VERY few could have anticipated the drama that was about to unfold in the dying minutes of the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
But one shrewd punter did and found themselves £2,000 richer after backing Everton captain James Tarkowski to score with just four minutes of injury-time remaining!
James Tarkowski equaliser lands shrewd in-play punter £2,000 from £8 stoppage-time stake[/caption]
With the fourth official having signalled for five minutes of stoppage-time, our mystery bettor quickly placed £8 on Tarkowski to score at a colossal 250/1.
As the minutes ticked away, Liverpool looked to be heading nine points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to Mohamed Salah’s second-half strike.
It would have meant that Liverpool would have clinched the final Merseyside derby victory at Goodison Park before the Toffees moved into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
But luckily for this Betfair punter and Evertonians, Tarkowski had other ideas.
The centre-back, who hadn’t scored a goal all season, decided to venture forward and fired an unstoppable shot high past Alisson in the 98th minute.
90+1′ Bet placed
90+8′ Tarkowski equalisesA Betfair punter backed James Tarkowski to score at 250/1 in-play, winning £2,008!
#EFC pic.twitter.com/IJFurGNl7Q
— Betfair (@Betfair) February 13, 2025
The strike arrived well after the allocated injury time had been played, and took until the 100th-minute to be given after checks were carried out for offside and a foul on Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.
Referee Michael Oliver eventually signalled a goal and, much like this punter, Goodison Park erupted with unbridled joy.
Following his last-gasp heroics, Tarkowski said: “Late on I just decided to get in the box, it dropped, I just let it go and see what happens. Amazing to score and what an amazing night.
“I just saw the ball going wide and thought ‘last minute, why not?’. It managed to fall to me and I let it rip.
“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.”
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