Gary Neville has shared why he started to feel quite sad towards the end of Wednesday’s Merseyside derby as Everton closed in on a famous win over Liverpool at Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche‘s men moved themselves to the brink of safety in the Premier League with a colossal performance against the Reds, who could not cope with Everton.
Everton were awarded an early penalty after Alisson Becker brought down Dominic Calvert-Lewin with a desperate challenge, before an offside rescued the Reds.
However, they were not rescued for long, with Jarrad Branthwaite giving Everton the lead during the first-half, before Calvert-Lewin doubled the advantage after the break.
Gary Neville saddened towards end of Everton’s Merseyside derby win
Liverpool dominated possession and did test Jordan Pickford on a few occasions, but it was quite clear from the early stages that Everton had almost caught the Premier League title-chasers off guard.
Certainly, there were a lot of reasons that made the game even more special, with Jurgen Klopp overseeing his final Merseyside derby at a time when Liverpool are going for the title, while Everton are looking to ensure that they remain in the top-flight.
But it is also one of the final Merseyside derbies at Goodison Park. The atmosphere was electric from the early stages, and yet, found another gear towards the end when it was clear that Dyche’s men were cruising to victory.
With that, Gary Neville has told The Gary Neville Podcast that Wednesday’s game highlighted just how much the game is going to miss Goodison.
“This gantry is the only one left in the league that shakes when this crowd behind us jump and go crazy, and the fact that we’re not going to be in this ground, witnessing these types of atmospheres is quite sad. That’s what I felt towards the last part of the game, this idea that this great old ground that obviously needs modernising, they need to go to their new ground, we know how it works, but this is one of the last great grounds in the Premier League,” he said.
“Been around such a long time, played here so many times and it’s been at its absolute best tonight, and I didn’t expect it, Peter, I didn’t expect it all day. When you saw that team sheet that Liverpool put on, I even thought would Sean Dyche think I’ve got a victory against Forest, Brentford are coming Saturday, try and leave two or three out and say they’re a bit tight or not quite there and need a bit of rest. But no, what we’ve seen tonight was a ferocious Everton, a throwback.”
Toffees now face impossible task as stadium move edges closer
As a neutral, it is unquestionably sad when clubs do move away from grounds like Goodison Park, because they have the kind of character which new stadiums just cannot inherit.
In fairness, plenty of teams have seen stadium moves work for them, and Everton will be hoping that heading to Bramley Moore Dock will help them find another level.
Fortunately, the Everton fans will still be there, doing their absolute best to intimate opponents and inspire their side to some remarkable performances.
But it will definitely be a sad day when the Toffees have exited the Goodison Park theatre for the final time.
The post 'That's what I felt': Gary Neville shares why he was quite sad towards end of Everton's Merseyside derby win appeared first on TBR Football.
