Virgil van Dijk scored a dramatic 100th-minute winner as Liverpool won the first Premier League Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Beto had cancelled out Mohamed Salah's strike for Everton before Van Dijk got on the end of Dominik Szoboszlai's corner in added time.

Just two minutes after Everton had Iliman Ndiaye's goal disallowed for offside, Salah got on the end of Cody Gakpo's ball to give Arne Slot's side the lead against the run of play in the first-half.

David Moyes' side equalised when Beto got on the end of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's ball, before Van Dijk got the winner in the 248th instalment of this historic rivalry.

Liverpool are seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea and in a strong position to secure Champions League football next season.

Everton started strongly and came close, with Giorgi Mamardashvili making important saves to deny Beto and James Garner.

They thought they had taken the lead when Ndiaye's strike hit the back of the net in the 27th minute and the home fans went wild, but the video assistant referee (VAR) deemed that Jake O'Brien was offside in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.

Two minutes later the majority of the stadium was silenced after Dwight McNeil lost the ball in his own half and Gakpo combined with Salah, who scored his ninth goal in a Merseyside derby. No player in the Premier League era has more.

Everton were gifted a way back into the game as Liverpool were punished for some sloppy defending when Beto got on the end of Dewsbury-Hall's ball across goal.

To make matters worse for Liverpool, Mamardashvili was injured when Everton equalised and, with Alisson Becker sidelined, on came Freddie Woodman for his first appearance in a Premier League game since 2021, when he played for Newcastle.

The 29-year-old was tested by Ndiaye as both managers made changes in their search for a winner, with Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha blazing over in added time.

In the 10th minute of 11 added on, Van Dijk scored to break Everton hearts.

Liverpool have scored six 90th-minute winners against Everton in the Premier League - the most for one side against any team in the competition's history.

From the moment the team buses were welcomed in through clouds of blue smoke as Everton fans lined the streets, there was a sense of excitement about this one as Everton sensed that Liverpool were there for the taking.

Everton manager David Moyes named an unchanged side and his team were far more energetic in the early stages but were guilty of wastefulness, with Beto in particular spurning a massive opportunity when he was through on goal.

The noise inside the stadium was quite something when Ndiaye scored, but the decision to disallow the goal for offside deflated the players and the fans and Liverpool showed their quality when Salah finished clinically.

Moyes' side deserve credit for finding a way back into the game, with Beto causing Liverpool problems all afternoon until he was forced off with concussion in the 73rd minute.

But yet again Everton were on the wrong end of a stoppage-time winner from Liverpool and that will sting massively.

Moyes has won only four of his 41 Premier League games against Liverpool.

His points-per-game rate of 0.54 is the lowest against any team in his managerial career in the competition.

Everton still have a chance of securing European football for next season and look set to hit the 50-point mark for the first time since 2020-21 under Carlo Ancelotti, but this defeat will hurt more than most.

Slot's side had lost their four previous away games in all competitions and, although a draw would hardly have been a bad result, there is no understating how big this win was for Liverpool.

It was fitting that two of the most senior players stepped up in a fixture that is always one of the biggest of the season.

Salah offered a reminder, not that it was ever needed, of his class. The Egyptian scored in his first Merseyside derby in 2017 and has now scored in his last.

Van Dijk's goal was the result of an Everton weakness identified by Liverpool set-piece analyst Lewis Mahoney that was targeted all game.

The sight of the players enjoying themselves with the travelling support was a positive sight for Liverpool, given the struggles they have endured their season.

From here on, Liverpool should secure Champions League football and there is no doubt that this win will live long in the memory.

Everton travel to West Ham and Liverpool host Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday.