Mohamed Salah marked what is set to be his final appearance in the Merseyside derby with a goal, as Liverpool secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on 19 April 2026 — a result that keeps their Champions League qualification hopes firmly alive.
Salah, who announced he will leave the club at the end of the season, returned to Arne Slot’s starting lineup after being dropped for the midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The Egyptian opened the scoring when Cody Gakpo released him in behind the Everton defence, and he finished past Jordan Pickford with composure.
Everton, managed by David Moyes, had come into the contest with momentum, fielding the same starting eleven that drew 2-2 with Brentford the previous weekend. The hosts had an early goal disallowed for offside before Liverpool took the lead, and they responded with sustained second-half pressure that eventually produced an equaliser. Ibrahima Konate misjudged a cross-field pass, gifting Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall the space to deliver a ball across the face of goal, which Beto converted with a sliding finish.
With the scores level and time running down, Liverpool found a winner deep into stoppage time. Eleven minutes of injury time had elapsed when Virgil van Dijk rose to meet an in-swinging corner from Dominik Szoboszlai, heading home from six yards to settle the contest and send the travelling support into jubilation.
The victory moves Liverpool into a stronger position in the race for European qualification. Heading into the match in fifth place in the Premier League table, Slot’s side now have five games remaining to secure a Champions League berth for next season. The margin for error remains slim, with the top-four picture in the division still congested at this stage of the campaign.
Salah’s goal adds to a remarkable personal record in this fixture. The forward has been one of the most prolific players in Merseyside derby history during his time at Anfield, and Saturday’s strike is expected to be his last in the contest given his confirmed exit at the close of the 2025-26 season. His return to the XI came after reported criticism of Slot’s decision to bench him for the PSG fixture, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher among those to publicly question the omission.
For Everton, the defeat continues a difficult period under Moyes. The Toffees, now playing home fixtures at the Hill Dickinson Stadium following their move from Goodison Park, remain in a precarious league position and will need results from their remaining games to ensure safety. Beto’s equaliser offered a glimpse of a positive result before van Dijk’s late intervention extinguished those hopes.
Liverpool’s attention now turns to their remaining Premier League fixtures as they look to finish the season strongly in Slot’s first full campaign in charge at the club.
