What an absolute howler of a mistake. Everton looked to be on their way to a rare point at Anfield this afternoon, with the game locked in a 0-0 stalemate deep into injury time.
The teams had been relatively even throughout the 90 minutes, with players from both sides missing some excellent opportunities. Liverpool pushed for a late winner, but their efforts had proven fruitless. That is until Jordan Pickford lost his head.
After a long ball into the penalty area was cleared, Virgil van Dijk hit a poor volley attempt which looked to be dropping over the crossbar. For some reason, Pickford decided to try and jump up and catch the ball, making an absolute mess of it.
This allowed Divock Origi (who you probably forgot existed until around an hour ago) the opportunity to nod home the winner.
Unsurprisingly, Jurgen Klopp went nuts. He darted onto the pitch celebrating Origi's goal, grabbing Alisson in an embrace. The Brazilian was clearly surprised to see his manager, but you can see what it means to Klopp.
"Look at Jurgen Klopp!" 😂
"This place has gone berserk!" 😱
When Divock Origi scores a 96th minute winner against #EFC...
Watch one of the most bizarre Merseyside derby winners in history here: https://t.co/rJ54Gzv6sy pic.twitter.com/h4nLqQeFDl— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 2, 2018
Klopp seemed embarrassed by his reaction, apologising for his celebrations in his post-match interview. He also apologised to Everton boss Marco Silva at the full-time whistle. He told Sky Sports News:
I have to apologise for how I reacted. I did immediately afterwards to Marco Silva, I didn't want to be disrespectful but I couldn't stop myself...
If I could describe (how he felt when Liverpool scored) I could control it and I probably wouldn't run on the pitch. Today because of the intensity, I cannot hide my emotions, I did it. I'm not sure what the FA will do in this situation.
The plan was not to run and when I stopped I was close to Alisson, he was surprised, you should have seen his eyes.
Regardless of your opinion of Klopp, it is hard not to admire his passion. The German knows that any dropped points could prove disastrous in their quest to catch Manchester City this season, and you could sense the relief around Anfield when Origi nodded home the winner.
It is going to be a long campaign, but today was a timely reminder to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City that Liverpool are not going anywhere.
