Match Preview

When you are relieved by a last-minute equalizer at home to a no-mark side that has just lost its best player, you know that things are not going too well.  Never mind; just look forward to garnering some points from your next couple of games � Liverpool away and United at home � great!

Considering the overall positive impact that Moyes has had since his arrival, it is interesting to note that, excluding Arsenal, Everton's results against the top sides since Moyes took over have been awful!  Three games against Liverpool have given us 1 point � the last meeting an excruciating 3-0 home defeat.  Three games against United have seen 3 defeats (including another 3-0 home defeat); and 4 games against Chelsea have seen 4 defeats - including 3-1 and 4-1 defeats.  A win and a draw against Arsenal looks slightly out of place.

Given that background, it is hard to be confident facing the forthcoming fixture at Anfield.  You can add to that the injuries to Ferguson (he never passes late fitness tests) and Unsworth (he never goes off injured if it's not serious) that are threatening their involvement, together with the injuries or otherwise non-availability of Weir and Yobo, and lack of match fitness of Watson � I must admit to a degree of trepidation!

Despite recent hiccups away to Tottenham and Wolves, Liverpool seem to be running into some dangerous form.  Their second-half showing against Newcastle was as good as I have seen them all season; obviously the return to the starting line up of Hamann, Gerrard, Kewell and Owen means that their first 11 are a match for anyone � a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge underlines this.

However, they have shown serious failings this season; most noticeably at the back where injuries and the playing of Igor Biscan has revealed cracks.  Whilst the return of the Hyppia/Henchoz axis and Jamie Carragher has seen improvement, they are still susceptible to pace through the middle � and that really is where we need to hurt them.  The questionable form of Dudek also gives us some hope.

Radz hasn't been scoring freely recently but � like the rest of the side � his performances have been better than the results and goal output suggest.  Against Fulham he was excellent and if we could give him a run against Hyppia he would cause trouble.

Midfield, however. � as always in a derby � will be key; Gravesen MUST live up to Moyes's billing as one of the best in Europe.  With Nyarko alongside him, he has a quality player to grant him support.  How the rest of the midfield lines up will be very interesting as Moyes has recently just played three in midfield, bringing Kilbane in tighter and thrusting Rooney forward.

A trip to Anfield may see the front three disrupted, with the likes of Carsley (or possibly Watson) brought in on the right to help cover the very attacking middle trio for Liverpool of Cheyrou, Smicer and Kewell.  They are, however, narrow which affords a degree of comfort to Stubbs and partner (Clarke? Pistone?), who should be able to stay tight together with tucked-in fullbacks to help minimise the space that Owen has to exploit.  When Liverpool add width to this team, they will be formidable.

Staying tight and denying space is essential.  A front two has to be the way to go as three strikers will leave us open to counter-attacks.  Liverpool's attacking threats are too many and pacey to expect our reserve backline to hold them off.

Upfront for us (we will have to score), we  will be dependent on Ferguson.  If fit (latest news from the Echo actually suggests he will be) then I would think him and Radzinski most likely to start with Rooney and Jeffers held on the bench.  If unfit, then you may even see Campbell play as we need someone to hold the ball up.

It will be a scrap, as always, but we know that we are actually playing well.  Personally I think we need 90 from the Big Man and 30 from the Boy Wonder and a touch of luck!

1-1

Please!

BlueForEver

Lee Doyle

Matchday Stats

This will be the 199th meeting between Everton and Liverpool in all competitions, and the 90th at Anfield.  This will also be the 24th meeting between the sides in the Premier League, and the 12th at Anfield.  The match will also extend the series as the most played derby fixture in English League football and third most played derby fixture in Britain behind the Glasgow and Edinburgh derbies.

Everton's full record against Liverpool is:

Our record at Anfield against Liverpool is:

The last match between the two sides was the fourth league game of this season when Liverpool won 3-0 at Goodison Park.  Everton have gone 8 derby matches without a victory which was, incidentally, the last victory at Anfield when a Kevin Campbell goal gave Everton a 1-0 victory.  This was the same match that saw Francis Jeffers, Sander Westerveld and Steven Gerrard sent off.

Everton's biggest victory at Anfield against Liverpool was 5-0 in Division One on 3 October 1914.  Our biggest defeat at Liverpool was a 6-0 reversal on 7 September 1935.  One match that does stand out in the series, and is also, the largest aggregate score, was on 11 February 1933, when the teams shared 11 goals and resulted in Liverpool winning 7-4!

The most common margin of victory at Liverpool is 2-1.  The most common draw is 0-0 with Liverpool's most common victory being 3-1.

Everton's record for 31 January is:

This will be the first meeting between the two sides on this date.  Everton's last Premiership match on this date was in 2001 when we drew 2-2 with Middlesbrough at Goodison Park.

Milestones that can be reached in this game:

• If Thomas Gravesen starts it will be his 100th League start for Everton, and he will become the 143rd Everton player to reach that personal milestone.

Majestic Martyn earns share of derby spoils

David Moyes promised "something different" for this, the 170th league Merseyside match-up and, while his team did finally put in a display worthy of a derby and stopped Liverpool's winning streak in its tracks, the Blues were no different in front of goal than they have been in recent weeks.  Once again they were left to count the cost of missed chances that could have earned the three points and local bragging rights that Nigel Martyn's superb display deserved.

The 37-year-old defied his years with a series of stunning saves that preserved a goalless scoreline Everton were less worthy of as the game went on.  While they defended more and more deeply in the second half, Martyn had to be at his best to keep the home side at bay � exemplified in the 84th minute when, wrong-footed by a deflection to Jamie Carragher's shot off Tony Hibbert, the former Leeds 'keeper managed to stretch his foot back far enough to divert the ball up and over the bar.  It was the last of a number of crucial stops for which his manager and teammates should be grateful.

With David Unsworth sidelined by a back injury and Peter Clarke lacking experience at the top level, Alessandro Pistone was drafted into central defence alongside Alan Stubbs, flanked by Gary Naysmith and Tony Hibbert.

In the middle, Wayne Rooney was again employed on the right wing despite little success there in a starting role so far this season, accompanied by Thomas Gravesen, Alex Nyarko and Kevin Kilbane.  Nyarko was a surprise choice and by half-time it was clear that he was the weakest link but Moyes waited until the 53rd minute before replacing him with the more combative Lee Carsley.  Stranger still: Everton were even less purposeful without the Ghanaian, although by that stage the strategy had visibly shifted to protecting the point.

Up front, Tomasz Radzinski was again partnered with Duncan Ferguson but neither had particularly good games and the Big Yin will hopefully be ruing a missed header from six yards out that he really should have buried.

The game started in characteristically bright fashion but it was Liverpool who made the early running, threatening in the Blues' area a number of times before Everton found their feet and did some pressing of their own, leading to a surprisingly long throw by Gravesen that Ferguson, sandwiched between two defenders, couldn't reach and evaded Radzinski who was beaten by the high bounce.

In the seventh minute, though, Martyn was called upon to make his first acrobatic save of the afternoon, arching across his goal to push way Dietmar Hamann's impressive half-volley.

Nyarko, who was not thinking or reacting near quickly enough for a derby, had a snapshot from 30 yards that Jerzy Dudek saved comfortably before Radzinski was put through by a Sammi Hyppia error but a poor — practically non-existent — first touch meant that the chance evaporated as quickly as it had arrived.

Two minutes later came Everton's best chance of the game.  Gravesen jinked his way artfully all the way through until he was one-on-one with Dudek but the 'keeper saved well with his legs from point-blank range.  The Dane had had two options to his right but with a defender in attendance he was probably right to go for goal himself despite Rooney's protests.

At the other end Liverpool effected a series of sweeping moves that twice ended with Steven Gerrard but his first effort flew narrowly wide and his second was tipped over brilliantly by Martyn when he was clean through on goal.

In between, Radzinski's heels appeared to be clipped by Hyppia who, as the last man, was a candidate for a red card but referee Bennett was probably right not to take any action.

If the officials had missed anything untoward in that incident, they repeated the feat a few minutes later at the other when Ferguson recklessly hauled Hyppia down in the area but, again, play went on.

Eight minutes before half-time, what was arguably Liverpool's best chance came and was denied by a miraculous one-handed save by Martyn who palmed Gerrard's close-range shot onto the post and to safety.

Three minutes after that, Stubbs inexplicably left a through-ball which almost let in Le Tallec but Pistone saved him with a good clearance.

Back down the other end, Ferguson was picked out for a free header by a lovely floated cross from Rooney but the Big Yin glanced it harmlessly wide before Stubbs connected with a free kick and powered a header that was palmed over by Dudek.

Goalless at the interval but it could have been 3-2 to the Blues.

And yet another gilt-edged chance was spurned a couple of minutes into the second half.  Rooney battled his way past three defenders but his right-footed finish was poor with just Dudek to beat

From that point on, a fairly tame Stubbs free kick aside, all the promising moments belonged to the home side as the Blues retreated frustratingly into a siege mentality and set their stall out for earning a draw.

Gerrard screwed a shot inches wide of the post; Cheyrou then duplicated Duncan Ferguson's miss by nodding a free header wide from 8 yards; Owen screwed an effort across the face of the goal; and Le Tallec met a Carragher corner with a strong header that Hibbert thankfully headed off the line.

In between, Radzinski was removed for Jeffers and Watson came on for Rooney but neither made much impact given Everton's embarrassing possession statistics in the second half.

The last moment of excitement came in the 90th minute when Hibbert headed narrowly over his own bar as Liverpool pressed for the final time as the game petered out to an entertaining but ultimately disappointing goalless draw.

Moyes will no doubt have been encouraged by another impressive and committed display by Kevin Kilbane and, of course, Nigel Martyn � whose current form makes him the pick of the deadline-day signings so far.

Pistone and Stubbs coped well enough at the back and Hibbert, while his distribution was again poor, made some crucial interventions where it counted in defence.  Naysmith was largely anonymous, Ferguson mostly disinterested, Radzinski unfortunately ineffective, and Gravesen again exhibited both Jekyll and Hyde, disappearing for large parts of the second half.

We have to bear in mind that, while we certainly showed we had what it takes to win the game while we were in an attacking mood, we would have taken a point before the game given our current injuries, recent form, and recent record against Liverpool.

Lyndon Lloyd