RSS
ATOM
advertisement
Liverpool 1-0 Everton: Dirk Kuyt goal gives Reds victory in fiery derby
Reds move into that familiar fourth position after Merseyside battle...
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £14.44 | Draw £42.00 | Blackpool £60.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £13.60 | Draw £40.00 | Blackpool £70.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £14.44 | Draw £42.00 | Blackpool £75.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £14.40 | Draw £42.00 | Blackpool £75.00 |
|
| Bet: | Returns: | Everton £14.50 | Draw £38.00 | Blackpool £68.00 |
|
6 Feb 2010 14:45:00
By Adithya Ananth
Liverpool 1-0 Everton: Line-ups/Stats
Premier League Fixtures/Results
Liverpool won the 213th Merseyside derby against Everton thanks to a lone goal from Dirk Kuyt, after being reduced to ten men.
The physical side of the game took centre stage for large parts of the encounter at Anfield, as the home side eventually walked away with the three points despite defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos seeing a red in a horrific challenge with Marouane Fellaini.
The Reds' exit from the Champions League coupled with being sent out of both domestic cup competitions at an early stage, and the added tension of losing out on a spot in the top four, had drawn a question mark surrounding the future of manager Rafael Benitez.
Meanwhile, the Toffees had been doing very well to climb back up the table, having gone undefeated in the top-flight since losing to their neighbours at Goodison Park last November.
A victory for David Moyes' men - who had not won at Anfield in the top-flight in ten years - would send them moving past Birmingham City into eighth place, while the stakes were much higher for the hosts, with a spot in the top four (albeit temporarily) if they managed to register a three-pointer against their arch-rivals.
The Kop boss left Alberto Aquilani on the bench as Lucas made his way back into the starting line-up, while Glen Johnson, Fernando Torres, and Yossi Benayoun remained sidelined with injuries.
Moyes made one change to his line-up, with Sylvain Distin replacing Phillipe Senderos in the heart of his defence.
The game started like a typical derby with neither side being given enough space or time on the ball to create a goal scoring opportunity, as the physical aspect of the match came to the fore.
Tackles were flying hither and thither as defender Jamie Carragher set the tone for the afternoon with a hard, but fair challenge on Steven Pienaar. The visitors responded with some brute force of their own as skipper Phil Neville took down his Reds' counterpart Steven Gerrard to give away a free kick on the left. The ball was whipped in from the set-play that followed, but Tim Howard punched clear to thwart any potential danger.
Despite the obvious physical nature of the game, referee Martin Atkinson kept his cards in his pocket until a little over 20 minutes of the game was played, but was forced to show Kuyt a yellow for a blatant trip on Landon Donovan as the creative American was bursting forward. Following the caution, Leighton Baines let one fly, but goalkeeper Pepe Reina was relatively untroubled as he pushed the ball away for a corner.
With about a third of the game having been played, Pienaar went in high and dragged his studs down Javier Mascherano's shin. The South Africa international was lucky not to have seen a straight red on that occasion, as it was a similar challenge that saw Mascherano being sent off against Portsmouth for a challenge on Tal Ben-Haim earlier in the season.
However, the referee had been pushed to the limit when a terrible challenge between Kyrgiakos and Fellaini - both of whom went in two-footed with their studs up - saw the Greek heading for an early shower. Both players were guilty on that occasion, as one was sent off while the other was stretchered off. The towering Belgian tried to battle on after some treatment, but Mikel Arteta was eventually called into action as a replacement for his crocked team-mate.
Just before half-time, Gerrard sent in a superb curling shot that looked destined for goal, but ended up hitting the crossbar in what could have been the opener. At the other end, a cross from Donovan saw Tim Cahill uncharacteristically miss an easy header from six yards out.
Everton had a small window of opportunity during the early parts of the second period, as the home side were initially on the back foot. But the defence held their own and more bodies slowly began to populate the attacking third of the pitch as the game progressed.
10 minutes into the second-half, striker David Ngog earned a corner for the hosts after a battle with Distin. Gerrard sent in a peach of a delivery to Kuyt, whose glancing header from close range made its way past the 'keeper and into the back of the net. Howard should really have got something on the cross as Kuyt won the header standing inches in front of the American.
Moyes looked frustrated at the dugout and made a change to bring in fresh legs and add to the attack, as Yakubu and Victor Anichebe come on in place of Louis Saha and Leon Osman.
The men in Blue were probing their opponents' back-line, but were unable to create a goal scoring opportunity as the game headed towards another unremarkable Anfield outing for the Toffees.
Pirnaar was shown a second yellow for a challenge on Gerrard during the dying moments of the game, which ensured that the tradition of players being sent off on derby day continued.
As the ref brought the game to a halt, Liverpool's joy was clearly evident, having managed to clamber up to the fourth spot to make the Premier League summit familiar reading, for the time being at least.
Premier League Fixtures/Results
Liverpool won the 213th Merseyside derby against Everton thanks to a lone goal from Dirk Kuyt, after being reduced to ten men.
The physical side of the game took centre stage for large parts of the encounter at Anfield, as the home side eventually walked away with the three points despite defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos seeing a red in a horrific challenge with Marouane Fellaini.
The Reds' exit from the Champions League coupled with being sent out of both domestic cup competitions at an early stage, and the added tension of losing out on a spot in the top four, had drawn a question mark surrounding the future of manager Rafael Benitez.
Meanwhile, the Toffees had been doing very well to climb back up the table, having gone undefeated in the top-flight since losing to their neighbours at Goodison Park last November.
A victory for David Moyes' men - who had not won at Anfield in the top-flight in ten years - would send them moving past Birmingham City into eighth place, while the stakes were much higher for the hosts, with a spot in the top four (albeit temporarily) if they managed to register a three-pointer against their arch-rivals.
The Kop boss left Alberto Aquilani on the bench as Lucas made his way back into the starting line-up, while Glen Johnson, Fernando Torres, and Yossi Benayoun remained sidelined with injuries.
Moyes made one change to his line-up, with Sylvain Distin replacing Phillipe Senderos in the heart of his defence.
The game started like a typical derby with neither side being given enough space or time on the ball to create a goal scoring opportunity, as the physical aspect of the match came to the fore.
Tackles were flying hither and thither as defender Jamie Carragher set the tone for the afternoon with a hard, but fair challenge on Steven Pienaar. The visitors responded with some brute force of their own as skipper Phil Neville took down his Reds' counterpart Steven Gerrard to give away a free kick on the left. The ball was whipped in from the set-play that followed, but Tim Howard punched clear to thwart any potential danger.
Despite the obvious physical nature of the game, referee Martin Atkinson kept his cards in his pocket until a little over 20 minutes of the game was played, but was forced to show Kuyt a yellow for a blatant trip on Landon Donovan as the creative American was bursting forward. Following the caution, Leighton Baines let one fly, but goalkeeper Pepe Reina was relatively untroubled as he pushed the ball away for a corner.
With about a third of the game having been played, Pienaar went in high and dragged his studs down Javier Mascherano's shin. The South Africa international was lucky not to have seen a straight red on that occasion, as it was a similar challenge that saw Mascherano being sent off against Portsmouth for a challenge on Tal Ben-Haim earlier in the season.
However, the referee had been pushed to the limit when a terrible challenge between Kyrgiakos and Fellaini - both of whom went in two-footed with their studs up - saw the Greek heading for an early shower. Both players were guilty on that occasion, as one was sent off while the other was stretchered off. The towering Belgian tried to battle on after some treatment, but Mikel Arteta was eventually called into action as a replacement for his crocked team-mate.
Just before half-time, Gerrard sent in a superb curling shot that looked destined for goal, but ended up hitting the crossbar in what could have been the opener. At the other end, a cross from Donovan saw Tim Cahill uncharacteristically miss an easy header from six yards out.
Red mist | Kyrgiakos is sent off
Everton had a small window of opportunity during the early parts of the second period, as the home side were initially on the back foot. But the defence held their own and more bodies slowly began to populate the attacking third of the pitch as the game progressed.
10 minutes into the second-half, striker David Ngog earned a corner for the hosts after a battle with Distin. Gerrard sent in a peach of a delivery to Kuyt, whose glancing header from close range made its way past the 'keeper and into the back of the net. Howard should really have got something on the cross as Kuyt won the header standing inches in front of the American.
Moyes looked frustrated at the dugout and made a change to bring in fresh legs and add to the attack, as Yakubu and Victor Anichebe come on in place of Louis Saha and Leon Osman.
The men in Blue were probing their opponents' back-line, but were unable to create a goal scoring opportunity as the game headed towards another unremarkable Anfield outing for the Toffees.
Pirnaar was shown a second yellow for a challenge on Gerrard during the dying moments of the game, which ensured that the tradition of players being sent off on derby day continued.
As the ref brought the game to a halt, Liverpool's joy was clearly evident, having managed to clamber up to the fourth spot to make the Premier League summit familiar reading, for the time being at least.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
11 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Player Ratings: AC Milan 4-0 Arsenal
Goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng, Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic handed the Italian side a victory that all but seals their progression to the next round of the Champions League
-
Ajax - Manchester United Preview: Nani, Jones & Smalling return
The 38-year-old former Wales international was involved in the Red Devils' last second tier European match as they crashed out to Russian side Rotor Volgograd in 1995
-
Porto - Manchester City Preview: Europa League holders yet to taste defeat at home this season
Both teams expected progression in the Champions League but after third placed group finishes will now focus on the competition that the Portuguese side won last season
-
Word on the Tweet: Rooney names his new horse after himself
Goal.com takes a look at some of today's top action on the social networking site, with mumblings ranging from horse-based foolery to an unusual love-in for a famous pop star
-
Should Copa America 'Vanishing Spray' be introduced globally?
The spray, which has been designed to stop defensive walls from encroaching closer than 10 yards to the ball at free-kicks, is set to be discussed at next month's IFAB meeting
Advertisement
Advertisement
