Can Liverpool exorcise their Goodison Park demons in its last-ever Merseyside derby? Reds title dreams have died there twice before - but beat rejuvenated Everton and the trophy is all-but theirs

The 2018-19 season still rankles with Reds. Jurgen Klopp's wonderful Liverpool team conquered Europe, but failed to end their wait for a first English championship since 1990 - and in the most agonising fashion possible.

Truth be told, 'failed' is too strong a word. After all, Liverpool only lost one game all season and finished with 97 points - the fourth-highest tally in the history of the league. It was devastating for Klopp & Co. that it wasn't enough to end the drought. Not for Everton fans, though. They revelled in the Reds' misery - and the role they played in it.

Most people would argue that it was the 2-1 loss to eventual champions Manchester City in an incredibly tight contest at the Etihad in January that effectively decided that historic title race. However, the 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison on March 3 was actually the last time Liverpool dropped points that season.

It was a bitterly frustrating afternoon for Liverpool, who would have gone back above City with a win. However, Jordan Pickford produced a brilliant first-half save to deny Mohamed Salah and the visitors didn't do enough after the restart, with their final shot on target coming via Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 54th minute.

Klopp played down the significance of the result at the time, but his dissatisfaction was obvious in his post-match press conference, with the visibly irritated German taking issue with one reporter's suggestion that Liverpool should have "gone more for the jugular" in the final half hour.

"I'm really disappointed about your question, really disappointed," Klopp fumed. "We don’t play PlayStation. Do you think we didn’t take enough risks today? Is that what you want to ask?

"Is there any draw that we didn’t try to win? An extra attacker, just to go wild, with nine matchdays [to go]. You think again, it’s PlayStation, bring on an extra attacker and football changes. It’s not like that, we are offensive enough. Football doesn’t work like that, come on."

Unfortunately for Klopp & Co., the fact that their second consecutive visit to Goodison ended goalless proved costly - and their city rivals were in no mood to let Liverpool forget it.

After learning that City had finished one point ahead of Reds thanks to a final-day win at Brighton, jubilant Everton fans sang "You lost the league at Goodison Park!" after own side's 2-2 draw at Tottenham on May 12, 2019.

Just under five years later, they were singing the exact same song - and, on this occasion, it carried even more weight, which only made it all the more painful for Liverpool fans to hear...

Liverpool made the short trip across Stanley Park on April 24, 2024 with their season in real danger of complete collapse. During the preceding five weeks, they had been upset by Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals and then dumped out of the Europa League by Atalanta. Worse still, their Premier League title bid was unravelling, after another disappointing result at Old Trafford (this time, a 2-2 draw with Erik Ten Hag's team) and an abysmal loss at home to Crystal Palace.

A vital victory at Fulham had kept their faint hopes alive, but it was imperative that they also won at Goodison. They didn't, though. Liverpool lost. Badly. During a desperately disappointing 2-0 defeat, Liverpool were, as Gary Neville put it, "outmuscled" by Everton - much to the disgust of Virgil van Dijk.

"I think everyone has to look in the mirror, look at their own performance and if they really gave everything," the Dutch defender admitted to Sky. "Do they really want to win the league? There are games after tonight, but play like we did overall in the game like today - not winning challenges and giving the ref an opportunity to give a free-kick - then you have no chance to win a title."

It was a desperately deflating end to Liverpool's title challenge, particularly for Klopp, who felt compelled to apologise to the fans for his team's dismal derby defeat.

"It's hard for us but I know for our people it is especially hard," the outgoing Reds boss acknowledged. "We let it happen to become the game Everton wanted. Two goals from set-pieces. They are really strong. But we also created a lot and didn't score. Then in the second half we were emotional and in a rush, not really clear enough. It was free-kick after free-kick. That was part of the story. But we weren't good enough.

"I didn't expect that performance but it happens when you don't play your best football and are 2-0 down to a passionate, fighting opponent." Liverpool will be bracing themselves for just as brutal a battle against determined opposition on Wednesday.

Everton are not exactly locked in a relegation battle this time around, but they are once again 16th in the standings and desperate to pull clear of the seriously struggling sides below them.

They'll be quietly confident of doing precisely that, given they've won three league games in a row under returning manager David Moyes after losing the Scot's first game back in charge, against Aston Villa, on January 15. Furthermore, while Everton were dumped out of the FA Cup fourth round themselves at the weekend, at least they were beaten by a quality side in Bournemouth. Liverpool's supposedly strong second string suffered a humiliating exit at Plymouth Argyle.

More than anything else, though, Everton will be energised by the mouth-watering prospect of upsetting Liverpool in the last ever derby at Goodison. Even if the Reds lose, of course, they would still be six points clear at the top of the league and in a very strong position to claim the title. However, doubts would undoubtedly creep in if they suffered another disappointing derby defeat - and Everton fans would take that right now.

Whether it's true or not, the mere prospect of being once again able to sing 'You lost the league at Goodison Park' at the end of the season is all the motivation they need to generate another hostile atmosphere for their city rivals on Wednesday. In that sense, this is not just the biggest game of the season for Liverpool - but Everton too.