Everton 1 – 2 Liverpool

It was the usual hell for leather start you’d expect from a Merseyside derby with the tempo ridiculously high. Liverpool started the better and on 2min Gerrard made an ominous run in to the Everton box only to run the ball out of play. 2 minutes later Voronin had a great chance to put the visitors ahead, after a ball over the top found Benayoun to play him in, but shot straight at Howard from 10 yards.

Liverpool dominated early possession but Everton’s scrapping eventually got them back into the game as they began winning free kicks and corners. Indeed the home side were on top with a quarter of the game played as things began to settle down in the middle of the park.

Osman and Lescott were doing well in wide areas for the home side, consistently getting in to dangerous areas. It was Osman who came closest to scoring during this period of pressure when on 29mins he volleyed over after the ball came to him on the edge of the box from a long throw. A moment later Lescott set up Yakubu only for the Nigerian to swing at air from 8 yards out. His strike partner, Anichebe, came close on 32mins with his header just going over from Arteta’s free kick.

The goal came on 37mins after Liverpool failed to clear a corner only for Stubbs to knock it back into the mix fro Hyppia to miscue in to his own net. The half ended with the home team looking comfortable with only a long range effort from Gerrard on 43mins the closest the visitors came to an equaliser.

The second half began with Everton on the front foot again with Liverpool’s forwards not linking up the play at all in the final third. Arteta began to get more involved after an unusually quiet first half for the Spanish playmaker.

Against the run of play Liverpool broke, having cleared a corner, with Gerrard surging into the Everton box only to go down after a clash with Hibbert. A penalty was given and seemingly a yellow card was about to be brandished to the Everton defender until Gerrard’s intervention which bizarrely saw the referee return the card to his pocket only to replace it with a red! Kuyt duly put the penalty away to make it one all on 52mins.

It wasn’t long before Everton were again incensed by dubious refereeing when on 56mins Lescott was wrestled in the Liverpool box but the Everton player obviously lacked the guile of Gerrard to win a penalty. From that incident Liverpool broke with Kuyt down the right and into the box, pulling back for Riise to blast over.

Liverpool were staring to see more of the ball but the home side continued to take the game to the visitors at every opportunity.

The forward on both sides were getting more involved as the game became more stretched. On 59mins Anichebe flicked on for Yakubu but his Overhead kcik lacked the power to trouble Reina.

On the hour there was a scramble in the Everton box following a Liverpool corner. Kuyt’s initial shot was blocked, the ball came to Voronin who saw his strike well saved and the resulting rebound fell to Kuyt who headed over.

Everton fans were again up in arms when on 64mins Kuyt’s two footed, knee-high lunge on Neville only saw yellow.

Yakubu then struck a powerful shot from 25 yards that was just wide of the post on 65mins. That was to be the closest Everton were to come as being down to ten men began to take its toll and the Everton backline got deeper and deeper.

Liverpool began to push for a winner. On 76mins, Voronin drove into the Everton box only to skew a shot well wide with Kuyt open for a tap in. Minutes later Sissoko dragged a shot wide of the near post.

Their best chance came on 81mins when Finnan delivered a great cross to Voronin who headed over from 10 yards.

Everton looked to have weathered the storm and stifled their rivals for the remainder of the match until in the 90^th minute Phil Neville used his arm to block Lucas’ shot on the line after Howard parried straight to the Brazilian youngster.

Kuyt again dispatched the penalty to earn Liverpool the points but the controversy was far from over. In the 93^rd minute Lescott was floored from behind in the box by Carragher in a move akin to a judo throw. Again the referee failed to make the call in favour of the blues in what was to be a red day on Merseyside.