Arne Slot: Liverpool must handle emotion of Everton’s final Goodison derby

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot hopes his first-choice side will handle the emotion of Goodison Park’s final Merseyside derby better than the second string whose “unacceptable” performance resulted in them being dumped out of the FA Cup by Plymouth.

The Dutchman’s gamble in leaving nine of the side who beat Tottenham to progress to the Carabao Cup final on Thursday at home resulted in a 1-0 defeat to the Championship’s bottom club.

That starting XI still included nine senior squad players, including a forward line of Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, but could not find a way to break down committed and organised opponents.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo will all be back for Everton’s 122nd and final derby at their historic home where the atmosphere is likely to be ramped up even more than usual.

“It should have an impact because if you are working at a club like this you should compete for every trophy. To lose against Plymouth is not acceptable,” said Slot of their cup exit.

“Now we have to show a different side of us tomorrow because it wasn’t only the result but the performance was far from what Liverpool’s standards are as well.

“It is probably going to be a fantastic atmosphere and that is never easy to play against because every single time they cross the halfway line or get a corner the fans will cheer for that and then you have to be mentally really strong as an away team to resist all that.

“You still have to be focused on what you have to do: defending the corner, defending the set-piece and when you have the ball be as calm as you can.

“It is not the first time for these players playing in an atmosphere like this. I hope they can focus on what they have