Jarrad Branthwaite was the hero for Everton in the Merseyside derby - despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin's best efforts.
Against the odds, Sean Dyche's side were in the ascendancy early one as they hosted Liverpool in a crunch Premier League clash on Wednesday. And after Calvert-Lewin had a penalty appeal ruled out early on, he came close to raining on his team-mate's parade minutes later.
Branthwaite, 21, sent Goodison Park into raptures when he found space at the back post to poke past Alisson. But some fans were in stitches at Calvert-Lewin's desperate slide over the line in an apparent attempt to steal the glory for himself.
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"Branthwaite the scorer actually, DCL tried to David Nugent him," wrote journalist Shamoon Hafez on X (formerly Twitter).
Former Portsmouth and Leicester striker Nugent infamously took a goal from Jermain Defoe in his England debut against Andorra in March 2007. Defoe's goalbound shot was about to cross the line when Nugent needlessly stole in to tap in what would be his only international goal in his sole international appearance.
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In Calvert-Lewin's defence, it looked much more touch and go as to whether Branthwaite's shot - which was saved by Alisson but spun goalwards underneath the Brazilian - would cross the line. But the Nugent comparison was hilarious all the same.
The defender's close-range strike marked Everton's first goal against Jurgen Klopp's side since Demarai Gray's worldie in December 2021. A run of 438 minutes without hitting the back of the net in the derby, ended with a hit that could prove crucial to the Toffees' top-flight hopes come the end of this season.
The Toffees went in with a 1-0 lead at the break thanks to Branthwaite's finish, with the blue half of Merseyside still desperately fighting relegation. Liverpool, on the other hand, are locked in a battle for the Premier League title and can ill afford any slip-up at this late stage of the season.
