Gylfi Sigurdsson was on the centre spot ready to restart the final seconds of another stoppage-time and self-inflicted derby defeat for Everton. Jürgen Klopp, having filled the empty stands of Goodison Park with a boom of delight when Jordan Henderson struck Liverpool’s winner in the 92nd minute, was cajoling his players back into position. Then the referee, Michael Oliver, stopped. Everything stopped; the restart, the defeat and the victory. All wiped away by the ruinous influence of VAR.
When Oliver awarded a free-kick to Everton for a barely detectable offside against Sadio Mané, and not the goal everyone inside the stadium believed had been scored, the blue contingent dotted around the directors’ box leapt into the air. As well they might, unaccustomed as they are to outrageous fortune in the Merseyside derby. Everton’s 10-year wait for a win over
Liverpool goes on but this time without complaint.