Credit must also go to manager Sean Dyche. He was rightly questioned after an abhorrent 6-0 thrashing at Chelsea less than a fortnight ago. The former Burnley boss held brutally honest talks with his squad and made changes to the ‘feel’ around Finch Farm. A brave call that resulted in an incredible response from his players who, this past week, did it in style.

So, ‘you lost the league at Goodison Park’ will be a stick to poke Liverpool fans with for years to come. It might have been the penultimate Derby at this iconic venue but this win ensures the final one will be priceless for Evertonians, as a Premier League club.

Dyche must barely be able to speak today (Monday) after barking orders and metaphorically kicking every ball on the touchline whilst his opposition Klopp, looked tired, maybe even ill looking? That rye smile when Calvert-Lewin, rose unopposed and scored Everton’s second goal said it all for me? I actually think there was a part of him that was slightly pleased for the joyful Everton players and fans, he is that big of a ‘human’.

I am pleased for Dyche, managing a team with one hand tired behind his back, often over ridiculed for his ‘management’ style and tactics. As I said earlier, ‘you piss with the cock you have got’. Playing almost a full season with a 10 (8) point deduction, forced to sell players due to the ineptness of those who came before you [and inevitably, more of that to come]. Having to select a team from the smallest squad in the Premier League, a diminished squad devoid of confidence and quality, Dyche has literally pulled off a footballing miracle.

Take the praise while and when you can Sir Dyche. As you well know, in Football, you are only as good as your last game. Whether by chance or by design, sporting your now lucky-charm tracksuit, this past week has been a tactical masterclass. ‘The critics’ (some of them Blues) will never be too far away and we are almost certainly going to be in a similar position this time next season.

I hope to bump into you at Glastonbury?

I would love to buy you a ‘Brothers’ Pear Cider and shake your hand for luck!

Thanks for Reading.

#UTFT