Marcel Brands has expressed his delight at Everton’s first win over Liverpool at Goodison Park since 2010 while lifting the lid on his own exit following a Merseyside Derby horror show for the Blues.

The 62-year-old, who served as Everton’s director of football between May 2018-December 2021, watched the 2-0 victory for Sean Dyche’s men on the eve of his current employers PSV’s 8-0 romp at Heerenveen on Thursday evening to put them on the cusp of clinching the Eredivisie title ahead of a Feyenoord outfit coached by Arne Slot, who is understood to have had talks to become Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Anfield.

Brands told the ECHO: “The Everton fans were always great and from day one they were very positive, not just about the club but personally to me too. I was so glad to see on the television all the happiness among the Evertonians at Goodison Park because they have suffered so much in these last few years.

“I was also happy for our late chairman. I am sure in Heaven he will have a big smile on his face when the Blues have beaten the Reds.

“I know what it means for the Evertonians. This result makes the season for them and I also think that the threat of relegation is far away now.

“Beating Liverpool will bring a lot of confidence for the fans and the players after the defeat in London to Chelsea. This was so important and it was great to see the happiness of the supporters because they deserve this kind of thing.”

The scenes of delight among the home support contrasted sharply to when Liverpool provided the opposition for what proved to be Brands’ last match in his Everton post, a 4-1 defeat which saw him confronted by an angry fan following the final whistle. The supporter told the Dutchman to: “Get out of this club” before asking about the players: “Did you recruit them?”

In response, Brands offered the somewhat cryptic response of: “Is it only the players?” Two-and-a-half years on, the PSV President, who stepped down from his position at the Blues five days after the incident, is rather more blunt about his exit but insists he got on with most people at the club.

He said: “In the end it was clear. I was very happy at the club with all the people in the club.

“I think everyone knows that Benitez was not my choice. That was the big thing for me and I knew at that time he wants to sell Lucas Digne and he wants to sell Richarlison.

“Those decisions were absolutely not my choices. So I had to make that decision at that time and I don’t regret it because I had a great time at Everton.

“If I should do it again then I should do it again because it’s a great club with great fans. I’m still happy every time when Everton has a good result.

“There are still a lot of players who I had a good contact with like Andre Gomes, Seamus Coleman, Jarrad (Branthwaite) of course, and all the other ones. I still wish them all the best because as my chairman always said: ‘Once a Blue, always a Blue’ and I think that’s true.”

• Look out next week for the rest of Brands’ exclusive interview as he runs the rule over Everton’s breakthrough star of the season and Merseyside Derby hero Jarrad Branthwaite who he plucked from home city club Carlisle United as a teenager before gearing the defender up for Premier League action with a loan spell at PSV.