LONDON - Midfielder Lee Carsley fired Everton to a 1-0 victory over rivals Liverpool and second place in the Premier League in the 200th Merseyside derby on Saturday.
Carsley steered home a shot from 25 metres after 68 closely-fought minutes at Goodison Park to give the hosts, who had been
tipped for relegation pre-season, their first win over Liverpool for five years.
Two goals in the last two minutes denied Harry Redknapp a winning start in charge of relegation-threatened Southampton in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, while Newcastle United were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Redknapp's old club, Portsmouth.
Bolton Wanderers lost 3-2 at Norwich City, Mali striker Frederic Kanoute, to blame for Tottenham Hotspur's League Cup quarter-final exit to Liverpool, got a superb 1-0 winner at Manchester City and bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion went down 1-0 to Charlton Athletic.
However, the main action of the day was on Merseyside, where Everton's seventh 1-0 victory in a remarkable season gave them 36 points, two more than champions Arsenal, who host league leaders Chelsea (39) on Sunday.
Both sides had clearcut chances in the first half, but Everton's Australian midfielder Tim Cahill and Liverpool striker Neil Mellor both missed with close-range headers and Everton held on at the end as Liverpool threw everyone forward.
Everton boss David Moyes, whose club had not won a home derby since 1997 and had lost the last four of them at Goodison, told Sky Sports News: "It's great for us...people out there had waited a long time for that.
"We didn't win many games last year, we didn't get many chances to celebrate or to enjoy the dressing room afterwards. Now we are enjoying it and you can seen the team spirit."
As for sceptics who thought Everton would struggle this season, particularly after selling teenage striker Wayne Rooney to Manchester United, Moyes said: "We're moving on when a lot of people didn't think we could do so.
"We know what we've got -- a really honest bunch of lads who are doing everything that's asked of them. They've got great confidence, great self-belief and that's helping us win games.
"We don't maybe have quite the quality of some other clubs but we're bridging that gap with every ounce we've got."
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, whose side booked their place in the Champions League knockout stage in midweek, avoided a detailed analysis of his side's defeat.
"We had some clear, clear chances and didn't score. They did," he said.
Southampton, who had recorded only one win in 14 league games under Steve Wigley, looked set for a dream start to Redknapp's reign after goals from strikers Kevin Phillips and Peter Crouch.
But an 89th minute own goal by Danny Higginbotham and a fierce low shot from midfielder Stewart Downing in the 90th gave Boro an unexpected share of the points.
Southampton slip to one off the bottom, while Boro stay fifth on 29, a point behind Manchester United, who play Fulham on Monday.
Norwich's win lifted them out of the drop zone, while Blackburn Rovers were left in the bottom three after a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, who they trail on goal difference.
West Bromwich Albion prop up the Premier League with 10 points from 17 matches.
- REUTERS
LONDON - Midfielder Lee Carsley fired Everton to a 1-0 victory over rivals Liverpool and second place in the Premier League in the 200th Merseyside derby on Saturday.
Carsley steered home a shot from 25 metres after 68 closely-fought minutes at Goodison Park to give the hosts, who had been
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