There's something beautifully mental about Merseyside Derbies, isn't there? Just when you think you've got a handle on what's happening, the whole thing goes sideways and delivers exactly the kind of chaos that makes this fixture so special.

Virgil van Dijk proved once again why he wears the armband, stepping up when Liverpool needed him most to settle what had been a typically bonkers encounter at Goodison Park. The Dutchman's intervention came at the perfect moment, breaking Evertonian hearts and sending the away end into raptures.

This wasn't pretty football. It was derby football. The kind where form goes out the window, where anything can happen, and where one moment of quality separates the sides when the dust settles.

Van Dijk has made a habit of these big moments since returning from injury. His leadership on the pitch matches his presence off it, and when Liverpool needed someone to grab this game by the scruff of the neck, the captain delivered.

For Everton, it's another case of what might have been. They'll rue missed chances and wonder how they let this one slip away. But that's the cruel beauty of derby day – fine margins decide everything.

Three points that could prove crucial come May, delivered by a player who understands exactly what this fixture means to Liverpool supporters.