Everton and Liverpool share spoils
Merseyside derby ends in a 1-1 draw
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool and Everton played out the sixth draw in their last seven meetings as a fiercely-contested but error-strewn Merseyside derby finished 1-1 yesterday.
Danny Ings put Liverpool ahead when he capitalised on some lacklustre Everton defending and headed in from James Milner’s cross following a corner in the 41st minute.
But Romelu Lukaku ensured Everton took a deserved share of the spoils when he profited from Emre Can’s miscued clearance in first-half stoppage time.
Both managers named unchanged starting line-ups from their last Premier League games, which meant Everton were without defenders John Stones and Seamus Coleman, while Liverpool partnered Daniel Sturridge and Ings in attack.
In the ferocious intensity of the opening stages of the 225th meeting between the teams, the play was epitomised by mistakes.
Referee Martin Atkinson allowed the contest to flow after initially being overzealous with his use of the whistle, and Can and Lukaku began a wrestling match while James McCarthy snapped at Philippe Coutinho’s heels in archetypal derby fashion.
Half-chances for Ings and Milner reflected Liverpool’s early positive intentions but it was Everton who twice tested Simon Mignolet in the first half-hour.
Goodison Park rose to its feet when Ross Barkley’s free kick picked out the unmarked head of Steven Naismith only for Mignolet to paw the ball away.
The Liverpool keeper was needed again shortly after as he dived to his right to tip a McCarthy shot past the post, following some neat Everton build-up play.
Tempers flared when Can held on to the ball to delay an Everton throw-in and both he and Barkley received yellow cards for their troubles.
With the momentum seemingly with the Toffees, Liverpool struck the first blow following a corner, with Barkley punished for some slack marking.
Milner’s delivery hung in the air but Barkley, who was guilty of a similar mistake in Everton’s last game, at West Brom last week, lost Ings and failed to get his head to the ball which left the-Liverpool striker with a free header from close range.
Meanwhile Dick Advocaat has stepped down as head coach of Sunderland, the Premier League strugglers announced yesterday.
Advocaat, 68, was appointed last March and successfully steered Sunderland clear of relegation, but they have made a poor start to the current campaign and sit second-bottom with three points from eight games.
“I want to thank everyone who has stood behind me,” Advocaat said in a statement released by the club.
“This is a very special football club, with so many great people, but I feel it is the right time to do this — not for me, but for the club.”