Carlos Alcaraz shares ‘Crazy’ Everton v Liverpool admission
Everton loanee Carlos Alcaraz was a late substitute in the final Goodison Park derby against Liverpool.
It is safe to say the last Merseyside derby at the Grand Old Lady will be remembered forever after James Tarkowski smashed a 98th-minute equaliser into the top corner.
This heavily influenced the scenes after the full-time whistle in L4 which saw Curtis Jones, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Arne Slot sent off by Michael Oliver.
For a first Premier League appearance for the Toffees, it is sure to be a night that the Argentine midfielder is unlikely to forget.
Carlos Alcaraz blown away by Everton clash v Liverpool
When Beto gave the home side the lead, it always felt that the derby was going to be an entertaining encounter.
That was exactly the case despite the Reds going 2-1 up in the second half thanks to a Mohamed Salah strike.
Tensions built up and were only made worse when Tarkowski levelled the clash before Doucoure celebrated in front of the travelling fans.
The bust-up and fan reaction to this was intense but appears to be a fond memory for Alcaraz who came on for just the second time under David Moyes.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror (21 February, page 55), the midfielder said: “Loco, Loco. It was a mad derby, a crazy match.
“We were ahead, and then in the end, we managed to get a draw, so it was a pulsating game. To say that was my first derby wearing this shirt, I really enjoyed it. It was a fantastic occasion.”
Carlos Alcaraz learns Everton v Liverpool derby lesson
It seems that the former Southampton man had little knowledge of how deep this rivalry runs and as a result was able to enjoy it for what it was.
Even with Iliman Ndiaye going off through injury, the atmosphere at Goodison was electric which the Toffees were able to use to their advantage.
Although it took until virtually the last kick of the game, there were plenty of positives for Moyes and Co. to take from a clash against the Premier League leaders.
One of those was the introduction of Alcaraz who was able to slot into the midfield in L4 with ease despite the enormity of the game.
Given that the ex-Juventus man went on to score his first goal for the Evertonians against Crystal Palace just three days later, he looks to be a great piece of business so far.