Moyes relishes 'fitting' finish to final Goodison derby
James Tarkowski's 98th-minute volley clinched a point for Everton as they fought back against Liverpool in Tuesday's dramatic derby.
David Moyes declared that Goodison Park had witnessed a "fitting" finish to the final Merseyside derby at the ground as Everton claimed a dramatic 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
Liverpool looked set to win the 120th meeting between the sides at the famous old stadium, after goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah put them 2-1 up.
But James Tarkowski beat Alisson with a ferocious volley deep into stoppage time to spark wild scenes among the home fans, with the goal confirmed following a lengthy VAR review.
Timed at 97 minutes and eight seconds, Tarkowski's strike is the latest on record in a Merseyside derby in the Premier League.
It is also the second-latest conceded by Liverpool in the competition overall, after Robin van Persie's goal for Arsenal in April 2011 (97 minutes and 10 seconds).
Many Everton fans remained in the stands long after full-time to serenade their players, with Moyes describing the experience as one of his most memorable as a manager.
"Mental probably sums it up. A brilliant finish for us, to finish the last Goodison Merseyside derby and score in the last minute is fitting," he told TNT Sports.
"We would have liked to have won the game, but at 2-1 down I was just thinking that we probably weren't going to get back in, it just looked like Liverpool would keep us out.
"We worked hard, kept at it, we probably had more attempts in the second half than the first but didn't have the quality to get a good enough finish away... but Tarky did, which was the one that really mattered.
"To score that goal, it will be remembered in history."
Asked where the game ranked among his experiences of facing Liverpool, Moyes added: "It was right up there. I think the night was made for something to happen.
"It wasn't the best game of football, but it was a bit of a throwback. A bit scrappy.
"Liverpool are an incredibly talented team so we had to find a way of making that gap not so big tonight and I thought we did a good job at it."
The drama continued after full-time as Abdoulaye Doucoure and Curtis Jones were shown red cards following a scuffle, with Liverpool coach Arne Slot also seeing red after exchanging words with referee Michael Oliver.
Asked about those incidents, Moyes said: "I'm disappointed with Doucoure because we need him, we're down on numbers at the moment. We've got to be careful what we do.
"Discipline is never easy sometimes in these games and tonight was a game where quite easily sending-offs happen."