KEY POINTS:
There were three certain penalties in the Merseyside derby and Everton will feel rightly aggrieved not to have come out of the game with a well-deserved a point.
As this blog has pointed out before, I'm happy for ref's mistakes to be a part of the game,
but that doesn't make it a sweeter pill for David Moyes to swallow. He was beetroot red with anger after losing the derby battle, while Rafa Benitez was all smiles.
But when the dust settles those managers will find their feelings reverse a little.
Moyes' Everton were the better side for much of the game and all the signs were there for another season where Uefa Cup qualification is a given and the team are pressuring for a top four spot.
Liverpool, however, are on shaky ground. This was supposed to be (again) the season when Liverpool finally challenges for the league. It's turning out to be (again) another anti-climax.
A series of poor results and unconvincing performances, coupled with a serial-meddler at the helm, have left Liverpool looking like an outsider who can only hope to be one of the top four.
Only against the weakest opposition have they looked like a fluid outfit, in the 6-0 win drubbing over Derby. A narrow victory over Wigan and draws at Portsmouth and at home to Birmingham are not the results of the champions-elect Liverpool aspire to be. Even in Europe, where Benitez' tactical nouse finds its most favourable platform, results have been way below par and nothing other than a comprehensive dispatch of Besiktas on Thursday will satiate the fans.
But Benitez is showing that maybe he is not capable of lifting his side to a higher level. His addiction to rotation is mind-boggling, although he forwards a reasonable argument of keeping players fresh.
However, that argument failed to resonate when he took off his captain Gerrard against Everton. The off-form midfielder had been a spectator for the first half then, put in his preferred position, he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second 45. He was tormentor-in-chief and creator of everything Liverpool were doing right. He looked more stunned than anyone else when he was removed.
Liverpool snatched a fortunate victory and Benitez could afford to play the omniscient strategist. Unless there's a sharp turnaround, it wont be a role he enjoys for long.
