They had a late effort from Jordan Henderson ruled out, after they were twice pegged back by the hosts.

Everton remained top of the table on 13 points, three ahead of Liverpool, after an incident-packed end to the 237th Merseyside derby.

The game was locked at 2-2 after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 10th goal of the season in all competitions had brought Everton level in the 81st minute.

But in stoppage time, Thiago Alcantara’s clever pass found Sadio Mane and the Senagalese’s low cross was turned in by Henderson, only for VAR to find the narrowest of offsides.

To add to Liverpool’s disappointment, they suffered an injury to key defender Virgil van Dijk which forced the Dutchman out of the game in the 11th minute.

Liverpool were humiliated 7-2 by Aston Villa just before the international break but they quickly set about putting things right.

Mane scored in the third minute, firing home a low cross from Andy Robertson.

Liverpool suffered a blow eight minutes later when defender Van Dijk went down and had to be substituted after a reckless challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Everton took advantage of the Dutchman’s absence, when, from a corner-kick Michael Keane rose at the near post to power a header past Adrian.

Liverpool were on top for long stretches and Mohamed Salah restored their lead in the 72nd minute.

He pounced on a headed clearance from Yerry Mina to drill a drive past Pickford for his 100th goal for the club.

But Everton, determined not to lose their unbeaten record, got back on level terms when James Rodriguez sent Lucas Digne down the left.

Digne’s perfectly-floated cross was headed home by the leaping Calvert-Lewin.

Everton’s Brazilian forward Richarlison was sent off in the 90th minute after a wild challenge on Alcantara.

Then came the VAR drama that left Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp bemused.

“I’ve seen the disallowed goal at the end and in the picture I saw it wasn’t offside. Can someone explain that to me?,” the German said.

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The German said it was not based on facts, and the well-being of players was not taken into consideration.

In May, football’s rule-making body IFAB changed the regulations governing the maximum number of substitutes.

This was to help teams battling fixture congestion as they looked to complete the season after a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

IFAB left it to individual leagues to decide if they wanted to adopt the rule this season and Premier League clubs voted at their annual general meeting last month against continuing to allow the use of five substitutes in each game.

“I thought from a common sense point of view it would be clear we will have 20 (players in the squad) and five (substitutes),” Klopp told reporters. “It’s not an advantage. I don’t like that. We deal with this thing around the wrong facts.

“It’s about players’ welfare and the highest quality in games for all teams…

“Look at the other countries, Bayern (Munich) have the best team and have an advantage with the five subs (in the Bundesliga), but they play the most games.

“Now it is 18 (in the squad) and three (substitutes). So, you have to rotate more. You need numbers and fit players. That’s the job we have to do. We have to make the decisions.”

Champions Liverpool host second tier title holders Leeds United in their first match of the new campaign on Saturday and Klopp expects Marcelo Bielsa’s side to thrive in the top flight.

“It’s not the most expansive style where they will open up. They are well-drilled and the way they defend is exceptional — pretty much man-marking plus one,” Klopp said.

“They will face challenges because… some different animals are around than in the Championship (second tier).

“But they will do well in the Premier League. It suits them more than the Championship and now they can show their full potential.”

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