Everton fell to a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool, but a couple of Toffees players were really unlucky to have been on the losing side.
There was heartbreak for David Moyes’ side, as Virgil van Dijk scored in the dying moments to hand Liverpool all three points.
What went wrong there for Everton? 😫
Heartbreak for the Blues in the derby
Beto of Everton leaves the pitch due to a injury during the Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It was not how Evertonians had envisaged the first ever Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium going.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had a big influence on the game once again for Everton, assisting the Everton goal scored by Beto.
Arguably, he was Everton’s best player on the day.
But there was another player in blue today who must be especially gutted about the result as he didn’t deserve to be a loser.
Liverpool defeat will be tough to take for Iliman Ndiaye
Iliman Ndiaye on the ball for Everton.
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
Iliman Ndiaye thought he had etched his name into the Everton history books again today.
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The Senegal international scored the final goal for the men’s team at Goodison Park, and then got the first at Hill Dickinson.
Today, he found the net in the first-half.
But his effort was chalked off because Jake O’Brien was offside in the build-up.
Iliman Ndiaye celebrates for Everton.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
A frustrating moment indeed. But Ndiaye didn’t let his levels drop despite the frustration. As per Sofascore, he contested the most duels of any Everton player in the game with 14. This was second only to Mo Salah (15).
He also used the ball well, completing 28/32 (88%) passes.
His 55 touches were bettered only by Dewsbury-Hall (58) and Vitalii Mykolenko (68). He also completed 3/6 duels, and just generally gave Curtis Jones a torrid time.
Who was your Man of the Match from that Merseyside Derby loss? 😬
There were some solid displays out there despite the result… 💪
Everton v Liverpool - Premier League
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
One can only hope Ndiaye will use today’s frustration as fuel moving forward. And the same can really be said of the whole team.
Champions League football is likely beyond Everton now.
But the Europa League and the Conference League are still very much in sight for Everton, with the league table extremely tight.
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