Everton vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Merseyside Derby
Everton and Liverpool picked up a point apiece as the 225th Merseyside derby finished in a 1-1 draw.
Danny Ings put the Reds in front just before the break, heading home a corner from the left for his third goal for the club since arriving in the summer from Burnley.
However, Liverpool's lead did not last long at Goodison Park, with the home side levelling matters through Romelu Lukaku in first-half injury time.
The second half saw no further goals, meaning honours finished even.
The draw means Everton have not beaten their city rivals in 10 attempts in the Premier League, while Liverpool have now triumphed just once in their last nine away league games.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Phil Jagielka
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Everton captain Phil Jagielka was outstanding at the back, including two crucial interventions in an open first half.
First, the England international got across to block a chance for Daniel Sturridge after the striker had looked certain to break the deadlock from Martin Skrtel’s cross.
Then Jagielka was again forced to stretch and deny Liverpool’s other striker from going clear soon after, clearing the ball onto Danny Ings to win a goal kick.
Dominic King of the Mail was certainly impressed with the defender's performance. He awarded him a rating of 8.5, adding, "[Jagielka has] Been a model of consistency for the last 12 months and never put a foot out of place once again, making a series of important interceptions and tackles and keeping the back four together."
Loser: Emre Can
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Not for the first time in his Liverpool career, Emre Can had a difficult outing when utilised as a defender.
The Germany international was selected as part of a Liverpool back three, playing on the right-hand side.
He got involved in some pushing and shoving with Ross Barkley in the first half after refusing to give the ball back to the Everton player.
That, though, is not the reason he’s been singled out for criticism. Can set up Romelu Lukaku’s equaliser with a dreadful clearance, volleying the ball back across his own goal as he looked to deal with a cross from the right.
The poorly executed strike hit team-mate Martin Skrtel, then fell nicely for Lukaku to fire in beyond Simon Mignolet in first-half injury time.
Winner: Romelu Lukaku
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Romelu Lukaku may have been outnumbered up top, but the Everton forward was a real handful for Liverpool’s three centre-backs.
The Belgian held the ball up superbly and gave the home side a focal point at the head of the field to build around.
He also grabbed his side’s solitary goal, rifling home a shot when a rebound fell kindly into his path.
As OptaJoe revealed on Twitter, the striker has developed a nice habit of scoring derby goals. "Romelu Lukaku has scored five PL goals against Liverpool, against no other side does he have more (also 5 v Newcastle). Thorn."
Loser: Martin Atkinson
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Referee Martin Atkinson could have shown two red cards during the derby. Instead, he opted not to show one at all.
The official opted not to book Everton’s Ross Barkley for kicking the ball away in the early stages, though he did show the same player a yellow after he became involved in an altercation with Liverpool’s Emre Can.
While Atkinson avoided the dilemma of having to potentially send a player off in the first half by overlooking Barkley's early indiscretion, he found himself under pressure to dismiss Lucas Leiva after the break.
Having already booked the Liverpool midfielder, the ref opted against showing another yellow when Lucas blatantly pulled back Barkley.
Visiting manager Brendan Rodgers made sure Lucas didn't run the risk of being dismissed for too much longer by substituting the Brazilian for Joe Allen.
Winner: Simon Mignolet
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Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has had a topsy-turvy time of it at Liverpool.
The Belgium international nearly won the title in his first season, but then he found himself dropped from the team during a difficult 2014/15 campaign for both the player and the club.
However, he demonstrated his shot-stopping abilities against Everton with some superb saves on Sunday. None were better than the tip over the bar in the first half that denied Steven Naismith’s header going into the net.
Phil McNulty, BBC's chief football writer, tweeted right after the reflex stop: "Brilliant save from Mignolet from Naismith's header—absolutely top class."
Loser: Philippe Coutinho
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Philippe Coutinho has taken up the mantle of being Liverpool’s talismanic attacking figure since the departure of Steven Gerrard.
Even the former skipper himself is a big fan of Coutinho, as he wrote in his autobiography, My Story (h/t Jason Burt of the Telegraph): "Liverpool should really treasure Philippe. I believed he was on his way to becoming Liverpool’s main man and a top player in world football."
The Brazilian is one of those special talents who can produce a moment of magic to split open a game, but he found it tough going in the Merseyside derby.
He was on the periphery of things for the majority of the match, though he did fire in one shot in the second half that Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard saved.
Coutinho was not quite able to be Liverpool's main man, though he wasn't alone in struggling to have an impact.
Daniel Sturridge was below par, but he has been given a reprieve because he is only just coming back from injury.
