Thursday’s briefing: Thrilling Merseyside derby and Harry Kane downs Celtic | OneFootball

The final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ended in dramatic fashion as Everton snatched a 2-2 draw against Liverpool thanks to James Tarkowski’s equaliser deep into stoppage time that was followed by four red cards.

Celtic were beaten 2-1 at home by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, Harry Kane netting the visitors’ second before Daizen Maeda’s goal gave Brendan Rodgers’ men some hope.

Arsenal looked to have suffered a significant blow with Kai Havertz reportedly set to be sidelined for the rest of the season, and there was more joy for Plymouth and a record set by Burnley in Wednesday’s Championship action.

Derby drama

Heading into the final stages of the contest at Goodison Park, Liverpool were going nine points clear at the top of the Premier League having turned things around, with Beto’s early opener for Everton swiftly cancelled out by Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah then adding a 73rd-minute strike.

But Tarkowski volleyed home a leveller for David Moyes’ Toffees in the eighth minute of added time, sparking chaotic scenes.

Fans spilled onto the pitch and Abdoulaye Docoure celebrated in front of visiting supporters.

He was confronted by Curtis Jones and a scuffle led to both players being sent off for second bookings before Reds manager Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also dismissed by referee Michael Oliver.

Celtic still in it

At Celtic Park, Bayern dominated the first half and took the lead just before the interval through an emphatic Michael Olise finish.

Kane subsequently doubled the advantage by volleying his 29th goal of the season four minutes after the break as he connected with Joshua Kimmich’s corner.

But Celtic managed to hit back with 11 minutes of normal time remaining, Maeda heading in to keep Celtic in with a shout heading into next Tuesday’s second leg.

Season over for Havertz?

Having had some major injury issues to contend with this term, it appears Arsenal have been hit by another as it was reported that forward Havertz had sustained a torn hamstring during the club’s warm-weather training camp in Dubai and was set to miss the remainder of the campaign.

The Gunners were not commenting on the scale of the Germany international’s injury and Havertz – their top-scorer this term with 15 goals – was due to face further tests when Mikel Arteta’s men arrived back in England.

Arsenal, who did not bolster their attack in the January transfer window, already have Gabriel Jesus (anterior cruciate ligament) out for the season, while Gabriel Martinelli suffered an injury at Newcastle last week and Bukayo Saka has been sidelined since December, with it hoped he could return next month.

Three days on from their shock FA Cup victory over Liverpool, Plymouth moved off the foot of the Championship table with a 5-1 hammering of Millwall at Home Park that included a brace for Sunday’s matchwinner Ryan Hardie.

Third-placed Burnley made English Football League history as they became the first second-tier side to register 10 consecutive clean sheets after a 2-0 win over Hull, while Sheffield United kept the Clarets three points behind them and closed to within two of leaders Leeds with a 3-1 triumph over Middlesbrough.

Blackburn shrugged off the absence from the touchline of boss John Eustace, who is in talks with Derby, to win 2-0 at West Brom.

Thursday sees the play-off rounds in the Europa League and Conference League get under way, with the latter including Shamrock Rovers in history-making action.

The Dublin outfit, who are the first League Of Ireland team to reach the knockout stages of a major European competition, play leg one of their tie against Molde in Norway.