Andy Morden
1 Posted 23/11/2013 at 18:59:33

Great report and pretty much how I saw the game. Very refreshing to see Everton really having a go in a Derby. We took Belgians to a gunfight and did OK!

Richard Tarleton
4 Posted 23/11/2013 at 20:35:01

I want to win, I'd love to do what Liverpool did today and what they do so often in this fixture, get goals against the run of play and get a result which they don't really deserve. I've been watching this fixture since the dreadful cup tie of 1955 when as clear favourites we lost 0-4 at Goodison. Mirallas was, I admit lucky not to get a red card, especially as Gerrard was having a great game as Mr. Dowd's assisstant.

Chris Leyland
5 Posted 23/11/2013 at 23:01:40

The thing that saved Mirallas form a red card was the shite's physio. He told Dowd to send him off and you could see Dowd wasn't best pleased and he showed a yellow to prove a point. That he was the ref. We are used to the shite refereeing the game but trying to get their physio to do so takes it to new levels.

Patrick Murphy
6 Posted 23/11/2013 at 23:05:14

Quote of the season from Rodgers "I'd like to see what would have happened if Suarez had have put in a challenge like Miralas" Well Mr Rodgers just get a DVD of last season's game at Goodison - there you go mate!

Michael Penley
7 Posted 23/11/2013 at 23:20:25

Mirallas didn't deserve a red. Martinez was right - you have to look at what he did. Both Mirallas and Suarez went for the ball the same way, legs the same height and studs up. It's just that Mirallas was late, and there was no malice. That's a yellow, not a red. It was far more benign than Suarez challenge last year when he stamped on Mirallas' ankle.

Phil Friedman
8 Posted 23/11/2013 at 23:33:12

Masterful game, but the last move by RM – subbing on Osman for Mirallas – caused us to drop 2 points. Osman was closest to Sturridge on the late goal... but not nearly close enough. He probably should have brought on Naismith, if Mirallas really had to go off. It cost us.

Patrick Murphy
9 Posted 23/11/2013 at 23:36:50

Of course Martin is correct we do still have that annoying habit against the Dark Side and we still leak goals from set pieces. Last year 0-2 and rescued a point this year we are very very disappointed that we didn't take all three points.

Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Naismith (85' Oviedo) Osman Neville :45+2'
Mirallas (46' Gueye) Fellaini
Jelavic

Subs not used:
Mucha, Hibbert, Heitinga, Hitzlsperger, Vellios.
Unavailable: Pienaar (Suspended), Gibson (injured), Barkley (on loan), Bidwell (on loan)

That was the team selected for last season's meeting at Goodison Park with the other lot; very different in midfield and up front – of course Pienaar couldn't play due to suspension.

But give me today's team any day of the week – less the set-piece goals of course,

Mike Gaynes
10 Posted 24/11/2013 at 01:26:38

Outstanding report as usual, Lyndon... just how I saw it too.

Phil Friedman (768), that's got to be the biggest Osman stretch ever... might as well blame him for the weather. Just because the goal followed the substitution doesn't mean the substitution was to blame for the goal. Neither Naismith nor Mirallas could have done more to prevent it.

100% of the blame for that goal goes to Distin and his ridiculous challenge. How such an intelligent player can suddenly turn into a blockhead every time we play the RS is beyond me.

Dick Fearon
11 Posted 24/11/2013 at 02:54:32

What the hell was Pienaar thinking about when he gifted Suarez such a clear cut opportunity. It did not say much for Howards positional organising either. either

Pat Finegan
12 Posted 24/11/2013 at 03:40:54

Phil Friedman, Mike Gaynes might not be too thrilled with your post but I'm simply impressed that anyone could blame Osman for that, far too impressed to even bother disagreeing. Well done, sir.

Steve Brown
13 Posted 24/11/2013 at 04:08:14

Osman on the pitch in derby equaliser shocker. Well done Paul Friedman.

Steve Brown
14 Posted 24/11/2013 at 04:15:23

The person solely at fault for that goal was Distin with his idiotic foul.

Darren Hind
15 Posted 24/11/2013 at 07:55:37

Good accurate account, Lyndon.

I particularly agree with the point about Mirallas carrying more threat when given freedom to come in from the touchline.

After moaning about full-backs not attacking all season, I was delighted to see Coleman driving into their box even at the death. Much happier with Martinez today and feeling far more optimistic about going to OT.

If Robbie didn’t bollock the living daylights out of his defenders for lapses of concentration, that would have been the only thing he got wrong yesterday.

I just heard Brendan saying it would have been interesting to see what happened if Suarez had made the tackle on Mirallas ... short memory. I’ve never been an advocate of dirty play and I didn’t want to set the grandson a bad example, but once I saw the card wasn’t red, I clenched my fist in my pocket and sat back feeling a very warm glow of satisfaction.

Shaun Harbord
16 Posted 24/11/2013 at 08:26:27

Criticism begins at home, otherwise how can we criticise others?

Watching the match live on BT Sport: Barkley blatantly dived and was rightly booked. Someone should have a strong word with him and tell him to not blight his career with such antics. Does he want to be viewed as Suarez is?

Mirallas was lucky not to be sent off for his 'tackle' on Suarez. Replayed several times and it was very, very bad.

The Liverpool physio appeared to have a lot to say about it but then so did Garrard et al. No surprise there and in view of the time Phil Dowd took to pull out any card and the ear bashing the Reds were giving him, Mirallas has even more cause to feel lucky.

Norman Merrill
17 Posted 24/11/2013 at 08:36:57

A typical derby in as much it left us with many a talking point?
I'm biased so I will say from the start, we were the better team, the RS relied too much on Sewerage, and to be fair he was their best player.
As I've mentioned on another thread on this site, our defending of set pieces, has to be addressed, poor organisation, surely Roberto will show the team the video of the game & smack arses.
Next up Stoke, and as for football we should see them off, but only if our defenders, learn from yesterday, as Stoke rely on corners etc, because of the size of the players.
The pace of our new, Little Spaniard Deulofeu, will rape them, but with better finishing than yesterday.

Mark Tanton
18 Posted 24/11/2013 at 08:58:44

We were the better team, and in the second half, honestly, we battered them and should have caved the door in. Barkley was absolutely class, and I wonder if Martinez has played him just right by giving him some bench time before bringing him back. Deuleufeo (never spell it right) is surely on the verge of being a regular starter (though he bottled his one-on-one).

We played with bravery that was alien to Moyes in these fixtures, we went toe to toe with them and showed no fear. I hope Martinez has won over some doubters with his approach to this game, one we traditionally collapse in. I actually can't wait for the Anfield one now, and that feels alien to say - as I nearly bottled watching it yesterday.

Phil Sammon
19 Posted 24/11/2013 at 09:09:12

I don't agree with Phil Friedman but I have to say I think Naismith would have been a better option from the bench. Liverpool were bound to be tossing balls into the box and Naismith is maybe second only to Lukaku in the air. I see Martinez's thinking though. Osman is more likely to get the ball down and keep possession. Perhaps Naismith would have been a more Moyes-type substitution.

I'm glad Martinez is playing him and I really rate the lad but I think John Stones looked a bag of nerves out there yesterday. Only natural perhaps but I thought he was poor considering all the talent he has.

Steve Guy
20 Posted 24/11/2013 at 10:23:19

Great game but ultimately disappointing. Bringing Osman on was RMs only mistake and I groaned when he did it. We effectively surrendered the middle of the park and invited them to have a go. We should be up in second place, but something needs changing at the back. I expect we will see Alcaraz replace Distin soon.

Another classic quote from Rodgers to go with the one mentioned above "Sometimes Luis rolls about a bit but gets up quickly, so I knew it was a reasonably bad one for him to stay down for so long."...........you couldn't make it up.

Max Wilson
21 Posted 24/11/2013 at 12:45:35

On the 165-mile way home, we discussed the match, my fellow toffee mate Chris and me. We'd just seen the most exciting game since we got back to visiting Goodison.

Mirallas is not a dirty player, that foul was unintentional, done in the heat of battle and only grazed the rear of Ratboy's leg. Ratboy then gave us 5 minutes of rolling around in agony, play acting, trying to get our boy sent off. Even his Red nurse couldn't find anything wrong leading to Brenda arguing with him. Ten minutes later, he was running around like nothing had happened, the lying little shit.

Our defending of set pieces has given us cause for worry before and yesterday the Reds were primed to take advantage and did so. We were crap. Worse than that, we never once learned anything from it... Alcaraz is fit just in time.

Full marks must go to Barkley, Lukaku, Coleman, Pienaar, Barry, Baines, McCarthy and Howard. Our defenders need some training ground revision and it is no good thinking that Stones is an answer. When he came on, he was shitting himself with fear and frozen to the spot. Utterly useless.

Overall, two points lost really by our own frailties rather than a point hard won. But so exciting. It was great to see decent passing once more and a dangerous tempo and by god we showed we've got guts.

Derek Wadeson
22 Posted 24/11/2013 at 14:03:35

No doubt all the Liverpool supporters (and I know from what they have said to me) are saying the same thing." If only, why did he play, why did he do or not do that."

Let's remember it for what it was a classic derby, one to remember and my " if only" is if we had scored the final goal we would be far more content with a draw. For some reason you are always happier when you come from behind to draw and yet it makes no difference to the points gained or they way you have played.

Well done RM and although I was a fan of Mr Moyes, we would've settled for the draw under his guidance and not continued to try and take the game to them for 90-plus minutes. Last year's derby springs to mind when we come from 2-0 down to draw level by half-time and shut up shop in the second half..

We are not going to win the Premier League but it's great to be in the mix and looking to progress.

Phil Walling
23 Posted 24/11/2013 at 13:58:17

Of course Mirallas should have been sent packing but I'll love Dowd forever for flunking that one!

But why do so many come on here to highlight the negatives, it's not as though ANY performance will ever be perfect? And blaming the loss of two points on Ossie really takes the biscuit!

Yesterday changed my mind on a number of issues regarding Roberto and our kid said I was beginning to sound like Doddy on the way home. Easy now, Dickie Lad!

Si Cooper
24 Posted 24/11/2013 at 15:38:05

Sometimes you simply have to acknowledge good play by the opposition rather than being overly critical of our players for their second and third goals.

The wall could have been better placed and it was a soft free kick to give away, but without a superbly executed shot and header they wouldn't have necessarily led to goals.

The poorest bit of defensive play was letting Coutinho get free for their first, which was simply a lapse of concentration.

Richard Dodd
26 Posted 24/11/2013 at 15:39:51

You've got far too many Wigan Han-Ups to ever sound like me, Wally!

I can't believe I missed the game because of work commitments but my old man watched it on BT and said it took him back to Catterick's days. He says that, whilst he rates Romelu, he's not a patch on Big Joe Royle at his best!

We could have slipped down to seventh by 6pm tonight but we're still going in the right direction under Roberto.

Harold Matthews
27 Posted 24/11/2013 at 16:32:49

I've nothing against Mirallis taking a lump out of ratface but I wish it hadn't happened. Every paper, every radio and TV show make it the main topic and Brenda will milk it forever.

Ian Tunstead
28 Posted 24/11/2013 at 17:50:02

Harold, we have to fight fire with fire, those bastards have been getting away with murder for years. Suarez deserves everything he gets.

Si Cooper
29 Posted 24/11/2013 at 17:41:27

Mirallas's challenge was bad and we've all seen reds given for less damaging ones, but it does not rank as a 'horror' challenge for me which is what the over-excitable factions have labelled it as.

I do agree with the suggestion that a player with a reputation would probably have been punished more severely, but that is just life isn't it?

Eugene Ruane
30 Posted 24/11/2013 at 17:52:47

Harold - "Every paper, every radio and TV show make it the main topic and Brenda will milk it forever"

True they will.

But as the same media have conveniently forgotten the many many many injustices that have come our way over the years - FUCK THEM!

Dirk Kuyt's kung-fu kick should have seen him sent off and banned for 10 games.

He was given a yellow card.

Fact, we've had decades of bent refs, shit-house decisions and cheating rat-faced shit-bags.

They continue to be outraged by everything and ashamed of nothing, so fuck them too.

Coyb!

Andy Meighan
31 Posted 24/11/2013 at 20:58:05

Completely against the run of play here, can someone please settle an argument.

I say in either '77 or '78 on New Year's Day we played Nottm Forest away when we were both riding high. In fact, I'd say 1st and 2nd... could be wrong — and we drew one-all. Both goals were penalties — ours by Trevor Ross; theirs by John Robertson.

Now there's 20 quid riding on this. My mate says we lost one-nil. I'm 100 per cent it was one-all. Come on, please, settle it!

Michael Kenrick
32 Posted 24/11/2013 at 21:36:13

Andy:

Mon Jan 2 1978 Div 1 A Nottm Forest D 1 - 1 44,030 Ross T (pen) Pos: 2nd

So close... but not New Year's Day.

Harold Matthews
33 Posted 24/11/2013 at 22:22:19

Ian / Eugene. Thanks lads. Your both dead right.