Everton v Liverpool: Scoring the Key Battles in the Merseyside Derby

It was not a red card.

Jack Rodwell got the ball in a clean tackle on Luis Suarez. Perhaps the harshness and intensity of the tackle, and the reaction of Suarez would have justified a yellow, but it was certainly not a red.

And Martin Atkinson's wrong decision will be grabbing the headlines in the aftermath of the 216th Merseyside derby.

Having had their numbers reduced to 10 men, Everton ultimately failed to keep Liverpool at bay, and the Reds took home the local bragging rights after a tepid encounter.

How did the players fare on the park? Here I evaluate the five key battles at Goodison Park.

Tim Howard v Pepe Reina

It's always a sticky situation when it comes to evaluating goalkeeper performances.

If a goalkeeper performs well and pulls off some stunning saves, it's only because the shots have been allowed to come in and have required his services.

Such was the case of Tim Howard in the Everton goal.

Everton proved capable of keeping Liverpool at bay for the best part of 70 minutes, even after Jack Rodwell's wrongful dismissal. Ultimately, the visitors were able to make their numerical advantage count with two goals to kill off the Blues.

Howard was not at fault for either one.

In fact, if it hadn't been for him, Everton would have been at least a goal further down. His excellent stop from Dirk Kuyt's penalty, in a dominant and assured goalkeeping performance, definitely grabbed the spotlight from his opposite number, Pepe Reina.

But that's not a good thing.

Winner: Tim Howard, but it's an unfortunate case of winning the keeper battle and losing the Merseyside war.

Sylvain Distin/Phil Jagielka v Luis Suarez/Andy Carroll

This is an easy one.

While Sylvain Distin had the better of Andy Carroll in this afternoon's battle of the aerial monsters, Luis Suarez's tireless running and Carroll's physicality eventually wore out Everton's central partnership of Distin and Phil Jagielka.

Both were caught in no-man's land when Jose Enrique's cross was whipped in, and Carroll duly punished them with a clinical finish into the bottom corner, following Dirk Kuyt's classy dummy.

To further solidify Carroll and Suarez's win over their defensive opponents, Distin was involved in an unfortunate mix-up with fellow Everton defender Leighton Baines, crashing a clearance against Suarez's chest, allowing him the easiest of finishes to seal the 2-0 win.

Winner: Luis Suarez/Andy Carroll, though it must be said that Everton's cause was not helped by Rodwell's sending off.

Marouane Fellaini v Lucas Leiva

With Everton's reliance on the drive and direct running of midfielder keymen Tim Cahill and Leon Osman and Liverpools on the creativity and distribution of Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing, the onus fell on the men charged with the midfield dirty work: Marouane Fellaini and Lucas Leiva, defensive midfielders.

Each fulfilled his responsibilities in tracking back and constantly harrying the other's attacking partners, breaking up opposition play and starting attacks.

Admittedly, neither produced a scintillating performance, but both will go home knowing that they performed their role with good effect.

Winner: Marouane Fellaini, if only because Rodwell's dismissal meant more defensive effort on his part.

Louis Saha/Tim Cahill v Jamie Carragher/Martin Skrtel

A defender's main duty is to keep a clean sheet, and a striker's is to get on the scoresheet.

On this theory, naturally, Liverpool's pair of central defenders won on the day against Everton's double goal threat.

Efficient and effective set-piece marking ensured that Tim Cahill, so famous for his heading prowess, was unable to make Everton's corners and free-kicks count. His headed effort in the first half on the back of Suarez's miss from six yards did send Reina backpedalling, and his headers did pose some trouble to the Liverpool defence, but on this occasion he was unable to add to his derby goal tally.

Louis Saha was also afforded enough space to meander his way into areas around the box, and a couple of his long-range strikes showcased his attacking abilities, though ultimately they didn't trouble Reina's goal.

Winner: Jamie Carragher/Martin Skrtel, who produced a steady performance at the back.

David Moyes v Kenny Dalglish

For 23 minutes, David Moyes set up his Everton team to contain Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool. And even after they were reduced to 10 men, Everton held on for a further 45 minutes before Liverpool were able to score.

For all of Everton's defensive frailties—and Moyes admitted in his post-match interviews that defensive lapses cost his team the goals—Liverpool's was a patient and professional attacking performance.

Liverpool weren't able to show the sumptuous pass-and-move football that some early-season performances produced, but this was down to their sluggish play and lack of incisive movement as much as to Everton's work rate and closing down.

A further point that puts this matchup in Dalglish's favor—Everton's lack of financial, and consequently playing, resources has made the news in recent weeks, and it showed this afternoon.

While they were able to bring on the exciting Royston Drenthe, Liverpool called on the experience and attacking flair of Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy. And It was the two substitutes that made the difference for Dalglish.

Winner: Kenny Dalglish, for a professional Liverpool performance that took advantage of Moyes', and Everton's, misfortune.