James Tarkowski has reflected on the mania of his Merseyside derby leveller.
The final-ever clash between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park ended with honours even after Tarkowski’s 98th-minute volley salvaged a 2-2 draw.
His strike in front of the Gwladys Street End sparked scenes of pandemonium with a mini pitch invasion before tempers boiled over after the final whistle.
Tarkowski, who made his 100th consecutive appearance for the Blues in the contest, believes the last-gasp heroics may be his new career highlight.
He said: “It was a special, special night. What a way to finish the last-ever derby here.
“It might sound daft but it doesn’t matter who scores, the point was important for us because with where we are in the league and the way we’ve been playing.
“That will be a special moment for the rest of my career and probably the biggest moment for me really because to score like that is special.
“It was mental. There were people grabbing me, I had an 80-year-old grabbing me and then a five-year-old kid pulling me to the floor!
“There were stewards everywhere, it was chaos. But it shows what a moment it is. With the occasion, it just feels special. I’m just pleased to be part of it.”
Everton’s stand-in captain denied their neighbours a final win at Goodison just days after he endured a difficult outing in the FA Cup exit to Bournemouth.
“It’s typical really. I had a real tough weekend,” admitted Tarkowski.
“I was disappointed with the way things went in the FA Cup and really disappointed with myself.
“To come back and score on an occasion like that feels a bit special. As a player, you have difficult moments, and I had one myself.
“It’s not nice when you have a tough game like I had over the weekend, you do question things a little bit.
“Luckily we have games that come around quick. Thankfully tonight it did in a massive occasion.
“It’s all part of being a footballer, having tough moments like I had at the weekend, and part of that is bouncing back.”
Tarkowski also revealed the swirl of emotion as he waited for confirmation of the goal as VAR scrutinised a potential offside and a foul in the build-up.
He added: “I don’t even know what they were looking at to be honest, where the offside potentially was, what moment it was.
“I saw somewhere, someone was asking for a foul so it was just fingers crossed.
“You heard a few cheers from the fans and you don’t know if that’s because they knew or not, I’m not too sure so thankfully it counted.”