ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Everton 0 Liverpool 2:THE GWLADYS Street welcomed Jose Reina with a beach ball but he responded by deflating their dreams. Everton sensed blood in a 212th Merseyside derby that represented an invitation to deepen Liverpool's misery and test the bond between Rafael Benitez and the Kop. The turning point, however, was to be savoured by their rivals.
It is premature to suggest Liverpool have emerged from a trough that threatened to end their Champions League and Premier League interest before December, and some would dismiss that as a ludicrous assertion on this laboured performance. But the breaks that have contributed to their malaise are no longer going against them – not on this evidence, not on a day when Liverpool were outplayed by neighbours who languish three points above the relegation zone but emerged from Goodison Park with a vital triumph. Campaigns have turned on much less.
Not until victory follows victory can Liverpool assume the recovery position. They followed the win over Manchester United with defeat at Fulham after all but this was a result to savour for Benitez.
He did not attempt to dress up the three points as anything but fortunate, he identified Reina’s stupendous double-save from Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini as game-changing and potentially season-changing and it was David Moyes’ turn to rue defensive weakness. In the circumstances and, given the stakes for his reputation at Anfield, he had every reason to note, “We have to enjoy this”, and every reason to savour the day he signed Reina from Villarreal.
Everton have rarely controlled a derby as comfortably as they did until Liverpool’s counter-attacks began to prosper late on against a team desperately pushing forward in search of an equaliser. Yet even in a first half that exposed more of Liverpool’s deficiencies they could easily have found themselves two goals behind.
Moyes’ side were composed from the first whistle, with the rare luxury of players being fit to take their natural positions delivering one of their best displays of a moribund season. And after 11 untroubled minutes they fell behind. Javier Mascherano was among the few Liverpool players to perform but even the most optimistic Red harboured little hope when he lined up a shot from 25 yards. The effort travelled as anticipated before good luck intervened in a deflection off Joseph Yobo that diverted the ball beyond Tim Howard’s dive into the bottom corner.
The Argentinian’s celebrations were befitting of a Diego Maradona captain but the lead did nothing for Liverpool’s performance level or their hosts’ authority. With Steven Gerrard patently short of fitness and Fernando Torres absent for a third week with a hernia, Benitez’s team toiled badly. They assisted an Everton team who boasted the game’s finest player in Steven Pienaar with consistently poor distribution that isolated David Ngog, their lone striker in every sense, and only in central defence and in goal could they boast superiority.
Everton were applauded off on 45 and 90 minutes, although it was a damning indictment of their finishing that even against limited opposition they beat Reina only when offside. The on-loan striker Jo twice thought he had equalised, with a clinical shot when released inside the area by Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and when he turned Yobo’s header over the line from a yard out but was ruled offside on both occasions.
The Russian international also squandered a glorious chance at the back post moments after Mascherano’s opener and Jo and Pienaar both tested Reina before the interval. Yet Liverpool had the clearer opening, Emiliano Insua connecting with Glen Johnson’s delivery from the right and forcing an excellent one-handed save from Howard.
Reina was the busier throughout and 19 minutes from time he ended Everton’s dominance with a double-save that left Moyes holding his head in disbelief. Cahill met John Heitinga’s free-kick with a header that appeared destined to polish a subdued contribution from the Australia international. The Spaniard leapt low to save at his far post then, with Fellaini first to the follow-up and only three yards out, blocked the Belgian’s effort with his body.
Everton’s spirit evaporated and Liverpool picked at their desperation. Ten minutes from time, following a sliced clearance from Yobo, Howard parried Albert Riera’s shot into the path of Dirk Kuyt and the escape act was complete.
Guardian Service
