KOP News # 1002

 

IT'S RELIEF FOR KENNY DALGLISH AS HE LIFTS HOME SPIRITS

 

Liverpool's Luis Suarez leaves Everton's Tony Hibbert on the floor

Wednesday March 14,2012

By Richard Tanner

 

LIVERPOOL sported Comic Relief T-shirts to do their warm-up but there has been nothing funny about their form at Anfield this season or their goals tally.

They went into the Merseyside derby with only four wins from their first 14 games – their worst start to a home season since the early Fifties – while 30 goals from their first 28 fixtures, home and away, is by far their lowest tally in the Premier League era.

But Steven Gerrard's superb hat-trick meant the frowns were replaced by smiles last night.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill and his Stoke counterpart Tony Pulis were in the crowd ahead of the FA Cup quarter-finals against the Merseyside clubs this weekend. And it could be argued that the respective cup ties against Stoke and Sunderland are of far more importance to both Liverpool and Everton than last night's derby, with neither club having a realistic chance of finishing in the Premier League's top five.

But try telling that to the fans, players and the two Glasgow-born managers.

Steven Gerrard's superb hat-trick meant the frowns were replaced by smiles last night

No one would have expected the game to have been played with any less passion than the previous 185 league encounters between these two great rivals. David Moyes may have left some of his regulars on the bench but that did not dilute his determination to celebrate his 10th anniversary as Everton boss by recording a long overdue first win at Anfield.

And after three successive league defeats had taken the shine off Liverpool's Carling Cup triumph, Kenny Dalglish was in no mood to suffer the indignity of a fourth, especially to the neighbours across Stanley Park.

In the Premier League era, Merseyside derbies have seen more red cards – 20 – than any other fixture and there was plenty of raw-boned aggression to go with the usual relentless pace. Victor Anichebe got a nudge from Jamie Carragher and took a tumble over the advertising hoardings; Denis Stracqualursi got a thundering 'welcome to Merseyside derby' tackle from Gerrard while Jay Spearing got a whack in the nose from Marouane Fellaini's flailing arm.

Tim Howard showed what it all meant to him by rushing out of his goal to virtually assault team-mate Jack Rodwell in congratulation at his superb block to stop Jordan Henderson from putting Liverpool ahead after only seven minutes. Howard had saved from Gerrard just seconds before but he could do nothing about an exquisitely executed chip from Gerrard that gave Liverpool the lead after 35 minutes.

Liverpool just edged it with their greater speed and precision of their attacking.

It stemmed from the first half with the much-maligned Luis Suarez showing the better side of his footballing nature by being involved three times in a pitch-length counter-attack.

Suarez was the provider again when Gerrard made it two with an emphatic finish six minutes into the second half and then Gerrard started and finished another superb break in added time.