Everton 0-2 Liverpool: Reds take advantage of referee's mistake

Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners in the 216th Merseyside Derby, in a game overshadowed by a shocking decision by referee Martin Atkinson.

When Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell clearly won the ball in a 23rd minute challenge with Luis Suarez, Atkinson surprised the 39,000 crowd at a sun-baked Goodison Park, by brandishing a straight red for the talented youngster. The referee, who has brandished 15 red cards since August last year, deemed Rodwell to have lunged with his foot raised, but in truth, the challenge was fair and hardly worthy a free-kick to the visitors.

Prior to Rodwell's dismissal, the first 20 minutes of the match were entertaining and evenly-matched. Suarez should have put Liverpool ahead when Dirk Kuyt's cross picked out the Uruguayan who could only head straight at Tim Howard. Seconds later, Pepe Reina was forced to tip over his bar after Tim Cahill rose majestically to meet Seamus Coleman's cross. Louis Saha fizzed a twenty yard shot wide of the far post and Sylvain Distin shot over the bar after doing well to find space in the Reds' box.

However, the dynamics of the game changed following Atkinson's controversial decision. With the one-man advantage, Liverpool had more time on the ball, with Charlie Adam particularly impressive. After hitting the side-netting from an angle, Reds striker Suarez, already receiving a chorus of boos following his part in Rodwell's dismissal, was again at the heart of the action as Atkinson riled the home fans further by awarding Liverpool a penalty. This time however the decision was correct with Phil Jagielka's challenge on Suarez clumsy and late.

Normally deadly against Everton having scored five times in previous meetings, three of which have been from the spot, Kuyt uncharacteristically wasted the chance, with Tim Howard pulling off a brilliant save low to his left. As half-time approached, Liverpool went even closer to taking the lead, when Adam's thunderous twenty-yard shot cannoned off the bar with Howard beaten. When the whistle went for half-time, the home crowd vociferously let Atkinson know their feelings about his performance.

The start of the second-half saw Liverpool dominate possession as they searched for a breakthrough. Andy Carroll had two towering headers cleared off the line, while at the other end, Saha again went close with a right-foot shot.

On 67 minutes, Kenny Dalglish was able to bring on Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy to introduce pace and directness to the Liverpool attack. Within 5 minutes the change had worked. Bellamy picked the ball up wide on the left and attacked Everton right-back Tony Hibbert. As Jose Enrique overlapped, Bellamy's through ball allowed the Spaniard to cut the ball back across goal, where Carroll was waiting to fire past Howard from 8 yards. It was the £35m man's first Premier League goal of the season and following doubts about his ability to fit into the Liverpool team, a goal on his derby debut will surely give Carroll the confidence to push on in his reds' career.

Ten minutes later the game was put to bed as Suarez capped another fine performance with the reds' second. Collecting a cushioned Kuyt header, Suarez ran at Distin and Leighton Baines. The ball broke away from the Uruguayan, but such is the panic he instills into an opposition defence, Baines and Distin's mix-up resulted in the latter's clearance falling to Suarez, who had the relatively simple task of firing past Howard from six yards.

The home fans, clearly infuriated with what they were witnessing, took their frustations out by throwing bottles and coins at Bellamy and Suarez as they lined up to take corners. It was from a quickly-taken Suarez corner that Kuyt nearly made it 2-0 as his toe-poke clipped the post.

The final whistle saw the red half of Merseyside with the bragging rights. A professional performance by Dalglish's men saw the reds bide their time, with the introduction of Gerrard and Bellamy finally breaking the Everton rearguard. As well as the three points, a pleasing fact for Dalglish will be the sight of £58m pairing Carroll and Suarez appearing together on the scoresheet in the league for the first time since their January arrivals.