Everton 0 Liverpool 3: There was a grateful wave to the directors' box on the final whistle, the tired smile etched across his face hinting at deep-lying relief.
"The board have been extremely supportive, but they don't make knee-jerk reactions here," offered Gérard Houllier. Predictably, persuasively, his Liverpool are a side reborn.
In dismissing snarling neighbours by the most emphatic derby scoreline in 20 years, any talk of a crisis gripping Anfield has choked in the throats of the doubters. More significantly, Houllier's reputation as a cautious tactician - primarily concerned that his teams suffocate opponents rather than swarm all over them - took as much of a pounding on Saturday as Everton's beleaguered defence.
The Frenchman may have insisted he did not feel under any particular pressure after a spluttering start to the season, but his habit of monitoring everything from newspaper articles to radio phone-ins for criticism suggests otherwise. Given the dissatisfied din in the build-up to this game, defeat was not an option, so the expectation was that Liverpool would be circumspect - blanket defence would draw Everton's sting and allow the visitors to bite on the break.
That is clearly not le nouveau Houllier's way. "If I'm honest, his selection surprised us too," conceded Michael Owen, fresh from swelling his derby plunder to four goals in his last three trips to Goodison Park. "We'd gone out against Tottenham in midweek with quite an attacking formation, but the manager picking the same team away from home, especially here, was really bold. Give him credit. It has to be disciplined - that's still a big part of our game - but the manager's taken a far more offensive approach in the last few games. That's got to be good."
It will prove productive for Owen more than most. Too often an isolated and, consequently, crestfallen figure last season, he still contributed a staggering 28 goals in all competitions. That tally could now swell further. Against Everton, with Harry Kewell, Vladimir Smicer and El-Hadji Diouf wreaking havoc and providing width Liverpool have rarely possessed under Houllier, Owen suddenly had allies at his side. A smart finish across Steve Simonsen before the interval and a calm sidefoot from Milan Baros's centre had the England striker salivating.
"I didn't have a sight of goal in our first two games and, when the chances dry up, it's tough as a striker," he said. "I can only show what I can do if my team-mates produce chances. Now we have the players who can provide that bit of magic. I go into every game dreaming of receiving that killer pass from Harry [Kewell] or Stevie [Gerrard]. Now, if the opportunities keep on coming, the goals will follow."
The onus is on Houllier to retain such attacking intent, though there seems little reason to tinker. Only during a frantic opening half-hour did Liverpool creak under the weight of Everton's hungry pressure. As soon as the whirlwind gave way to indiscipline, a succession of petty free-kicks and cautions sapping the home side's momentum, the visitors' greater polish prevailed.
With a quintet of forward thinkers eager to tear forward, and the effervescent Gerrard a nominal defensive presence, Liverpool flourished where Everton floundered by taking their chances. Kewell's first goal for the club, crunched into an empty net from outside the area after Simonsen went walkabout, merely rubbed salt into Blue wounds.
By the end frustration had driven Wayne Rooney to despair, perplexed as he was by his own profligacy and riled by a fourth successive home defeat to bitter rivals. Twice Jerzy Dudek denied him from point-blank range. When Duncan Ferguson clipped a free-kick on to the bar, Everton's exasperation was complete with Rooney shielded by team-mates as his argument with the referee Mike Riley threatened to prompt red. "He's a Scouser in the derby," said David Moyes. "I wouldn't change him.
"People should realise we are trying to bridge a massive gap between Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton," added Moyes. "We're making a decent go at it: we're competitive and there's a great energy amongst the boys, but the bit of quality at both ends told. We'll soldier on. It's a challenge and we'll work through it." With that in mind, the sight of Houllier's success under pressure should provide timely inspiration.
