Everton use final Merseyside derby at Goodison to fire incredibly petty dig at Liverpool | OneFootball

This is it: the final time the Merseyside derby will be played on the Goodison Park turf ahead of Everton’s planned move to Bramley-Moore Dock.

A game with great significance attached for both outfits – further safety in the Premier League for the Blues, a chance to go nine points clear of Arsenal for Liverpool, and bragging rights for all!

The fixture forms part of an enlarged schedule for the visitors this February after adverse weather conditions initially postponed the tie that had been set to take place in December 2024.

Everton use final Goodison derby to fire petty blow

Liverpool currently sit six points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League – (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

You’ve got to give the Blues credit where credit is due – as far as pure-minded pettiness goes, this has to be up there.

Redmen TV shared a snap on X (formerly Twitter) showcasing the Everton match programme for the impending Merseyside derby.

Who else other than current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would grace the front cover?

To be fair to Everton, the Spaniard did fire in an impressive goal from outside the box to ensure a 2-0 win over their bitter city rivals back in 2010. Not to forget that the former midfielder was also one of the more impressive footballers to wear the shirt in the modern era.

Though, surely, the Toffees might have selected a former Evertonian not currently involved in a title race with Liverpool – with a different club?

Bit weird, but fair enough, we guess.

Liverpool v Everton: What else you need to know

A trip to Goodison sees us kick off a hellish run of league fixtures, including trips to Villa Park and the Etihad Stadium later in February.

Arne Slot has named a strong XI to face David Moyes’s rejuvenated outfit, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah returning to the side following their FA Cup exclusion.

The absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and our English contingent of footballers, however, means that this is the first time the Reds have put out a first-XI bereft of a single Englishman.

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