As the Premier League season enters its pivotal final stages, a marquee matchup looms large on the fixture list – the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool. But this edition carries extra significance, as it marks the last league meeting between the fierce city rivals at Everton’s iconic Goodison Park stadium before the Toffees relocate to their state-of-the-art Bramley-Moore Dock home next season. Liverpool arrive sitting pretty atop the table, knowing a win would open up a commanding nine-point lead in their quest to regain the title. Everton, meanwhile, are scrapping to stave off relegation after a tumultuous campaign that saw manager Sean Dyche ousted. The return of David Moyes to the Goodison dugout has steadied the ship, but can he mastermind a famous upset to etch this milestone occasion into Everton folklore?
Goodison Park: A Fortress of Memories
For Evertonians, Goodison Park is hallowed ground, a cathedral of football that has borne witness to triumph and heartache, to legends and cult heroes, across its storied 134-year history. From the glory days of the 1980s to the graft of the Moyes era, every blade of grass holds a story.
If those walls could speak, they would tell you tales of Pelé and Eusébio, and of titles and relegations.
Andrew Gower, Everton fan and actor
On derby day, Goodison transforms into a bearpit, a crackling cauldron of noise wherein the Gwladys Street End serves as the 12th man, roaring the players on and making the aging girders quake. As Gower attests, there is nothing quite like it when the old ground is rocking under the lights.
Liverpool Looking to Capitalize
For Liverpool, the prize is tantalisingly close. Under new head coach Arne Slot, the Reds have re-emerged as a slick winning machine, with just one league defeat blotting their campaign to date. Slot has reinvigorated a squad that limped to the finish last term, coaxing career-best form from the likes of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. A victory on enemy soil would strike a mighty psychological blow in the title race.
Liverpool legend John Aldridge knows all about the unique pressures of Merseyside derbies, having turned out for both clubs in his playing days. He stresses that Slot’s men cannot afford a repeat of last season’s chastening defeat:
We were outfought and outbattled so we need to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
John Aldridge, former Liverpool striker
Can Everton Rise to the Occasion?
On paper, Liverpool look strong favorites, but Everton will be desperate to give Goodison the send-off it deserves. Moyes’ men have shown flickers of their potential since his return, stringing together three successive league wins to climb out of the drop zone. If they can harness the energy of the crowd and the magnitude of the occasion, an upset is not beyond the realms of possibility.
If we got a derby win, I think that could be a platform for the rest of the season. I couldn’t even put into words what a win would mean to Everton fans.
David Bond, Everton pub owner
The Toffees would love nothing more than to crush their neighbors’ title dreams, just as they did in 2019 with a gritty 0-0 draw. The ghosts of Goodison past will be willing them on, demanding one last herculean effort before the old girl shuts her doors for good.
Embracing the Future
While Wednesday represents the end of an era for Everton, it also heralds an exciting future across town at the 53,000-seater Bramley-Moore Dock stadium. After years of political wrangling and financial constraints, the Toffees can finally look forward to a home befitting their ambitions. New ownership under the Friedkin Group promises to restore stability off the pitch, giving Moyes a platform to build a competitive squad.
Make no mistake, though, Goodison Park will be a tough act to follow. Generations of Blues have grown up on its slopes, forging bonds and memories that will last a lifetime. Local haunts like the Winslow Hotel pub, where fans gather pre and post-match, are institutions in their own right. For stalwarts like publican Bond, adapting to the new reality will be a challenge.
The move to Bramley-Moore has been seven years in the making so I have been looking at different contingency plans… But the whole ritual around the new stadium is going to be entirely different to how it is at Goodison Park.
David Bond, The Winslow Hotel
Anything Can Happen
For 90 minutes on Wednesday night, though, all eyes will be fixed on the present. Local pride is at stake, along with Liverpool’s title tilt and Everton’s top-flight status. Slot’s Reds are purring, but there would be no finer way for Everton to bring the curtain down on Goodison than with a famous giant-killing.
Actor and Evertonian Andrew Gower captures the mood:
Anything can happen on derby day, and if we do get the three points it will be a special way to draw the curtain on the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Andrew Gower, Everton fan
Whatever the outcome, it promises to be a night high on emotion, a fitting final chapter in the Goodison derby odyssey. The noise will be deafening, the tension palpable, a reminder of everything that makes these local skirmishes so captivating. Liverpool may have history in their sights, but Everton have Goodison Park in their hearts. Only one can prevail.
