‘Everton apply final blow to Liverpool title challenge’

The cycle of misery that has held Everton in its icy grip for so long was released on a night of passion and fury at Goodison Park that may have applied the final blow to Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge.

If a first Merseyside derby home win since October 2010 was not cause enough for celebration for Everton, their 2-0 triumph came with what they will regard as the glorious bonus of inflicting potentially irreparable damage to Liverpool.

This win, of course, does not even touch that significance but this will be a night Everton fans will remember for a long time and Liverpool will want to forget – and if they do forget they will find plenty of a royal blue persuasion happy to remind them.

Everton flew at Liverpool from the first whistle, roared on in an atmosphere that might just be impossible to replicate when they leave this stadium.

Klopp must lift his players for the weekend visit to West Ham United but they must also find something they have lost in recent weeks if they are to have even the slightest chance of regrouping to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City.

He will know how much this will hurt, not just because they were beaten by Everton, because they may have taken a blow from which their Premier League title challenge will not recover.

For Everton, this was the sort of night they waited a long time for – more than 13 years in this fixture at Goodison Park – and the outpouring of joy matched this thunderous occasion.