 THE symbolic image of Saturday's
Merseyside derby wasn't Rafael Benitez racing on to the Anfield pitch at the final whistle
to congratulate his players on a courageous victory.
Nor was it the sight of the Liverpool manager barely acknowledging Steven Gerrard as his
skipper trudged disconsolately into the dressing room after his mindless 18th-minute red
card threatened hope of a home triumph.
Instead, the snapshot that encapsulated the essence of a fractious, pulsating
encounter came when, after Andy van der Meyde prepared to follow Gerrard down the tunnel
for an early exit in the 73rd minute, David Moyes stood by the dug-out, hand clasped to
his forehead in seeming disbelief at what was transpiring.
No wonder. It had been Everton's ideal opportunity to end their near seven-year
wait for a win at Anfield. And, as an exasperated Moyes's body language suggested, they
had blown it.
Not that Liverpool cared. While their neighbours lamented what might have been,
Benitez's side celebrated a third successive derby victory following a performance in
which they were forced to reach deep into their reserves of character and resolve.
That it was wholly deserved says as much about the attitude and application of the
Liverpool players as it does the hugely disappointing failure of Everton to perform.
The visitors might have been expected to capitalise on the early expulsion of
Gerrard, the Liverpool captain scything down Kevin Kilbane barely a minute after being
cautioned for kicking the ball away.
Yet rather than encourage an Everton side who had began the game the brighter, the
dismissal served only to galvanise the home side into a display which would have yielded
three points even without infuriating referee Phil Dowd evening the numbers with van der
Meyde's sending-off.
Moyes had warned his players beforehand that discipline would prove key in an
encounter that has seen more red cards than any other Premiership fixture, 14 now the
total.
Ironic, then, that after Gerrard's moment of madness, it was Liverpool who, with
Xabi Alonso magnificent in midfield, maintained control as, not for the first time in this
fixture under Moyes, Everton gradually lost the plot, lost the game and probably lost a
realistic chance of UEFA Cup qualification.
Perhaps ultimately the out-come was determined by which team coped better with the
loss of the best player.
And while Liverpool prospered without Gerrard, Everton never came to terms with the
absence of Mikel Areta. As Moyes later conceded, Arteta's composure had been sorely
missed.
The free-flowing football that had seen Everton net nine goals in their last three
games simply failed to materialise, whereas Liverpool - boasting 15 goals in the same
period - could have netted more than the three they eventually did.
Benitez's side were undoubtedly aided by the timing of key events on Saturday. Phil
Neville's unfortunate own goal opener came in first-half injury time and was followed two
minutes after the break by a second from Luis Garcia, and after a shellshocked Everton
gave themselves a flicker of hope with Tim Cahill's header just past the hour, it was
extinguished by van der Meyde's red card five minutes after the Dutchman had arrived from
the bench as the visitors sought an unlikely equaliser.
Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Everton's James McFadden battle
for the ball
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While the decision to dismiss the
winger for an elbow on Alonso was a tad harsh - particularly as Garcia had not even been
booked for a similar offence on Kilbane in the first half - referee Dowd otherwise called
the major decisions correctly.
It was basically everything else that led the derby debutant to be harangued by
both sets of supporters. Besides the two sendingsoff, there were 10 yellow cards - seven
of those to Everton, who now face an FA charge - yet nobody could genuinely say this was a
dirty game.
But while Alan Stubbs later pointed an accusing finger at Liverpool's foreign
contingent for play-acting and encouraging bookings, such comments over-looked the fact
Everton were just as guilty of unnecessary conduct during a niggly 90 minutes.
That said, it made for an exciting, absorbing spectacle, with the best of what
football could be played between the flurry of yellow and red cards coming from Liverpool.
A sigh of relief, then, for Gerrard, with Benitez insisting the midfielder will
learn from his experience. And with this win, perhaps Liverpool can lay to rest the
accusation they are simply a one-man team.
Of course, Gerrard was wearing '08' on his shirt to advertise the city's tenure as
Capital of Culture in two years time.
 The pictures of him leaving the
field weren't quite the publicity the campaign team had in mind, while fellow '08' James
Beattie hardly helped with an anonymous second-half showing.
The Everton striker had, however, been busy in the opening 10 minutes, causing Sami
Hyypia problems as the visitors came close with two Cahill efforts, the first from six
yards deflecting off Alonso into the grateful arms of Pepe Reina while an ambitious second
struck the side-netting.
Once Gerrard was dismissed, action was sparse at either end besides a speculative
Garcia curler that landed on to the roof of the net. But seconds after forcing their first
corner of the game, Liverpool's second on the stroke of half-time saw a wicked delivery
from the right by Alonso towards the near post be glanced into his own net by Neville,
sent off in the Goodison derby in December. Coming from a former Manchester United player,
Anfield's delight was understandable.
Two minutes after the break, that joy was heightened. Under instruction from Jamie
Carragher, Reina launched a huge goal kick downfield and, after Crouch had beaten Stubbs
to the flick-on, Garcia moved past an off-guard Gary Naysmith and lobbed the ball expertly
home over Richard Wright, whose questionable rush from his goalline into no-man's land had
made the Spaniard's mind up for him.
After forcing their own first corner on the hour, Everton's second a minute later
brought them back into the game when Cahill exploited slack marking in the Liverpool
defence to head Leon Osman's left-hand cross in off the far post.
However, the goal didn't alter the pattern of play, and it couldn't disguise a
below-par performance from Cahill, who was maybe compromised by his 12th-minute booking.
He wasn't alone, with only the busy Osman and overly-busy Stubbs emerging with any
semblance of credit for Everton.
The midfield, so often where these games are decided, was instead dominated by
Liverpool. Alonso, despite his own first-half booking, pulled the strings while it is hard
to believe Mohamed Sissoko's career was under threat just five weeks ago, given his
typical all-action, energetic performance.
Everton's defence, and David Weir in particular, found Peter Crouch practically
unplayable while Harry Kewell rediscovered a spark to his game that has been missing in
recent weeks.
With Liverpool firmly in the ascendancy during the final quarter, Alonso struck the
bar with a free-kick, Stubbs made a goal-saving challenge on Garcia, Kewell drew a good
save from Wright and Hyypia headed in Alonso's free-kick only for the goal to be ruled out
after Crouch had wandered off-side.
But the coup de grace was eventually supplied six minutes from time when, after
receiving Steve Finnan's short pass, Kewell, with minimal backlift, thumped a left-footed
shot beyond Wright from 20 yards.
Cue Benitez joining his players to rejoice after the final whistle. For Moyes and
Everton, the sense of regret is the feeling that will linger longest.
BOOKINGS: Gerrard (dissent), Alonso (foul), Kewell (unsporting behaviour).
SENDING-OFF: Gerrard (second bookable offence).
BOOKINGS: Cahill, Kilbane, Weir, Ferguson, Neville (fouls), Stubbs (unsporting
behaviour), Hibbert (dissent).
SENDING-OFF: van der Meyde (violent conduct).
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