Aha, Andy Hunter’s report is with us.

That means we’re finished here, so thanks for your company and comments – sorry I couldn’t use them all. But otherwise, join Rob following the link below and peace out.

So Liverpool now lead Chelsea by seven points with five games to go. Their remaining fixtures aren’t easy – Palace (h), Man United (a), Chelsea (h), Villa (a), Brentford (h) – but you can’t see Chelsea doing well enough to even make it close.

“Definitively ruling Salah and Robertson out of signing for Everton then Daniel?” chuckles Tony Barr. “I mean, they already own property in the city. Surely it’s a no brainer?”

It’s not happened in a while but the last two, Gary Ablett and Peter Beardsley, had a pretty good experience after moving.

It’s worth noting, of course, that yet again, Liverpool were reliant on the old guard for their win. Van Dijk tells Sky the team don’t want to be fighting fort the Champions League spots but that’s the situation and it’s a big win.

Salah says they knew it’d be a difficult game and he’s not got many of these to come, but he’s glad to score.

Back to Van Dijk, he admits it’s been a poor season then, asked about Salah, notes that there’ll be plenty of words said about him over the next few weeks but they appreciate him and he’s a great teammate.

Finally, Van Dijk’s tongue slips, saying he’ll be important over the next two games; Salah wonders if Slot’s told him something about who’ll be in the team, a gentle dig I shouldn’t wonder.

“For all the talk about Wirtz,” writes Graeme Neill, “it feels more could be made of the fact that Mac Allister’s form has dropped off a cliff this season. There are loads of examples of players who came from Europe, had an underwhelming first season, then kicked on. I’d say Mac Allister playing at nowhere near the level of last season has been more of a factor as to our comparative mediocrity.”

I know what you mean, but would say that, though Mac Allister is a good player, he’s not the standard I’d be wanting were I a Liverpool fan. My sense is last term he played above himself and this one is a better reflection of the player he is.

The great Rob Smyth is building up to Man City v Arsenal, the biggest game of the season so far…

Mohamed Slaha and Andy Robertson will never play another of these; Virgil van Dijk doesn’t have too many more. But muscle memory is hard to lose, and they’re still killing Everton.

90+12 min Jones carries forwards, Garner recklessly scythes through him, and he’s booked.

90+11 min The away ed are avin it; the Everton players and fans looks exceedingly poorly.

90+10 min Jones injects some pace and when a shot is deflected behind, Liverpool have a corner…

90+8 min But here come Liverpool, Mc Allister and Salah combining before Gravenberch dummies a pass inside, leaving the ball for Ngumoha on the far side of the box. He opens his body … and sweeps over the top.

90+7 min And when Ngumoha does get the ball, he looks to pass infield and picks out Gueye.

90+6 min It’s still frantic but neither side look likely to find any quality; Liverpool haven’t really managed to get Ngumoha on the ball, and with Gakpo up front, also lack a reference point.

90+5 min Tammy Abraham has put Villa 4-3 up on Sunderland!

90+4 min O’Brien’s touch is poor, he catches Mac Allister on the way down, and there’s a brief pause.

90+3 min Given the number of long balls Everton play, I’m not sure why they don’t try a second big target up top. They appear to have run out of other ideas.

90+1 min We’ll have 11 additional minutes, so plenty of time for the sides to find a winner; Liverpool look likelier.

90 min “It’s a big weekend for the Woodman family,” advises Andrew Goudie. “Freddie making his Premier League debut and dad Andy securing promotion for Bromley.”

Mazal tov all round.

88 min Oh! Sunderland score on 86 and 87 to level with Villa at 3-3; that’s great news for Liverpool, for whom, assuming the scores don’t change, a draw is not now a disaster.

87 min Branthwaite’s just been settling in again after yet another long injury, but he’s replaced by Keane, with Liverpool sending Kerkez on for Robertson.

85 min Branthwaite and Gakpo contested a loose ball, meeting in a shoulder-to-shoulder which sends the former flying. He gets up clutching his hamstring, continues playing, and this could well be his season. Poor man just can’t catch a break.

84 min Liverpool send on Frimpong and Mac Allister for Wirtz and Gakpo while Branthwaite is down and receiving treatment. I need to see what happened again, but he’s got a hand over his eyes and this looks like bad news for a player who’s been so cruelly afflicted by injury.

83 min “Is obstruction not an offence any more?” qwonders Bill Muskett. “Surely what Van Dijk did in the 75th minute was?”

You can protect the ball with your body provided it’s in playing distance.

82 min It’s getting tense as both sides seek a win knowing one error could mean defeat. On the touchline, Frimpong and Mac Allister prepare to join us.

80 min Lovely first touch from George to control, but when he moves forward with the ball his cross is to no one.

80 min A chance I mighr’ve made at half-time: George replaces McNeil.

78 min It’s a hat-trick for Morgan Gibbs-White, and I think it might be a perfect one. Either way, his team lead 3-1 and Burnley are almost down, while Spurs are likely to be a point off West Ham and five off Forest.

77 min It’s frantic now, both sides hunting a winner, and when Dewsbury-Hall slips in behind to meet the run of McNeil, the cross, lamped across the box, is nowhere near anyone.

75 min Van Dijk waits for a ball to drop, shepherding back, but he’s under pressure from Barry and Mamardashvili has to come out and head clear. Then, next attack, Dewsbury-Hall looks to have got in behind, skirting around Jones, but Konate deals with his cross.

74 min Gakpo is now through the middle with Ngumoha on the left. Liverpool need to feed him as soon as they can, and get Robertson up in support.

73 min And off goes Beto, to be replaced by Barry.

72 min Change for Liverpool, the anonymous Isak replaced by Ngumoha.

71 min Beto, who now has swelling under his eye, takes a knee then sits down, and from his gesticulations we can probably discern that he’s struggling to see properly. I doubt he continues.

70 min Gosh, Gibbs-White has volleyed home ruthlessly and Forest now lead Burnley 2-1. Spurs fans will be looking up routes to Sincil Bank.

69 min Eeesh, Konate headed Beto, a sair yin for both players, but both should be good to continue.

68 min Ndiaye wins a throw off Jones and Tarkowski moves to the front post, but the ball goes by him and Van Dijk does enough to avert immediate danger, then Konate goes down having banged his head.

66 min Another playing his final derby, Andy Robertson, moves forward and, with no challenge forthcoming, explodes into a shot … which flies a yard or two wide of the far post.

64 min Liverpool fail to feed Isak in then Ndiaye takes a long kick away from Jones, who misjudges, and makes his way from touchline to goal, shooting hard from a narrow angle … and Mamardashvili saves above his head.

64 min The wonderful Morgan Gibbs-White has equalised for Forest against Burnley. What a player he is.

63 min "“It’s remarkable how much better Beto has been since the turn of the year,” reckons Kári Tulinius. “His finishing isn’t necessarily much better, witness his terrible strike when through in the first half, but his runs and positioning are much improved. I think that has to reflect well on Moyes, as much as I’m sure he’d like an upgrade.”

61 min Salah to Wirtz and Wirtz back to Salah who blazes away from Mykolenko then stands one up to the back post where Gakpo heads … and Tarkowski nods off the line. It’s taken a while, but we might now have a derby-style contest on our hands.

60 min Suddenly, it’s end to end, McNeil dropping a shoulder to escape the idling Wirtz and cutting infield, before leathering a miserable shot high and wide.

59 min Gravenberch turns well in midfield and, though, he’s cleaned out by Garner’s slide, the ball breaks to Gakpo who swivels, shooting low … and wide.

58 min Mamrdashvili is stretchered off with Freddie Woodman replacing him. He’s only played once for Liverpool, having joined from Preston.

55 min Beto seems to have hurt Mamardashvili following through, and I don’t think he’ll be able to continue. Arne Slot’s had better minutes.

53 min Meantime, Liverpool have a free-kick which Robertson swerves into the box … picking out a blue head.

51 min I wonder if Everton might move to 4-4-2 at some point; they need men in the box and currently, that’s not really happening. If they move Dewsbury-Hall deeper and perhaps bring on George for McNeil, with Garner going wide and Ndiaye up front, they might find it easier to create.

50 min It’s been a slow start to the half, Everton with possession but not purpose.

49 min At Villa, the home side have scored again, Morgan Rogers giving them a 3-1 lead over Sunderland.

48 min Gueye bounds through midfield after a Jones pass is intercepted, spreading to Ndiaye, who whacks a ball through the corridor and to no one.

47 min “Game is really showing what a season of transition this is for Liverpool,” reckons Gary Meyler. “Isak has barely touched the ball but there habe been at least three golden chances for Gakpo and Salah to play him in and they haven’t.

The only player to find him is Wirtz so next season could see a change from inverted wingers to getting the ball to a traditional #9 via overlapping full backs and a #10.”

Depends who the manager is, I guess – if I’m betting, it’s not Slot – and if it’s Xabi Alonso, I’d expect Wirtz to be a focal point.

46 min Everton need to find a way back into this soon, because if the game becomes stretched and they send more men forward, I’d back them to concede on the counter before I’d back them to force an equaliser.

46 min We go again...

“Before we all get on the Wirtz bandwagon,” says John Dumbrille, “let’s discuss success in player development during Slot’s two-year tenure. Short conversation.”

Perhaps, but you’d still expect more from Wirtz – four goals and three assists is a miserable return whatever the manager has or hasn’t done.

Also, check out our newsletters and follow the Guardian sport Bluesky account.

Huge goal at City Ground: Zian Flemming has put Burnley in front against Forest.

45+3 min Dewsbury-Hall barges through a challenge and the ball breaks to McNeil, who’ll be feeling guilty about the error which led to the goal; he waves a foot at his shot, but slices so thinly the ball barely goes wide.

45+1 min Better from Wirtz, who prods into Isak, 15 yards out; his low snap-shot, dragged from around his arse, is straight at Pickford.

45 min Szoboszlai pikes one in behind and for a second, it looks like Wirtz, on the right of the box, is in, but Branthwaite easily extends a go-go Gadget leg to make the challenge. We’ll have two additional minutes.

44 min Gakpo is starting to influence the game, again darting infield and causing confusion. This time, Gravenberch is crowded out, but Liverpool are controlling the play, making the ball do most of the work.

42 min Gakpo fancies this now, receiving in space on the touchline before zooming infield across the face of the box and leaving two defenders watching, before swivelling into a shot which Pickford tips over. The resultant corner comes to nowt.

40 min Liverpool keep the ball. They’re not threatening, but we saw last evening that tight games can be won with one moment of quality followed by a bit of composure.

40 min “Harvey Elliott rotting on the bench at Villa while his replacement struggles to touch the ball,” chortles Johnathan Kaszynski. “Maybe his next move should be to the Bundesliga where apparently he would look like one of the best players in Europe.”

38 min Is Ollie Watkins running into form at the right time? He’s scored again to put Villa 2-1 up on Sunderland.

37 min And he picks out Van Dijk as if on purpose. Everton’s set-piece delivery has been Neil “Dissa” Pointon so far.

35 min I’d really like to see Tyrique George on nice and early but, as I type, Everton win a corner down the left, Garner to swing in.

33 min Everton shouldn’t be downcast – they’ve played pretty well so far and looked relatively threatening. If they maintain the same level, Liverpool don’t seem have the class to dictate … but, as we saw, do have more than enough to conjure telling moments.

31 min “Wirtz is playing in his own timezone,” returns Niall Mullen. “Unfortunately for Liverpool it is last year, in a gently-paced Bundesliga fixture.”

The lack of improvement through the season is very concerning. I know Klopp loves him, and he understands a thing or 69,093 about high-octane Premier League football, but I’m seeing the same now as I was eight months ago: the occasional nice touch or spot, and very little else.

28 min But was O’Brien offside? VAR wants a look and it’s close…

26 min Everton are the better, more threatening team here, and they win a throw deep inside the Everton half, O’Brien hurling in only for Liverpool to make first contact and clear.

24 min Everything that no one (apart from everyone) wants to see. Garner flies in on Szoboszlai, winning the ball with a scissors effect, then Ndiaye charges, he and the Hungarian kicking at each other before various others arrive on the scene. Nothing else happens, but sentiments are building.

22 min Van Dijk is late on Gueye, who sees him coming and ducks out of the road; when there’s no yellow card, Pickford races out of his goal like a child mainlining Sunny and is booked for grassing.

22 min It’s an inswinger aimed at the far top corner, so Pickford tips behind then Branthwaite heads clear the follow-up.

21 min But Gakpo burrows infield off the left, shoots, and though Pickford has it covered, Tarkowski deflects it behind for a corner, Szoboszlai to take down the left.

20 min Wirtz and Gakpo have barely had a kick between them. Somehow, Liverpool spent in excess of £300m on forwards and still need a right-winger and attacking midfielder.

19 min “In defence of Slot withholding Rio Nigumoha today,” says Justin Kavanagh, “you don’t unleash your unruly children when visiting the neighbours’ new house for the first time.”

Depends how much you like or do’nt like them.

18 min Pickford does pretty well to flap away, but I’m surprised he wasn’t put under more pressure, with more men around him.

16 min Long ball from Gueye and Beto runs off Konate, Ropbertson playing him on, and he’s free on the left side of the box! So he opens his body looking to pass into the far corner but gets it all wrong, delivering more of a square pass, to no one, than a shot. That is a a major oversight, and Liverpool immediately go down the other end and win a corner.

16 min On which point, the keeper’s had some grief recently and it’s fair to say his passing out is a long, long way off Alisson’s – however hard he works, the gap feels insurmountable – but he was someone you could see was good at Valencia.

15 min Garner has a crack … and Mamardashvili shovels away, then up goes the flag.

13 min Garner crosses from the left and Robertson heads up and sort of clear, Everton picking up the loose ball and keeping their opponents boxed. They’re sustaining attacks quite well so far, just lacking invention in the final third, and they win a free-kick when Beto goes down; it’s well left of centre, not too far outside the box.

12 min Long ball from Tarkowski and Dewsbury-Hall runs off Szoboszlai, going down under a tackle from Jones; no penalty says the ref, and that seems the right call at first look.

11 min Chris Rigg has equalised for Sunderland at Villa – that’s his first Premier League goal and one I doubt he thought would take till April to come.

10 min But it wins them a corner and there’s a crowd scene inside the box, but Beto heads away Szoboszlai’s kick at the near post and, when Gueye counters, Gravenberch brings him down. Hilariously, Tarkowski – his greying sweep-back swaying in the wind like it’s in a lyrical ballad – takes moral issue with this outrage, harranging the ref.

9 min Everton have dominated so far but now Liverpool take some heat out of proceedings, moving the ball dead slowly. It may be a plan, but it may also just be what they do these days.

7 min “Regarding the debate about whether Rio Ngumoha should have started,” says Micha Haemmerling, “I think there is an argument that he still is only 17, so still a child. Given the propensity of leg breaking challgenges in such derbies (I’ll name noone, you fill in the blanks), there is an argument to be made that he still needs more protection than his older team mates and therefore it is wise not to start him.”

I know what you mean, but I want players who induce the panic and fear that forces those challenges on the pitch.

6 min Garner, on the left, tosses in an inswinging cross,, Beto loses Konate and flicks hard … but plunging left, Mamardashvili tips away a save that’ll make him feel a bit better after an iffy period.

5 min Goodness me, what nights those’ll be be against Forest.

4 min At Villa Park, Ollie Watkins has put the home side in front against Sunderland; they look good for next season’s Champions League – especially given the insurance of a Europa League semi.

3 min Everton win a free-kick just inside the Liverpool half, so send forward the centre-backs and hump it at Tarkowski, who flicks behind.

2 min It’s backwards and forwards to begin with, the noise intense and the weather pleasant. I’d be amazed if we say similar about the football.

1 min Aha, it’s not Szoboszlai at right-back but Jones – that makes sense, as the former is sorely required in the middle of the pitch.

1 min And away we go!

The players will be feeling the weight of history here – the joy of scoring the winner in the first derby on this ground will be tantalising each and every one of them.

AND HERE THEY COME!

The atmosphere is building in the ground, flags and tifo to the fore; our teams are tunnelling.

They’ve been helped by the incompetence around them, but this has been a very acceptable season for Everton and David Moyes – I certainly didn’t expect them to be this close to Europe with so few games to go. They must find a goalscorer in the summer – 39 league goals in 32 games is very poor indeed. But behind that, the defence is physical and midfield is solid, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been excellent in the number 10 position. If they can keep Jarrad Branthwaite fit, upgrade on McNeil and sign the right centre-forward – not easily done but far from impossible – they can have a lot of fun next season.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will ask the wide attackers to target the spaces between full-backs and centre-backs, with the full-backs keeping width to cut-back balls for Isak around the penalty spot, or drill low crosses for him to attack at the front post. Otherwise, they’ll want Wirtz to pick up pockets and slide balls in behind.

So where is the game? Everton will want to get pace around Van Dijk, who is now a long way off what he was, and will also sense opportunity in wide areas, where Liverpool’s full-backs are either past their peak or playing out of position. So expect them to look for Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil whenever they can while, in midfield, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will fancy themselves to win the physical battle against Jones and Ryan Gravenberch. What they’ll need to do, though, is get bodies into the box for knockdowns and second balls, given crosses are likely to form a significant part of their attacking strategy.

“The CL spot is relatively safe,” reckons Dave Estherby. “Chelsea are going backwards under that work experience lad they’ve got ‘in charge’ and I can’t see Brentford/Brighton doing much more this season (Bournemouth might though).

As for Slot, he CAN’T lose this one or he’s bang in trouble - the whole side looks knackered and pasy it, a big clear-out in the summer is needed (still be stuck with Isak and Wirtz though…)

Also I can’t believe the best player of the last few weeks isn’t starting, then again I absolutely can.”

Yup, I think Slot’s been too cautious in his deployment of Ngumoha – not just today but through the season. Attackers can affect games when they’re young, the side needs an injection of youthful fearlessness and conviction, and Gakpo clearly isn’t it.

Ultimately, Liverpool got away with it last year – they weren’t a great side but Salah had a legendary half-season – and perhaps there wasn’t enough internal recognition of that reality. They felt the midfielders and centre-backs who delivered the title were adequate, but they patently were not.

“Fully agree you can’t say Harrison Reed’s goal for Fulham was ‘bad luck’ for Liverpool,” writes Joshua Keeling. “I think a deflection could be called bad luck, a 30-yard screamer can’t be.

The problem for Liverpool is not luck, it’s that they spent £450m on a load of players who don’t fit together, seemingly with no real plan for how they wanted to play, and left themselves short in key areas at centre-back and right-back. Poor recruitment is poor recruitment, it is not bad luck.”

And it follows what is, for my money, the best running of signings in football history: Mane, Salah, Henderson, Alisson, Van Dijk, Firmino, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho and so on. Furthermore, in refreshing their attack, they bought two centre-forwards but replaced neither Salah or Luis Diaz – and I’d also have addressed the middle of midfield.

Email! "“Slot has had a disastrous season in that he’s shown no obvious ability to adapt or inspire in the face of adversity,” reckons Niall Mullen. “That said, the adversity he’s had to deal with includes the death of Diogo Jota as well as injuries to players including a torn ACL, a broken leg, season-ending knee ligament damage, and an Achilles tendon rupture. I’m not sure I have any point other than perhaps Slot, while maybe deserving to be replaced as head coach, should probably be exempt from the banterpocalypse.”

It’s a thin line, isn’t it? And I agree with your analysis: there are plenty of factors beyond Slot’s control, but it’s hard to see where the positive influence is, starting with the summer business and extending to the lack of physicality, concentration, organisation and zest.

Up front, meantime, Alexander Isak continues. In the extended absence of Hugo Ekitike – and achilles ruptures are among the worst for any sportsperson, just ask Neil Webb – Slot wants a reference point, rather than using, say Gakpo through the middle to get Ngumoha in. I’d have gone with the latter and left out the former myself, but either way, he needs Isak to perform.

Otherwise, Florian Wirtz is again given a chance to assert and establish – the numbers and profiles behind him, more defensively minded, offer him yet some ballast, but does he have the necessary speed of thought and play, along with the required combativeness, to make a difference?

The problem he has is that he replaced two full-backs who were better in attack than defence, with … two full-backs who are better in attack than defence. Essentially, he doesn’t have a combination that works, so has prioritised solidity and experience here, the new lads excluded. That means Dominic Szoboszlai again plays at the back, which means Liverpool must do without their best midfielder in the centre of the pitch; I guess the plan might be for him to invert, but otherwise Slot will hope that the ball-carrying and tenacity of Curtis Jones compensate.

So, why has Slot made those alterations?

Anyway, back to the teams, Everton are unchanged following their 2-2 draw at Brentford, while Liverpool show four changes to the side that lost to PSG, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo coming in for Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister and Hugo Ekitike.

Make up your own minds:

Jamie Carragher then notes the “bad luck”, citing Harrison Reed’s brilliant equaliser at Fulham; I’m not sure we’re aligned on what that means, because I watched that and saw skill Liverpool failed to defend.

We’ll look at those more closely in a few, but Slot is on Sky explaining that Rio Ngumoha has been left out because you need to be cognisant of Everton’s threat at set-pieces and how they like to play more generally. He also says it’s good to have agile players, able to take on opponents one on one, available to bring on late.

He bemoans injury and bad luck for a bit too, though is less loquacious on any responsibility that might be his.

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