Harvey Elliott poked fun at the Everton crowd in the aftermath of the chaotic final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, claiming the players were only affected by the Liverpool supporters, not the home fans.
The atmosphere certainly led to an emotional night as Everton fans went through their carousel of chants and songs. But as the game moved into the latter stages, with Liverpool leading, it was the away corner making all the noise.
‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was greeted with boos while the visiting fans belted out ‘we won the league at Goodison Park’. Except there was one final twist as James Tarkowski netted an injury-time equalizer to rescue a point for David Moyes’ side.
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That spanked pandemonium inside the ground and that passion spilled over at the end of the game with Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure sent off their roles in sparking an on-field melee. Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also shown red cards on a drama-filled night.
But speaking after the game, Elliott said the Reds were not swept up in the emotion created by the fans. Speaking to TNT Sports, the Liverpool midfielder was asked if he ‘felt the crowd’, and Elliott replied bluntly: “Not really, no.”
Pushed again on whether he ‘felt the roar’, Elliott responded: “Yeah, from the Liverpool fans,” before walking off. It was a clear dig at the home supporters as the Liverpool star refused to give the opposition any plaudits.
The result means Liverpool extended its lead at the top of the table to seven points but Tarkowski’s late strike prevented that becoming nine, a clear source of frustration for Elliot.
“This game feels like a loss but, because of everything that happened, I feel like we need to look at the bigger picture,” he explained. “It’s a point on the board at a tough ground. The circumstances as well with it being the last Merseyside derby here.”
Liverpool hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers next in the Premier League and will move a game clear of Arsenal in the table when it travels to Aston Villa next Wednesday. The Gunners face relegation-threatened Leicester City on Saturday and will reportedly be without the injured Kai Havertz.
