EPL Liveblog: Liverpool v. Everton

Yeah, That Looks About Right

Rafa Benitez thinks this game is one of the most important games of his time at Anfield. Who am I to argue?

Though the derby has dulled somewhat in recent years, there’s still a satisfaction around the city when the other team falters, much like Everton did to kick off the 2009/10 EPL season. Their ship has certainly steadied in recent weeks, making this game a mouthwatering proposition. The late tackles will be flying in, and it’s a good chance for Landon Donovan to see what this English soccer stuff is all about. After all, if you can’t get excited for a date with your club’s oldest and strongest rival… well, maybe you’re not built for such encounters.

Lineups, prayers, and the race for 4th after the jump.

I’ll be back at 7.40am-ish with team sheets and commentary. I wrote this a couple of years back about the rivalry, and the thoughts still hold true.

LINEUPS:

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina – Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Agger, Insua – Mascherano, Lucas – Kuyt, Gerrard, Maxi – Ngog
Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Riera, Aurelio, Babel, Degen, Skrtel.

Everton (4-1-4-1): Howard – P. Neville, Distin, Heitinga, Baines – Fellaini – Donovan, Cahill, Osman, Pienaar – Saha
Subs: Nash, Bilyaletdinov, Arteta, Yakubu, Senderos, Anichebe, Coleman.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

Team News
According to ESPN, LFC are playing a 4-4-2 with the right-sided Maxi making his full XI debut though on the left wing. Naturally, they’re slightly off the mark, and it’s business as usual with that formation. Meanwhile, Everton’s lineup picks itself at the moment, as they’re playing well and can boast a settled side.

Everton haven’t won at Anfield since 1999. Will that run end today in the 213th meeting of these two teams?

7.45am – Everyone’s out on the fied, the sunshine is bombarding one corner of the pitch (hilariously, it’s the area that Jamie Carragher will be defending in the first half), and You’ll Never Walk Alone rings out around the ground. I love these games.

We’re off! A zesty opening that sees Carragher barge through Steven Pienaar, and the South African needs a minute to get himself organized on the touchline.

1 min: Everton start brightly. Neville pushes up on the right and finds Donovan (who beat the offside trap), though his cross was deflected behind for a corner. I’m nervous…. though Carragher pings it out and Everton will get another chance to boom one in and find Cahill or Fellaini at the back post.

It’s swung to the near post and flicked high and back by Carragher or Osman, though Fellaini and Saha both pile on Reina giving Atkinson an easy free-kick decision.

3 mins: Then down the other end, Gerrard steams down the flank and is upended by Phil Neville, angering the home crowd as he didn’t really make an effort to play the ball. Donovan was there, but couldn’t track back. Gerrard’s delivery was sharp to the near post, but Howard is aware enough to punch it out. Liverpool bung the clearance well over the bar. A nice opening.

6 mins: Dopey play from Carragher; getting into good position for the outlet pass wide right, he lets the ball run right by him for an Everton throw. It looked like he was trying to dummy Leon Osman, but only succeeded in dummying himself. Cahill then throws his head into Lucas’ face as the pair tangle for a high ball. Liverpool free-kick.

8 mins: Ngog does well to hold up possession for Kuyt and Carragher down the right, though the pair get a little too cute with their passing and Carragher can’t stop Kuyt’s through-ball trickling out for a goal-kick. Folks, that’s a good example of how not to play the triangle.

10 mins: Mascherano always does well in getting himself into early trouble. He steams through Fellaini’s ankle late after the ball’s gone in the center circle, getting what’s likely his final warning from Martin Atkinson with a full 80 minutes to go.

Then, in a hurry to clear his lines, Carragher hits a clearance into an Everton player and then off him for a corner. Donovan swings it in near-post, it’s cleared back out to the American, though on the return cross Fellaini puts an elbow into Kyrgiakos and concedes a free-kick. Danger relieved for now.

13 mins: Nice, patient play on the right wing earns Liverpool their first corner. Gerrard’s delivery is flicked on and somehow eludes everyone in the middle. It falls to Agger with time to shoot but he can’t keep the bouncing ball down and his volley flies high over the bar.

14 mins: More good pressure from Liverpool. Kuyt finds Carragher sprinting down the right and the defender’s cross causes some problems in the middle. The ball’s bundled out as far as Lucas who shapes to shoot and wins another corner off Leon Osman. Gerrard’s delivery isn’t as good this time around, and the danger dissipates. Still, Liverpool are finding some success down the right wing running at Baines and overloading that side.

16 mins: A good bit of end-to-end soccer there. Saha wins the ball in midfield and Everton have numbers to counter-attack, but Cahill and Pienaar can’t get in synch and Liverpool clear. Kuyt bursts up the other end and plays a lovely ball through to Ngog, but it gets caught under his feet and Howard collects. From that, some scrambling play in the Everton end and Carragher wins another corner off the defender. Gerrard’s cross is deep but Cahill nods clear. Liverpool come again and Insua’s cross isn’t properly dealt with, though Pienaar does just enough to stop Kuyt from shooting. Some good pressure by the home side in these last couple of minutes.

YELLOW CARD, LIVERPOOL – Kuyt, 20
Some sloppy play by Liverpool at the back, with each pass getting more and more ambitious until Kyrgiakos needlessly passes it straight to Donovan. His run on goal is callously halted by Kuyt running across his back and sweeping the leg, giving Everton a free-kick 20 yards out and dead center. Dumb play by the Dutchman, but he had to do something.

Baines takes it, though Reina does well to tip it over with the sun in his eyes. Corner to Everton, and Donovan to take… though it’s far too shallow and easily cleared. Reina does poorly with a long run and flap at a cross swung in, though his defense does enough to scramble it clear.

24 mins: It’s become scrappy in the last couple of minutes, with neither side managing to string two passes together without being on the receiving end of a late tackle. Kuyt is chopped down late by Pienaar, which is bad enough, but Fellaini’s sneaky follow-though — he kicks the ball right in Kuyt’s face as the striker is on the deck — was far worse. Atkinson missed that one.

26 mins: Phil Neville concedes a free-kick 30+ yards out on the left for jumping all over Ngog for a high ball. Gerrard whips it short and it looked like Cahill headed it clear, though Kuyt and Carragher combine again down the right though the cross is poor.

YELLOW CARD, EVERTON – Pienaar, 29
A late collision with Pienaar and Mascherano earns the South African a deserved yellow. It was late, the foot came down on Mascherano’s foot (coming from above the ball, mind you), and buckled the Argentine’s knee in the process. Mascherano is in agony though manages to hobble off for a quick look. On replay, the tackle looks worse and worse and could easily be a red card.

YELLOW CARD, LIVERPOOL – Carragher, 31
It doesn’t take long for the defender to retaliate for his fallen friend, chopping down Pienaar in the right corner from behind as the pair chase a loose ball.

Someone’s definitely getting sent off today… I guess the question shouldn’t be who, but who first?

31 mins: Some soccer breaks out amid the on-pitch brawl. Liverpool break with numbers and Ngog has a wonderful chance to shoot from the left edge of the box, though he screws his shot past the far post.

RED CARD, LIVERPOOL – Kyrgiakos, 34
Good god, someone’s getting sent off for that one. Kyrgiakos likely has no left leg remaining as Fellaini flies through chasing the ball and stomps TWO-FOOTED on the Greek defender’s leg. He’s showing Atkinson the carnage while Fellaini is playing dead on the floor for his own part in the fracas. Miraculously, the Greek is sent off first as he went in two-footed also, and I think Atkinson is waiting to give Fellaini a card for his part while the Belgian waits for a stretcher. I don’t think he will continue because of injury, but the ref had better be showing him something so Everton are similarly handicapped.

Wait a second… Fellaini escapes any card at all for his two-footed dance across Kyrgiakos’ left shin. I am stunned. That’s an absolutely shocking decision. If Kyrgiakos goes, Fellaini has to follow for his challenge was just as reckless.

Carragher shuffles to center-back, and lo and behold, Fellaini looks like he’s readying to get back on. Absolutely unbelievable.

To review:

- Two-footed tackles are bad.

- The first two-footed tackle is somehow worse than the second, though they’re both illegal.

- Man who commits second, arguably later two-footed tackle, escapes punishment.

I’m floored. Fellaini is back on his feet, and looks like he’ll be fine to continue.

38 mins: Amid the fracas, Saha lazily lapses offside looking for a through-ball. And karma is somewhat served as Fellaini can’t seem to stand up due to the mess that is his right leg, and he’ll be replaced shortly by Mikel Arteta. The Liverpool fans are cheering his injury, which I don’t condone, THOUGH I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW FELLAINI ESCAPED A RED CARD FOR STOMPING ALL OVER KYRGIAKOS WITH TWO FEET AFTER THE INITIAL CHALLENGE FROM THE GREEK.

EVERTON SUBSTITUTION: Fellaini the crook off, replaced by Mikel Arteta. I’d forgotten he was on Everton’s books, so injured he’s been in the last 18 months. I think Everton are pulling to a flat 4-4-1-1 now, as they lost their holding midfielder but gain an attacking midfielder in front of that core of 4 across the middle.

42 mins: Donovan emerges! He is called for a foul backing into Agger, and Moyes isn’t happy. Though honestly, there are plenty of other things to be unhappy about thus far.

44 mins: Cahill shoves Gerrard down just outside the box, somewhat needlessly, and the home side have a decent scoring chance. Gerrard, Agger, and Lucas hover over the ball…

… and Gerrard hits the bar! Howard was across, but I doubt he’d have stopped that if it were an inch or two lower.

A bunch of minutes added time to play. Obviously… it took like 10 minutes to haul Fellaini off.

45 mins + 2: Mild excitement at Everton’s end as a long free-kick is left by Ngog for Maxi arriving late at the far post, though Howard is alert enough to step out and collect.

45 mins + 3: Some nice play by Everton around the box as Pienaar heads across goal for Cahill, though the Australian’s diving header is over the bar. Looked a shade offside, though the flag stayed down.

45 mins + 4: Everton are knocking it around inside the Liverpool half, enjoying the man advantage that they really shouldn’t have.

HALF TIME: Liverpool 0, Everton 0
The violence isn’t over. That much we do know. Some flashes of decent soccer emerge here and there, though Atkinson’s decision to dismiss Kyrgiakos (correctly) and allow Fellaini’s shocking follow-though to go unpunished (utterly incorrect) has likely decided this game. It’ll be tough for Liverpool to hang on, and I wonder if Degen will replace Ngog in the 2nd half and give LFC a flat back 4 and push Kuyt up into the lone striker role.

So… who will get sent off first? Pienaar? Mascherano? Will Cahill let his natural thuggery bubble through? Stay tuned to find out.

They’re back on the pitch, no substitutions, and Mascherano is playing at right-back. For what it’s worth, my money’s on Pienaar to get dismissed next. Still stunned that Everton have their full XI on the pitch. Both Fellaini and Pienaar could have easily earned dismissals. Sucks.

46 mins: Pienaar welcomes us back with a dumb foul and then obstruction to stop Liverpool taking the free-kick quickly. He’s so getting sent off. Kuyt wins a corner for Liverpool, though it’s easily cleared, and then karma intervenes to tell us that Fellaini’s leg is not broken. Let’s hope his ankle is, then.

47 mins: Cahill turns and shoots weakly at Reina from just inside the box.

49 mins: Obviously, it’s all Everton right now as they still have all 11 players. Despite knocking on the door for a while from both wings, they can’t find a way through and Mascherano does well to block Pienaar’s left-wing cross so his side can clear. Ngog is felled trying to hold up possession for his midfielders, and Liverpool break the tension with a free-kick. Nevermind; Everton have the ball back already.

50 mins: Donovan shoots wide from 20 yards. Liverpool rumble up the other end and Ngog goes down softly with Arteta’s ankle in the vicinity (yeah, probably a dive), though Atkinson rewards him with a free-kick. I guess if the referee has already lost control with some puzzling decisions in the first half, then it’s open season for trickery and deception in the second half.

53 mins: Ngog does remarkably well to hold off Distin in pursuit of a long ball forward, and wins a corner off the defender as his shot was deflected off-target. The Frenchman in red is soft and fragile, yet played rather strong there. Gerrard’s delivery is cleared by Cahill inside the 6-yard-box. Liverpool come again, and win another corner — their 7th — off Johnny Heitinga.

GOAL – Liverpool 1, Everton 0 (Kuyt, 54)
That’ll make us Reds fans feel a bit better. Gerrard’s corner is right into the 6-yard-box, and Dirk Kuyt easily holds his ground despite a lame push from Phil Neville and the Dutchman’s header finds the net. Lovely stuff, lads. Now don’t go into a shell.

YELLOW CARD, EVERTON – Heitinga, 56
Liverpool make the wise move to keep attacking, and Heitinga clumsily topples Maxi on a rare run from the Argentine up the middle. Free-kick for Liverpool, 25 yards out and dead center, though it’s right at Howard.

58 mins: The crowd is in full song, though a mazy run by Donovan almost silences the Kop. He makes it to the byline and floats a tantalizing cross to the back post, but Carragher is there to nod it behind for a corner. It’s cleared for another corner, and Arteta will try again.

Arteta’s second attempt is easily cleared and then Everton stray offside when the next cross is boomed into the box.

Oh god. Ryan Babel is warming up. Benitez realizes that this is a man’s sport, doesn’t he?

62 mins: Kuyt cleverly wins a corner on the right… will we see more pandemonium in the box? Gerrard’s swinging delivery misses everyone, but Donovan is dispossessed easily by Insua on the left and instead of getting stuck in, decides to appeal to Atkinson. Insua’s cross is poor, however, and Everton get a breather.

LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTION: David Ngog exits, replaced by Ryan Babel. Not sure what the play is here; are LFC going to sit back and defend and use Babel to counter-attack? Or maybe he’s fitting in as lone striker who can sprint for long balls all game long?

65 mins: Arteta’s trickery can’t find an Everton player, and it’s a goal-kick to the home side.

66 mins: Kuyt is playing a blinder today. Though I often mock him for his qualities that liken him to a headless chicken, these games are tailor-made for his physicality and indefatigable nature. He’s everywhere today, and that goal was richly deserved for his efforts.

Liverpool are looking far more dangerous coming forward — keep the pressure on until the final whistle, though — and Babel has a gallop down the right though they can’t manage a final ball into the middle. A long ball forward by Neville from the right sails right through to Reina. Not sure what he was doing there.

69 mins: Babel somehow shows some steel in intercepting a Donovan pass on the left, and Lucas attempts to break for goal. Wisely, he slows up and opts to keep possession instead of just turning it over. Babel gets applause for that surprising hustle.

70 mins: Donovan is felled by Maxi on the right, giving Everton a decent shooting chance. Free-kick, 20 yards out.

Baines and Arteta lurk over it, but Arteta’s delivery is poor and it’s easily cleared. Maxi breaks down the left and floats a tasty cross for lone LFC man Babel in the area, but Howard’s there to catch it. Everton surge back down the other end, but Agger is fouled by Cahill as the cross comes in from the left.

EVERTON SUBSTITUTION: Leon Osman off, Yakubu on.

EVERTON SUBSTITUTION: Louis Saha off, Victor Anichebe on.

The visitors roll the dice, introducing two strikers to replace a central midfielder and the rather lackluster Saha. I’m guessing Arteta slips intro central midfield and Everton try their hand at a 4-4-2.

74 mins: It looks like Everton will be trying to get crosses in at every opportunity now that they have some muscle up front. They crowd the midfield and try to work their way through, but Babel is first to a loose ball in midfield and Arteta fouls him trying to win back possession. A breather for the 10-man hosts.

76 mins: Mascherano caused a panic in coughing up the ball on the right, but the visitors couldn’t capitalize. Then Babel is narrowly offside looking to poach off Gerrard’s through-ball. Heitinga stepped up at the last second but the replay shows that the defender didn’t step up quickly enough. Babel was onside, but considering the piss-poor officiating all round today, I’m hardly surprised.

78 mins: Cahill’s offside as Neville’s cross sails in. He remonstrates a bit, but he was marginally offside. A rare correct decision by one of the idiots wearing black.

79 mins: Liverpool’s Wigan-esque scrap in midfield is doing the job thus far. Babel is the lone man up front, while the midfield and defensive lines are two tightly-packed foursomes operating barely 10 feet apart. Everton aren’t finding the space or the killer pass to spring their attackers just yet. If Liverpool continue to sit back, one wonders what could happen.

Yakubu holds up the ball inside the area but is drowned out by Carragher (who’s been great so far today) and Agger. Insua clears, and Phil Neville runs through Maxi late with the ball up for grabs. No foul, but an Everton throw-in.

81 mins: Heitinga’s long ball for Yakubu misses the striker and is easy pickings for Reina.

82 mins: Yakubu holds it up for Baines who’s sprinting down the left, but Gerrard busts a lung to track back and block the cross out for a corner. It’s swung into the mixer but Reina leaps confidently and punches it clear.

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Pienaar was clipped late and is down, so Anichebe decides to make his first meaningful contribution to the game in punching Gerrard. Heitinga and Cahill are there to mediate, but a puzzling move by Anichebe to jump in there. Handbags fly, and Atkinson’s surely about to make another odd decision. We await his move…

YELLOW CARD, EVERTON – Anichebe, 84
YELLOW CARD, LIVERPOOL – Gerrard, 84

On replay, it was a late slide by the Liverpool skipper as Pienaar was already falling down, but that’s how these derbies play out, isn’t it? Late tackles all round. Gerrard is correctly booked for his zesty slide, and Anichebe is correctly carded for shrugging off Agger and forcing himself into that argument.

86 mins: Likely some injury time to play, and as Carragher shepherds the ball out of play, Yakubu comes in late from behind and bundles the defender over. No card, which is fair.

It’s not been an amazing, free-flowing game, but it’s still been absolutely riveting to watch whether you’re a casual observer or emotionally-invested fan like I am. Red-blooded tackling, controversy, passion, physicality… about what you’d hope for from a big-time derby.

Can Liverpool hang on?

88 mins: A lovely turn and shot by Yakubu that requires a lovely save by Reina to keep the home side in front. The corner is cleared, though I doubt that’s the last heart-in-mouth moment I’ll experience before the final whistle.

90 mins: Offside rescues Liverpool! A free-kick from about halfway is taken short and worked wide to Neville. His floated cross to the far post is there for the taking, and Reina bungles his punch clear and looks injured in the process. While he’s down, Cahill has time to shoot, but Atkinson blows the whistle as a couple of blue shirts were offside on the cross.

Five added minutes remaining.

90 mins + 1: Donovan runs on goal but is eventually outnumbered and loses the ball. Liverpool hoof it long, inviting another Everton wave of attacks. It is slipped to Anichebe on the right side, and the Nigerian glides off Insua and gets to the byline. Instead of playing the cutback, Anichebe tries to shoot with defenders bearing down on him. The ball pops up in the air, Reina punches it to the edge of the box and collects. Nervy times, there.

LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTION: Maxi off, Fabio Aurelio on.

90 mins + 3: Kuyt is looking to kill time on the right wing, and though he does eventually lose possession to a determined Pienaar, Everton can’t get it forward. Whistles ring out around Anfield, though there’s still two minutes to go. Insua handles Anichebe better this time around as the ball’s played into the corner.

90 mins + 4: Everton work it around the box, but Pienaar lets the ball run too far in front of him and Insua steps in to hoof it clear.

RED CARD, EVERTON (Well, Second Yellow) – Pienaar, 90 mins + 5
Not thinking about the next league fixture, Pienaar barges into Gerrard needlessly late and is rightly dismissed. Now Pienaar will serve a suspension. Idiot.

LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTION – Kuyt off to a hero’s applause, Skrtel on.

FULL TIME: Liverpool 1, Everton 0
Great defensive effort by Liverpool today. In fact, great effort all round, and I don’t feel bothered one bit by my obvious bias. Normally when Liverpool get a man sent off, they withdraw into an emo sulk and get destroyed. Not today, though; brilliant effort all round, by Kuyt in particular, and Everton are shut out. They looked surprisingly bereft of ideas even with the man advantage, and didn’t create a scoring chance until Anichebe’s run in the last few minutes.

Don’t write Liverpool off just yet. Without Torres and Benayoun and without 11 men, they win again. Unbeaten in 6 or 7 EPL games now, and at just the right time. The fight for fourth is on.

Thanks for playing along. Stick around for a possible Spurs/Villa liveblog at 12.30pm, and then we’ll have full liveblog coverage for tomorrow’s Arsenal/Chelsea tilt too. Now… to the Bootroom!