Everton scores stoppage-time equalizer against Liverpool in last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

Four goals, four red cards and a last-gasp equalizer that will go down in English soccer lore.

It was quite the wild ride in the 120th and final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Everton captain James Tarkowski smashed a shot into the roof of the net in the eighth minute of stoppage time to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League.

It was virtually the last kick of the game, sparking wild celebrations inside one of English soccer's most venerable and atmospheric stadiums, which will be demolished at the end of this season.

“Amazing to score and what an amazing night,” said Tarkowski, whose rare goal will be remembered as one of the great moments in Goodison Park's long history.

The “Grand Old Lady” — as the stadium is fondly called by the locals — has been Everton’s home since 1892. The club is moving to a new 52,888-capacity venue at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool’s waterfront.

Tarkowski's strike denied Liverpool a victory that would have lifted the leaders nine points clear atop the league. Instead, Liverpool's advantage over Arsenal is seven points after 24 games.

Beto put Everton ahead in the 11th minute — the striker celebrated by hitting LeBron James' “Silencer” move — before Alexis Mac Allister equalized in the 16th by heading home a right-wing cross from Mohamed Salah, who put Liverpool in front in the 73rd with his league-leading 22nd goal of the campaign.

Then came Tarkowski's amazing — and, to some, fitting — intervention, with his goal only awarded after a long, agonizing video review for a potential offside in the buildup.

“I just saw the ball going wide and thought, ‘Last minute, why not?' Tarkowski said. "It managed to fall to me and I let it rip.”

The action didn't stop there.

After the final whistle, Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure appeared to celebrate in front of Liverpool's fans and was confronted by Liverpool substitute Curtis Jones, leading to a melee involving more players, officials, stewards and even police officers.

Doucoure and Jones both were shown second yellow cards, while Liverpool manager Arne Slot and his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, got straight red cards. Slot might have been sent off for shaking the hand of referee Michael Oliver aggressively.

The home fans created a typically feverish atmosphere — blue smoke filled the air around the ground before kickoff and Everton's players were given a rapturous welcome as they arrived for the game — and they witnessed the most amazing of finishes.

“The place was boiling hot all night, emotional,” Everton manager David Moyes said. "It was an incredible atmosphere inside the stadium.”

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk acknowledged it was “intense" and had his own opinion on the post-match melee.

“I think Abdoulaye Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans," Van Dijk said. “I think that is what I saw and Curtis Jones didn’t think it was the right thing to do. And then you know what happens if there is a little tussle.”

As for Slot's thoughts on the game, the occasion and perhaps his own red card, they will have to wait. He wasn't allowed to give post-match interviews after getting sent off, under Premier League rules.

The stats will show the teams met 120 times in all competitions at Goodison Park, starting with the first meeting in 1894, and each won 41 times.

It was a rearranged league game, with the original meeting — scheduled for Dec. 7 — postponed because of stormy weather.

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Everton's James Tarkowski reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton's Beto, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Referee Michael Oliver shows a yellow card to Liverpool's Curtis Jones, right, during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Soccer fans react during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton's Iliman Ndiaye receives medical attention during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton's Beto, right, scores his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister, centre, scores his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton's Beto, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton fans ahead the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton's Beto, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, right, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton fans ahead the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Supporters of Everton hold banners ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

A general view of Goodison Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

A general view of Goodison Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Fans walk outside of the Goodison Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Fans outside of the Goodison Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

A logo of Everton's soccer team is seen outside of Goodison Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Cars are parking outside of the of Goodison Park stadium ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool, Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Feb.12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk applauds as he warms-up before the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores the second goal from the penalty spot during the English League Cup semifinal second leg soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot, left gestures as he speaks to his players Liverpool's Harvey Elliott, Liverpool's Diogo Jota during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Plymouth Argyle and Liverpool at Home Park stadium in Plymouth, England, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Everton fans holding banners in the stands before the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Everton and Bournemouth at at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last.

West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from competing in girls and women's sports, and is among the more than two dozen states with similar laws. Though the West Virginia law has been blocked by lower courts, the outcome could be different at the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which has allowed multiple restrictions on transgender people to be enforced in the past year.

The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether the sports bans violate the Constitution or the landmark federal law known as Title IX that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The second case comes from Idaho, where college student Lindsay Hecox challenged that state's law.

Decisions are expected by early summer.

President Donald Trump's Republican administration has targeted transgender Americans from the first day of his second term, including ousting transgender people from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth.

Pepper-Jackson has become the face of the nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls in athletics that has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls.

“I think it’s something that needs to be done,” Pepper-Jackson said in an interview with The Associated Press that was conducted over Zoom. “It’s something I’m here to do because ... this is important to me. I know it’s important to other people. So, like, I’m here for it.”

She sat alongside her mother, Heather Jackson, on a sofa in their home just outside Bridgeport, a rural West Virginia community about 40 miles southwest of Morgantown, to talk about a legal fight that began when she was a middle schooler who finished near the back of the pack in cross-country races.

Pepper-Jackson has grown into a competitive discus and shot put thrower. In addition to the bronze medal in the discus, she finished eighth among shot putters.

She attributes her success to hard work, practicing at school and in her backyard, and lifting weights. Pepper-Jackson has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade, though the Supreme Court's decision in June upholding state bans on gender-affirming medical treatment for minors has forced her to go out of state for care.

Her very improvement as an athlete has been cited as a reason she should not be allowed to compete against girls.

“There are immutable physical and biological characteristic differences between men and women that make men bigger, stronger, and faster than women. And if we allow biological males to play sports against biological females, those differences will erode the ability and the places for women in these sports which we have fought so hard for over the last 50 years,” West Virginia's attorney general, JB McCuskey, said in an AP interview. McCuskey said he is not aware of any other transgender athlete in the state who has competed or is trying to compete in girls or women’s sports.

Despite the small numbers of transgender athletes, the issue has taken on outsize importance. The NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees banned transgender women from women's sports after Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring their participation.

The public generally is supportive of the limits. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion.

About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Those allied with the administration on the issue paint it in broader terms than just sports, pointing to state laws, Trump administration policies and court rulings against transgender people.

"I think there are cultural, political, legal headwinds all supporting this notion that it’s just a lie that a man can be a woman," said John Bursch, a lawyer with the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom that has led the legal campaign against transgender people. “And if we want a society that respects women and girls, then we need to come to terms with that truth. And the sooner that we do that, the better it will be for women everywhere, whether that be in high school sports teams, high school locker rooms and showers, abused women’s shelters, women’s prisons.”

But Heather Jackson offered different terms to describe the effort to keep her daughter off West Virginia's playing fields.

“Hatred. It’s nothing but hatred,” she said. "This community is the community du jour. We have a long history of isolating marginalized parts of the community.”

Pepper-Jackson has seen some of the uglier side of the debate on display, including when a competitor wore a T-shirt at the championship meet that said, “Men Don't Belong in Women's Sports.”

“I wish these people would educate themselves. Just so they would know that I’m just there to have a good time. That’s it. But it just, it hurts sometimes, like, it gets to me sometimes, but I try to brush it off,” she said.

One schoolmate, identified as A.C. in court papers, said Pepper-Jackson has herself used graphic language in sexually bullying her teammates.

Asked whether she said any of what is alleged, Pepper-Jackson said, “I did not. And the school ruled that there was no evidence to prove that it was true.”

The legal fight will turn on whether the Constitution's equal protection clause or the Title IX anti-discrimination law protects transgender people.

The court ruled in 2020 that workplace discrimination against transgender people is sex discrimination, but refused to extend the logic of that decision to the case over health care for transgender minors.

The court has been deluged by dueling legal briefs from Republican- and Democratic-led states, members of Congress, athletes, doctors, scientists and scholars.

The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete.

If Pepper-Jackson is forced to stop competing, she said she will still be able to lift weights and continue playing trumpet in the school concert and jazz bands.

“It will hurt a lot, and I know it will, but that’s what I’ll have to do,” she said.

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Becky Pepper-Jackson poses for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Supreme Court stands is Washington, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Protestors hold signs during a rally at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, file)