GOODISON PARK, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool in the title race by coming from behind against . In the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, took center stage first before James Tarkowski smashed home a leveler.

Salah crossed for to equalize when Beto had put Everton ahead in the game before he then found what he would have thought was going to be the winner with around 20 minutes to play. Once again, the Egyptian proved decisive for the Reds amid his contract stand-off.

Arne Slot made changes in the in mind and his in-game decisions against Everton looked set to prove vital before Tarlowski's late goal caused heartbreak. Here are the four things spotted as the game unfolded.

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The sound of "If you know your history" could be heard ringing out outside Goodison Park in the lead-up to the game. More than 90 minutes before kick-off, the .

Smoke from flairs wrapped around the roads, highlighting — as if it could be missed — just how big an occasion this was, not just for the host, but for the visitor too. A Merseyside derby in front of the Gwladys Street end, for the final time.

The intensity was always going to be high. The tackles flew in and the referee, Michael Oliver, just about managed to keep a lid on things until the drawl at the end, when Slot was sent off, even if he made several other errors. Liverpool stood up and matched the level of fight, needing to earn the right to play, but it was always scrappy.

By the end, neither side had given up many chances and neither goalkeeper had been that involved. Salah, though, plays for Liverpool, hence why the Reds looked to have tipped the balance of the match in their favor once more.

Tarkowski's brilliant effort denied Salah the chance to be celebrated once again. He probably hasn't, however, denied the Reds the title, which remains firmly in Liverpool's hands.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold , Conor Bradley stepped in for the full-back from the off once more. As soon as it became known that he didn't travel to Plymouth last weekend, that was always a likely outcome.

Bradley plays the role differently to Alexander-Arnold but he was more than capable of matching the Everton intensity. You could even argue that he is more suited to that kind of rough-and-tumble game.

Helping out Salah in attack and being defensively diligent, Bradley came through his latest test, perhaps not with flying colors but certainly with credit. It would have come as no surprise to Slot, who had no qualms about throwing him in.

Alexander-Arnold was very good when he came on. He entered the field with a point to prove and found the right pass on several occasions, while doing a diligent defensive job.

Had Darwin Nunez's partner not given birth in Spain in the lead-up to the FA Cup defeat to Plymouth, he might have started that game with Luis Diaz saved for this one. As it happened, the Colombian forward was selected in both.

Diaz, up against the tough center-back pairing of Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite, needed to prove that his false nine credentials remain. While it has worked well against Spurs and West Ham, he only had one goal in his last six league appearances in that role heading into this game.

On this occasion, Diaz struggled to get involved that much. In the first half, the chances were hardly flowing. He gave away a couple of free-kicks when he attempted to desperately challenge for a header without even looking at the ball, knowing that was the only way he could compete.

Slot could have taken off Diaz but instead moved him to the left. He could have left on Ryan Gravenberch but opted to send on Curtis Jones. In Salah's second, the pair played a crucial role. Whether it was tactical or with other games in mind in the next couple of weeks, Slot's call proved to be a stroke of genius. Jones won the ball back, shot when the ball broke to him, and then Salah scored.

It was only at the very end that Jones coming on didn't work out as anticipated. But it was not only him who was provoked into causing a scene in front of the Liverpool away end.

The worst-case scenario for Liverpool was that the Reds would be six points clear of Arsenal with 14 fixtures left to play. That is a situation that anyone would have taken at the start of the campaign.

In the best case, Liverpool would move nine points clear, beat Wolves at Anfield this weekend, and then make the gap at least 12 points by winning at Aston Villa next Wednesday. Instead, it has to settle for something in between.

By the time the game in Birmingham is over this time next week, it will be Arsenal playing catch-up in the Premier League in terms of matches played. Liverpool can now only be 10 points clear after that because of this result, assuming Mikel Arteta's side beats Leicester. Even with a match in hand to play for the Gunners, that would be a substantial difference to overcome.

A draw here, then; two points dropped and a feeling of disappointment. In the long run, there should be no such concerns.