Match Preview

It's one of the first � if not the first � dates that the fans of Liverpool's two clubs look for when the fixture list is published each June: the Merseyside derby. That marquee occasion that occurs twice a season in the league where the form-book goes out the window and local bragging rights are established for months to come.

We Evertonians revelled in our record in the five years between 1994 and 1999 when the Reds failed to register a single victory and the Blues broke a decade-long hoodoo by winning at Anfield in that period � they won there again in September 1999, but that was after Roy Evans had notched his first derby success the preceding April.

Liverpool have, however, had the upper hand since and that 1-0 win in the 1999-2000 season was, unfortunately, Everton's last to date. Which, of course, means that David Moyes, who took control in the spring of 2002, is yet to savour triumph over the dark side � given the miracles he has worked at Goodison so far this season, he is surely due a derby win.

Truth be told, Everton haven't been in better shape to beat Liverpool in years. They go into Saturday's televised clash lying third in the table and some nine points better off than their rivals from across Stanley Park (albeit having played a game more), the biggest points margin they have enjoyed for something like 17 years.

With new manager Rafa Benitez at the helm, Liverpool were tipped to finally make a serious challenge for the title this season, but after a patchy start to the campaign, many pundits are now suggesting that defeat for the Reds at Goodison this weekend could spell a premature end to their Championship aspirations. I would venture to suggest the title is already beyond them and has been for some time but Champions League qualification may be another matter.

There has been much discussion about whether Moyes will revert to his tried and trusted five-man midfield and with Duncan Ferguson struggling this week with a heavily bruised knee, the smart money would go on Marcus Bent starting as the lone striker and the Big Man on the bench.

Both Tim Cahill and Kevin Kilbane avoided a suspension-triggering booking last weekend against Bolton so both are available � for Cahill and Bent it will be a taste of their first Merseyside derby.

Everton may have made their best start to a league season for three decades (or whatever it is now) but when it comes to derby games, form usually counts for nothing. But, such is Everton's confidence at the moment and so improved is the defence since last season that Moyes's boys must be feeling good going into this one.

Liverpool, for their part, will have their tails up following their dramatic qualification for the latter stages of the Champions League midweek. The narky Steven Gerrard's confrontation with the likes of Cahill and tough-tackling Lee Carsley plus the presence of Moyes's favourite referee, Steve Bennent, will add further spice to the occasion.

For Moyes's side, there is also the added impetus of the thirst for revenge for the miserable 3-0 defeat in this fixture last season. In fact, Liverpool are well overdue a good hiding from Everton � the Blues haven't won a derby by three goals or more for 40 years!

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Stats

As the official site has mentioned previously this will be the 200th meeting between Everton and Liverpool in all competitions, and the 99th at Goodison Park.  This match will be the 25th meeting in the Premier League and the 13th at Goodison Park in this competition.  The match will also add to what is, currently, the most played derby match in English football history.  In fact Everton and Liverpool have contested more league derbies than any other English derby match in total (including Cup games).

Everton's full record against Liverpool is:

Our record at home to Liverpool is:

The last match between the sides was on 31 January this year when Everton secured a 0-0 draw at Anfield.  The last match between the sides at Goodison Park was on 30 August 2003, when Liverpool left Goodison Park with all 3 points following a 3-0 victory.

There have been 4 Everton hat-tricks against Liverpool over the years.  The last was by Bill Dean on 19 September 1931 in a 3-1 victory at Anfield.  Interestingly, only one of the four hat-tricks against Liverpool has been scored at Goodison Park.  This was Sandy Young�s 4 goal haul on 1 April 1904 in a 5-2 victory.  Another interesting fact is that Bill Dean�s league record against Liverpool (16 appearances, 18 goals including 2 hat-tricks) is an exact match of his record for England!

The most common victory for Everton is 1-0 which has happened 18 times in Everton's 62 victories, with a 2-1 victory for Everton occurring 17 times.  Liverpool's most common victory is 3-1, which has also happened 18 times in their 76 victories. The most common draw between the teams is 0-0, which has occurred 31 times in the 61 draws between the sides.  This is the highest number of occurrences of a particular scoreline between Everton and another club in our history (Everton 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 and Everton 1 Aston Villa 1 are both second with 23 occurrences).

Everton's record for 11 December is:

This is the second time the sides have met on this day.  The only other match against Liverpool on this day was in 1988, when a Wayne Clarke goal secured a 1-1 draw at Anfield.  The last home match on this date, as well as the last Premier League match on this day, was in 1995 when goals from David Unsworth, Graham Stuart and John Ebbrell secured a 3-0 victory over West Ham United.

Jack Hedley was born on this day in 1923 in Willington Quay.  Signed as an apprentice in 1947, Jack made a total of 61 appearances for Everton before being sold to Sunderland in July 1950.

Brian Labone was in the England side that drew 1-1 with Bulgaria in a friendly on this day in 1968, which also saw Gordon West win his first cap for England.

Milestones that can be reached in this game:

• If Nigel Martyn starts the match, it will be his 50th start for Everton in the Premier League.

Steve Flanagan

Carsley hands Moyes derby triumph

I suppose in hindsight it seems so natural that David Moyes should earn his first win in a Mersey derby in this remarkable season, but this was a match short on finesse and long on passion that threatened for long periods to end in a goalless draw.  The match as a whole made for a disappointing spectacle, but that won't worry Everton who fully deserved to end their five-year drought against Liverpool and register their first derby win on home turf for seven years.

As expected, Moyes reverted to his tried, tested and trusted five-man midfield, dropping Duncan Ferguson, who had only been passed fit the previous day following treatment on a knee injury, to the bench and deploying Marcus Bent as the lone striker once more.

The opening 10 minutes were as frenetic and highly-charged as any derby, perhaps more so than in recent years, as the players finally got to battle it out on the pitch following a week of hype surrounding what was the 200th meeting between these two clubs in all competitions.

Football was, unsurprisingly, the victim as both sides instantly closed down the space and denied their opponents any time on the ball.  That meant a flurry of high balls and aerial challenges and inevitable fouls, one of which gave Steven Gerrard an early opportunity from a free kick which Neil Mellor headed wide.

The best chance of the half, however, fell to Everton when fantastic work by Bent at the byline ended in an inch-perfect cross but Tim Cahill, unmarked and with the goal at his mercy, somehow glanced his header wide of the far post.

Ten minutes later, Liverpool's best chance of the opening 45 minutes arrived from a free kick on the right which eventually fell to Mellor at the far post but, thankfully, Nigel Martyn spread himself and blocked the youngster's header from point-blank range, the danger finally being cleared at the third attempt as chaos threatened to break out in the Blues' area.

In between, Tony Hibbert and Salif Diao let the occasion get to them a little too much as were booked for late tackles on Mellor and Cahill respectively.

Chances remained at a premium with neither side able to derive much inspiration from their key playmakers in midfield, but Sammi Hyppia went close five minutes before the break, firing over the bar from 12 yards having stuck around in the area following one of the Reds' three first-half corners. Half time: all square.

There were no changes in personnel at half time but the second period started in far less hectic fashion than had the first. Everton had the first chance when Osman fired in left-footed from 20 yards out but it flew over the bar. Diao responded in kind at the other end with crisp half volley three minutes later that also narrowly cleared the bar.

Although the pace had slackened, the bone-crunching tackles hadn't and when Cahill skinned Jon-Arne Riise down the right flank, the Norwegian was yellow carded for scything the Australian down. Seven minutes later, Josemi was booked for one too many fouls on Kilbane.

In the 68th minute, however, the deadlock was shattered when a building spell of Blue pressure ended with Carsley sweeping the ball past Kirkland to send Goodison Park into rapture.

After Kilbane had skipped by his marker, Gravesen swung an inviting cross to the back post where a Liverpool head cleared the ball only as far as Bent who found Osman and when he poked it back towards Bent the loose ball broke to Carsley. His low shot curled around a Liverpool defender and past Chris Kirkland who, presumably unsighted, was diving the other way. David Moyes's reaction was as enthusiastic as any Blue in the ground, illustrating just how much this victory meant to him.

Both teams responded by upping the tempo, Everton going for the jugular and a killer second goal � it nearly arrived when Cahill miscued in front of goal and Hyppia cleared off the line � and Liverpool becoming more urgent in the face of impending defeat. Predictably, Gerrard led the visitor's charge, flashing a shot inches wide after a mistake in the Everton defence in the 74th minute and then forcing Martyn into an acrobatic fingertip save to turn the ball over four minutes after that.

Moyes gradually pared back his attacking arsenal by removing Bent for Duncan Ferguson with 14 minutes left, then swapping Joseph Yobo for Gravesen with eight to go and, finally removing Osman for Steve Watson with four minutes left on the clock. All the while, the defence coped admirably with everything Liverpool threw at them while, at the other end, Ferguson's tussle with Hyppia saw the Scot's name enter the book for a stupid off-the-ball confrontation.

The appointment of Steve Bennett as referee had infuriated the Everton camp but he seemed to get most things right. The home fans will be mystified where four minutes of injury time came from, however. And the Blues came very close to surrendering their precious lead in added time when Martyn flapped at the ball under the challenge of Djimi Traore and Cahill was forced to hack the ball off the line. Moyes's side escaped and, despite the interruption caused by a one-man pitch invasion, wound the clock down to secure a terrific win that lifts them, for a day at least, into second place in the Premiership.

This was a game where quality clearly lost out to the pulsating, raw energy of a typically physical local derby, but on the balance of play Everton were full value for the win. It was a victory secured without the use of Bent's pace on the counter and without orchestration from Gravesen who had a subdued day in the heart of midfield. Instead, it was Cahill, Kilbane and Osman who led the charge from midfield, with Carsley the enforcer in front of the almost impeccable back four.

Lyndon Lloyd