Saturday's Merseyside derby between bitter rivals Liverpool and Everton will not be affected by the government's decision to place the city into its new Tier Three lockdown amid rising coronavirus cases.
Negotiations between the Liverpool City Region and central government have continued overnight and into today, but Sportsmail understands elite football has not formed part of the lockdown discussions.
Everton are due to host Liverpool at 12.30pm on Saturday at Goodison Park in what is an even more eagerly-awaited contest than usual. Carlo Ancelotti's men are top of the Premier League table after four straight wins, while champions Liverpool suffered a spectacular 7-2 stumble at Aston Villa last time out.