Liverpool fan-favourite Dirk Kuyt was a hero for the Reds against Everton and has admitted that he was lucky to enjoy one moment of glory against the Toffees when he avoided a red card
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Dirk Kuyt was lucky not to be sent off
Dirk Kuyt puts in a flying challenge on Phil Neville(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
DirK Kuyt once scored a last-minute penalty to earn Liverpool a derby win over Everton, and the Dutchman is thankful VAR was unable to deny him that moment. But not because he was fortunate to see the official to point to the spot in the 2-1 win - because he was lucky to still be on the pitch.
The Merseyside derby is no stranger to a strong tackle that goes over the line, and the 2007 clash at Goodison Park was no different. Kuyt, 44, twice got on the scoresheet in a tempestuous affair.
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When Phil Neville attempted to blast the ball away with the scores even, little did he know Kuyt would be soon steaming in at him and taking to the air at almost waist-height. Both feet left the ground and were presented in the Everton star's direction as a dropkick eventually head towards Neville's knees.
Somehow, contact was surprisingly light. The Toffees veteran escaped with barely a scrape and Kuyt was only shown a yellow card before Tony Hibbert and Neville were shown red in the game.
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"I was very lucky to come away from that because if I had a red card, I would not have managed to score the winning goal," Kuyt told Telegraph Sport. "It’s crazy when you play these kinds of games because there’s a lot of adrenalin, a lot of emotion.
"You want to fight so hard for your shirt, you want to give everything and manage whatever needs to be done.
“I flew through the air and thank God there was no VAR there at the time. When I was in the air, I knew I was way too late and I was on the point of doing something crazy.
Phil Neville of Everton handballs on the line to give a penalty away for the winning goal which was scored by Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt scored the winning goal from the penalty spot after Phil Neville was sent off for handball
"I tried to hold my legs inside me just to be lucky not to touch him. I think I was very lucky not to get the red card."
Kuyt has a deep appreciation for the derby matches he experienced during his six years and 285 appearances for Liverpool. The Dutch workhorse scored five goals in 13 appearances against Everton and loved the war.
"For the city and for the supporters, it means so much, so these were the best games to play for me," he added. "The Liverpool-Everton derby, or the game with Manchester United. They were the biggest games in the league.
"They were tough games and there was a lot of tension in the stadium. But I have good memories at Goodison Park, because I scored many goals there. There’s a lot of tension on and off the pitch, but once the game is over there is respect for each other. And that’s how football should be. It’s a war for 90 minutes, and after you shake hands and life goes on.”
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