The Merseyside derby has always been more than a match—it’s a cauldron of passion, where the scars of history bleed into every tackle, every roar from the Kop, and every defiant chant from the away end. On September 20, 2025, Anfield played host to the 247th installment of this storied rivalry, a clash that pitted Arne Slot’s unbeaten Liverpool against David Moyes’ resilient Everton in a Premier League showdown dripping with early-season stakes. Liverpool, riding a perfect record after four wins, welcomed a Toffees side buoyed by seven points from their opening fixtures, including a gritty draw at Arsenal and a hard-fought victory over Nottingham Forest. But what unfolded was a tale of two halves: Liverpool’s clinical first-half blitz giving way to Everton’s furious second-half siege, only for the final whistle to ignite a blaze of controversy that even reached the ears of one of Everton’s most beloved sons, Wayne Rooney.
The game ignited like dry tinder. Just 12 minutes in, Ryan Gravenberch unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards—a curling beauty that kissed the top corner and silenced the traveling Blues—putting the Reds 1-0 up. Everton, caught flat-footed, struggled to stem the tide as Liverpool’s high press dismantled their backline. The second blow landed on the half-hour mark, Hugo Ekitike— the French forward on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and a summer signing Slot had integrated seamlessly—ghosting in to nod home a pinpoint cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold. 2-0 at the break, and Anfield pulsed with the familiar rhythm of dominance. Slot’s side, blending the Dutchman’s tactical nous with the flair of stars like Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz (who, tellingly, was benched in a nod to Everton’s physicality), looked every inch the title contenders. Yet, whispers of vulnerability lingered; Liverpool had twice squandered two-goal leads this season, conceding late equalizers against Arsenal and Manchester City.
Everton emerged from the tunnel transformed, Moyes’ half-time clarion call igniting a firestorm. The Toffees, with their loanee sensation Jack Grealish pulling strings from the left flank, pressed with the ferocity of a team scorned. Grealish, the £100 million Manchester City exile seeking redemption on his season-long loan to Goodison Park, was electric—dancing past defenders, whipping in crosses that begged for a finish, and absorbing fouls like a gladiator. His vision unlocked the midfield, feeding Idrissa Gueye, whose thunderous 25-yard strike on the hour mark—a low drive that arrowed past Alisson Becker—halved the deficit and set Anfield on edge. “We had the belief,” Grealish would later reflect, his voice laced with the what-ifs of a near-miss. The final 30 minutes became a siege: Everton camped in Liverpool’s half, corners raining down like confetti, Grealish’s deliveries forcing desperate clearances. Jordan Pickford, the Everton captain and England No. 1, barked orders from the back, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto lurked like predators. Liverpool, for all their possession, retreated into a shell, Slot’s subs— including Wirtz’s introduction—barely stemming the blue tide.
But as the clock ticked mercilessly toward 90, frustration boiled over. Referee Darren England, a seasoned Premier League official, became the lightning rod. The flashpoint? Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a summer arrival from Leicester City, received a yellow card for the audacious sin of taking a free-kick too swiftly— a quick release that caught Liverpool napping but irked England, who halted play and brandished the card. “I’ve never seen that in the Premier League in the last two or three years,” Grealish fumed post-match to TNT Sports, his brow furrowed in disbelief. “Come on, I’ve never seen that.” The second grievance stung deeper: with Everton hammering at the door, England signaled just three minutes of added time—a paltry allotment given the game’s stoppages, from Liverpool’s time-wasting to the Toffees’ frantic assaults. “It was frustrating in the second half, and obviously they were trying to slow the game,” Grealish added, his tone a mix of resignation and rage. “Yeah, of course. Listen, I get sometimes you want to let the game go, but then you can’t not give something for us. Two seconds later, one of their defenders gets touched in the back, goes down, and he gives it.” The final whistle blew with the scoreline intact, Liverpool clinging to their 100% record, but Everton’s spirit unbroken. Grealish, charging toward England alongside a seething Moyes, earned his own booking for dissent—Pickford stepping in to haul him away like a big brother corralling a hothead.
Enter Wayne Rooney, the Everton academy graduate whose 253 goals for the club make him the Toffees’ all-time leading scorer, and a man whose own derby memories are etched in blue. Now a pundit on BBC Sport’s *The Wayne Rooney Show*, the 39-year-old didn’t mince words when dissecting the drama. “I’ve seen Jack’s rant about the referee, which I agree with,” Rooney declared, his voice carrying the weight of someone who’s lived the agony of Anfield defeats. A two-time Premier League winner with Manchester United, Rooney scored a derby winner there in 2005 but tasted only winless frustration during his Everton stints— a record that left him despising the buildup’s “horrible” tension, from family divides to the weight of expectation. “But in that situation, I can understand why Jack got frustrated and was having a go at the referee because you’re trying to get back in the game and the referee has completely stopped that momentum.” Rooney’s endorsement wasn’t mere solidarity; it was a veteran’s validation of Grealish’s fire. The loanee’s display—arguably man-of-the-match in defeat, with his dribbles, assists, and unyielding energy—drew praise from all quarters, including Ally McCoist, who branded the yellow card “nonsense” from the commentary gantry.
Moyes, back at the helm after a storied second spell, echoed the chorus. “Three minutes was very strange,” he lamented, pointing to the quick free-kicks repeatedly whistled back and the booking that symbolized a game skewed against momentum. “Every quick free-kick had to be stopped and brought back for the whistle and then we get a booking for it.” Dewsbury-Hall, still smarting, vented on Instagram: “Spirited performance 2nd half but ultimately disappointing result. Quick turnaround to put it right Tuesday! Amazing support. Let’s not talk about that yellow…” His posts, laced with match photos, captured the Toffees’ resolve as they eyed a midweek Carabao Cup tie against Salford City.
For Liverpool, the three points extended their flawless start, Gravenberch’s goal a career highlight and Ekitike’s poise underscoring Slot’s summer business. Yet, the derby exposed cracks— a second-half wobble that invited ghosts of dropped leads. Slot, post-match, lauded Everton’s fight: “They made it tough, credit to them.” As the dust settles, Rooney’s backing of Grealish underscores a deeper truth: in Merseyside’s cauldron, passion isn’t just fuel; it’s the lifeblood. Everton, 12th after the loss but unbeaten in four prior, carry the fire forward. Grealish, his rant a badge of honor, embodies the loanee’s redemption arc— from City benchwarmer to derby warrior. And Rooney? His words bridge eras, reminding that in the tunnel of rivalry, understanding the fury is the first step to fueling the fightback. The next derby can’t come soon enough; for now, the echoes of Anfield rage on.
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