It’s moments like this which remind us exactly why certain players define eras at Liverpool, and Jamie Carragher didn’t hesitate to underline that after our dramatic derby win.
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A 100th-minute winner from Virgil van Dijk sealed a 2-1 victory over Everton, with Mo Salah once again playing a decisive role in the game, and it’s those two names which dominated the post-match reaction.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the final whistle, Jamie Carragher was clear just how significant the result could be in the wider context of the season.
He said: “The result is absolutely huge for Liverpool when you consider the Chelsea result yesterday.
“When that board went up for eleven minutes [added time], I’d have shaken hands with anyone and taken the points from a Liverpool point of view.”
The former defender admitted that, late on, the game looked like it might slip away from us, with Everton arguably the more threatening side in the closing stages.
Carragher added: “Everton were probably more the team that you thought were creating any chances and really probably looked a little bit more threatening than Liverpool towards the end of that game.”
But ultimately, it came down to quality and experience in the biggest moment.
The 48-year-old summed it up perfectly when he pointed to the players who decided the game, describing them as figures who continue to deliver when it matters most.
He said: “When you think about how Liverpool have won this game, two of the absolute legends of the club have done it… as I said, two of the absolute greats, and that man [Mo Salah] has done it again… you can always rely upon him.”
That reliability is something we’ve seen time and time again, especially in fixtures like this, where emotions are high and margins are fine.
Curtis Jones made a similar point after the match, suggesting Everton celebrating being close to us in one of our worst seasons says everything about the gap between the sides, while Van Dijk himself has already spoken about how important Salah remains on and off the pitch.
When you combine those perspectives, it becomes clear that even in a season where consistency hasn’t always been there, having players of this calibre still gives us a decisive edge, and once again, they proved it when it mattered most.