Howard
Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines
Naismith (85' Oviedo) Osman Neville :45+2'
Mirallas (46' Gueye) Fellaini
Jelavic

Subs not used:
Mucha, Hibbert, Heitinga, Hitzlsperger, Vellios.
Unavailable: Pienaar (Suspended), Gibson (injured), Barkley (on loan), Bidwell (on loan)

That was the team selected for last season's meeting at Goodison Park with the other lot; very different in midfield and up front – of course Pienaar couldn't play due to suspension.

But give me today's team any day of the week – less the set-piece goals of course,

Phil Friedman (768), that's got to be the biggest Osman stretch ever... might as well blame him for the weather. Just because the goal followed the substitution doesn't mean the substitution was to blame for the goal. Neither Naismith nor Mirallas could have done more to prevent it.

100% of the blame for that goal goes to Distin and his ridiculous challenge. How such an intelligent player can suddenly turn into a blockhead every time we play the RS is beyond me.

I particularly agree with the point about Mirallas carrying more threat when given freedom to come in from the touchline.

After moaning about full-backs not attacking all season, I was delighted to see Coleman driving into their box even at the death. Much happier with Martinez today and feeling far more optimistic about going to OT.

If Robbie didn’t bollock the living daylights out of his defenders for lapses of concentration, that would have been the only thing he got wrong yesterday.

I just heard Brendan saying it would have been interesting to see what happened if Suarez had made the tackle on Mirallas ... short memory. I’ve never been an advocate of dirty play and I didn’t want to set the grandson a bad example, but once I saw the card wasn’t red, I clenched my fist in my pocket and sat back feeling a very warm glow of satisfaction.

Watching the match live on BT Sport: Barkley blatantly dived and was rightly booked. Someone should have a strong word with him and tell him to not blight his career with such antics. Does he want to be viewed as Suarez is?

Mirallas was lucky not to be sent off for his 'tackle' on Suarez. Replayed several times and it was very, very bad.

The Liverpool physio appeared to have a lot to say about it but then so did Garrard et al. No surprise there and in view of the time Phil Dowd took to pull out any card and the ear bashing the Reds were giving him, Mirallas has even more cause to feel lucky.

We played with bravery that was alien to Moyes in these fixtures, we went toe to toe with them and showed no fear. I hope Martinez has won over some doubters with his approach to this game, one we traditionally collapse in. I actually can't wait for the Anfield one now, and that feels alien to say - as I nearly bottled watching it yesterday.

I'm glad Martinez is playing him and I really rate the lad but I think John Stones looked a bag of nerves out there yesterday. Only natural perhaps but I thought he was poor considering all the talent he has.

Another classic quote from Rodgers to go with the one mentioned above "Sometimes Luis rolls about a bit but gets up quickly, so I knew it was a reasonably bad one for him to stay down for so long."...........you couldn't make it up.

Mirallas is not a dirty player, that foul was unintentional, done in the heat of battle and only grazed the rear of Ratboy's leg. Ratboy then gave us 5 minutes of rolling around in agony, play acting, trying to get our boy sent off. Even his Red nurse couldn't find anything wrong leading to Brenda arguing with him. Ten minutes later, he was running around like nothing had happened, the lying little shit.

Our defending of set pieces has given us cause for worry before and yesterday the Reds were primed to take advantage and did so. We were crap. Worse than that, we never once learned anything from it... Alcaraz is fit just in time.

Full marks must go to Barkley, Lukaku, Coleman, Pienaar, Barry, Baines, McCarthy and Howard. Our defenders need some training ground revision and it is no good thinking that Stones is an answer. When he came on, he was shitting himself with fear and frozen to the spot. Utterly useless.

Overall, two points lost really by our own frailties rather than a point hard won. But so exciting. It was great to see decent passing once more and a dangerous tempo and by god we showed we've got guts.

Let's remember it for what it was a classic derby, one to remember and my " if only" is if we had scored the final goal we would be far more content with a draw. For some reason you are always happier when you come from behind to draw and yet it makes no difference to the points gained or they way you have played.

Well done RM and although I was a fan of Mr Moyes, we would've settled for the draw under his guidance and not continued to try and take the game to them for 90-plus minutes. Last year's derby springs to mind when we come from 2-0 down to draw level by half-time and shut up shop in the second half..

We are not going to win the Premier League but it's great to be in the mix and looking to progress.

But why do so many come on here to highlight the negatives, it's not as though ANY performance will ever be perfect? And blaming the loss of two points on Ossie really takes the biscuit!

Yesterday changed my mind on a number of issues regarding Roberto and our kid said I was beginning to sound like Doddy on the way home. Easy now, Dickie Lad!

The wall could have been better placed and it was a soft free kick to give away, but without a superbly executed shot and header they wouldn't have necessarily led to goals.

The poorest bit of defensive play was letting Coutinho get free for their first, which was simply a lapse of concentration.

I can't believe I missed the game because of work commitments but my old man watched it on BT and said it took him back to Catterick's days. He says that, whilst he rates Romelu, he's not a patch on Big Joe Royle at his best!

We could have slipped down to seventh by 6pm tonight but we're still going in the right direction under Roberto.

I do agree with the suggestion that a player with a reputation would probably have been punished more severely, but that is just life isn't it?

True they will.

But as the same media have conveniently forgotten the many many many injustices that have come our way over the years - FUCK THEM!

Dirk Kuyt's kung-fu kick should have seen him sent off and banned for 10 games.

He was given a yellow card.

Fact, we've had decades of bent refs, shit-house decisions and cheating rat-faced shit-bags.

They continue to be outraged by everything and ashamed of nothing, so fuck them too.

Coyb!

I say in either '77 or '78 on New Year's Day we played Nottm Forest away when we were both riding high. In fact, I'd say 1st and 2nd... could be wrong — and we drew one-all. Both goals were penalties — ours by Trevor Ross; theirs by John Robertson.

Now there's 20 quid riding on this. My mate says we lost one-nil. I'm 100 per cent it was one-all. Come on, please, settle it!

Mon Jan 2 1978 Div 1 A Nottm Forest D 1 - 1 44,030 Ross T (pen) Pos: 2nd

So close... but not New Year's Day.