Why Liverpool must build on derby win to silence crisis talk

By Richard Buxton in Liverpool Fans Blog

Published 14:30 08/02/10

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The 213th Merseyside derby could have so easily ended with the same ill-feeling which greeted the third anniversary of the day that two Americans arrived at Anfield promising to deliver a land of milk and honey.

Such is the anger and downright hatred at the antics of George Gillett and Tom Hicks as self-styled custodians of Liverpool Football Club that they could not attend the win over Everton at the weekend. Despite the absence of the duo, due to fears for their personal safety by police, the occasion did not pass off without controversy.

Blues fans feigned mock outrage before kick-off when Kopites opted to display a banner proclaiming, ‘Steaua Bucuresti 1986’ alongside a European Cup – a tongue-in-cheek response to the relentless chants of ‘murderers’ their visitors have subjected them to over the previous decade.

Those same chants about the 1985 Heysel tragedy were aired regularly throughout the game. Evidently the travelling Goodison faithful were hoping that their Joleon Lescott chant about Reds pushing down walls and a banner insisting '39 Italians can’t be wrong’ would be forgotten sooner than the England international’s defection to Manchester City last summer.

On the pitch, Steven Pienaar was very fortunate to remain involved for as long as he did after the potentially knee-breaking lunge on Javier Mascherano. The South African eventually saw red five minutes into added time at the end of the game, but it was a case of too little, too late in the eyes of the Kop with tackles flying in thick and fast.

Everton's starting line-up cost £3m more than their hosts’ but they failed to make their advantage count after Sotirios Kyrgiakos was sent off on the half-hour mark. It could be argued that Marouane Fellaini should have also been reprimanded for stamping on the Greek defender’s ankle when the pair collided, but the momentum was with the afro-haired midfielder who collapsed under the weight of the two-footed challenge.

Dirk Kuyt’s 50th Liverpool goal wasn’t the greatest he has netted during his four-year spell at L4 but it took him one step closer to being Everton’s perennial bogeyman for the current millennium. The Dutchman’s nodded-down header was a touch of pure composure as he was involved in a tug-of-war between Tim Howard and Phil Neville as they anticipated Steven Gerrard’s delivery from a corner.

The Reds skipper has been given more than his fair share of criticism for showing a careless attitude in a somewhat disappointing season but his performance and reaction to the result said otherwise. Another Scouser who also epitomised the spirit of the Merseyside derby was Jamie Carragher, who was not afraid to give supporters and team-mates his own brand of motivation.

It was a game where even the unfit and generally disinterested Ryan Babel appeared to have some fight about him when he was introduced in the second half, proving that the fiery encounter brings out both the best and worst in the respective players.

However, revelling in derby delight must be put to bed ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. Rafael Benitez’s side will run out against Arsenal with retribution on their minds after two defeats to the North Londoners already this season.

If the momentum can be maintained then normal service will be resumed. If the opposite occurs, it will mean that Benitez has to go back to the drawing board temporarily in a bid to stave off the talk of crisis from the media gutter-snipes who will again attempt to attribute blame to zonal marking – just one of the pitfalls of being the pride of Merseyside.

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