Liverpool Turning The Corner After Derby Win

Liverpool, thanks to Dirk Kuyt's 55th minute goal, won the 213th Merseyside derby over Everton and moved into 4th place over Tottenham, and will stay there if Spurs fail to beat Aston Villa.

Both teams came into this match on decent form, with Liverpool unbeaten in 6 league matches since the defeat at Portsmouth and Everton unbeaten in 9 matches. But Everton's form has not just been grinding out results, but playing extremely well so most Everton fans thought that this was the best chance to beat Liverpool at Anfield for the first time in a decade.

But this was not their day. Despite Sotirios Kyrgiakos's red card after a two footed challenge on Marouane Fellaini, Liverpool scored first thanks to Kuyt after he headed home from Steven Gerrard's well directed corner.

It was a typical Merseyside derby, full of passion, tackles and red cards. After Kyrgiakos was sent off earlier, in the 95th minute Steven Pienaar was sent off for a second bookable offence after a challenge on Gerrard. The Merseyside derby is the most red carded game in English Premier League history.

The referee, Martin Atkinson let tackles pass in the opening half hour to try and let the game flow, but it was never going to, and it proved as Pienaar was booked when he maybe should have been sent off straight away, Fellaini kicked Kuyt in the face, but it was missed by the ref and Jamie Carragher was typically going hard into challenges to show a good example, and it earned him a yellow card .

In the end someone was sent off, and it was coming.

Kyrgiakos came in hard and two footed on Fellaini in a challenge he was never going to win and the ref had no choice really but to show the red card. Liverpool were angry that Pienaar was not sent off earlier for an offence as great, but the protests were pointless. They were down to ten men.

Mikel Arteta came on for Everton after Fellaini couldn't continue and had to stay off after coming off after the tackle.

Everton then had a lot of possession, but few chances. Leighton Baines made Pepe Reina come into the game with a save from a free kick. Steven Gerrard hit the bar at the other end with a free kick.

But the chance of the game fell to the heading man of the moment, Tim Cahill, who people would bet on to score with a header from six yards. But he headed over and had his hands on his head, furious that he missed the chance.

In the second half, he was made to rue the chance, as some unexpected Liverpool pressure came off with a goal.

Steven Gerrard whipped in a corner with precision and Kuyt in between Phil Neville and Tim Howard, headed after muscling them both off. Tim Howard maybe could have done better though.

After that you would think that Everton would press and try and force Liverpool into an equiliser. But the longer the game went on, Everton provided less pressure and passion for winning the derby, except for a smart Yakubu shot. They had 2 shots on target in the second half, which says it all really.

In the end, Liverpool saw it out and they moved back into the top four. There was little actual football, but Liverpool prevailed from the scrappy game and played most of it with 10 men.

And sometimes they were comfortable when they shouldn't have been. Everton should have done better after the Kuyt goal, but all they can do is move on and begin another good run. They are not out of the running for a top six place.

As for Liverpool, well. They have 17 points out of the last 21, which really does suggest that they have finally, finally, turned the corner in a season full of twists and turns. They have a tough week with away trips to Arsenal and Man City, but they can take massive confidence from this match. On the form they are in, they look more and more like they can stay in the top four.

In this unpredictable league, there are four teams emerging, fighting, for fourth place. Liverpool, Aston Villa, Spurs and Man City.

The rest of the season is going to very, very exciting.