"The city is ours" - Derby reflections by Joel Tracy

“The Blues are coming,” the headlines roared, and Liverpool supporters felt a nagging feeling of unease to creep up their spines at the sound of Toffee footsteps marching across Stanley Park. Caught in a near dead heat with Everton and Spurs in the race for the fourth and final Champions League spot, with a spate of injuries having left the squad thinner than the hair on Leon Osman’s head, Reds fans could be forgiven for hearing the spectral moans of ghosts of letdowns past in the approach of their bitter rivals.

Sure, Everton hadn’t yet won at Anfield this millennium, but Roberto Martinez’s squad were bringing their aggressive, free-flowing brand of football across town to do something David Moyes’ teams never dared attempt to do: win. Sure, in Suarez and Sturridge Liverpool boasted the most deadly strike force in the league, but Romelo Lukaku was poised to continue his ongoing torment of Liverpool against a mostly second choice (or worse) back line.

And while Steven Gerrard, veteran of thirty derbies, would be leading the Redmen out of the tunnel, he’d looked out of his depth in a withdrawn role, and would surely struggle to cope with the likes of Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas in Everton’s midfield. Liverpool’s sterling home record gave reason for optimism, but it seemed reasonable to wonder if, as the first top six team to visit the Reds, their neighbours might just gave the lie to claims that a fortress-like atmosphere had returned to Anfield.

But when the floodlights came on, Brendan Rodgers and his men put forth a display that, for the first time in years put their rivals firmly back in their place as the city’s “B” squad, and struck fear in the hearts of the rest of the Premier League.

The manager set up wisely to counter Martinez’s men; the threat of Raheem Sterling  on the right helped minimize the attacking influence of Leighton Baines, while the newly resigned fullback struggled at times to keep up with his fellow Englishman in his own end.

Alternating on the opposite flank, Suarez and Sturridge took turns torturing John Stones, while also exploiting pockets of space in and around the forward, wing and central positions. In addition to an imperious defensive display, Steven Gerrard helped spring a lethal counterattack, spraying passes forward from in between Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure. The latter pair were solid in defence, though their job grew considerably easier with the injury to Lukaku, a crucial development in both the match and the race for fourth place.

As in midfield-where a withdrawn Gerrard and a typically energetic (and profligate) Jordan Henderson quelled some doubts about an area of weakness-the fullbacks staked claims for regular spots in the squad. Aly Cissokho got himself into some good positions, particularly in the decisive first half, while Jon Flanagan was once again strong in the tackle and tireless in his efforts.

Suarez and Sturridge alternated between the workmanlike and the sublime, each gliding in between midfield and attack to receive the ball, linking play and setting up one another as well as their midfield support with incisive passes and well timed runs behind defenders. The Uruguayan sizzled, running through and around defenders and shooting on sight from the opening whistle.

Sturridge sparkled, latching onto a brilliant Philippe Coutinho throughball before calmly slotting past Tim Howard with his supposedly weaker right foot. Minutes later, the Englishman made something out of nothing, looking back over his shoulder to track a longball lofted over the Everton defence by Toure. With barely a glance at goal, the on-form frontman stroked an audacious effort over Howard into the far corner of the net, effectively ending the contest. 

With inventive vision, eager running and selfless distribution Coutinho, Sterling and Henderson combined admirably to support the work of the strikers, while also tracking back to aid their depleted defence. Together with Suarez and Sturridge they formed a potent attack that made the most of its surprisingly limited possession, putting meaningful pressure on the Everton defence through patient buildup as well as threatening through lightning-quick counters.

Behind the brilliance of the front five, Gerrard displayed an admirable sense of responsibility, in addition to his usual derby day devotion. Demonstrating a restraint some wondered if he’d ever find, the Captain tucked in between the centre backs to dictate play from deep when Liverpool had the ball and made countless interceptions and clearances to stymie the Everton attack. While he struck a deserved goal with a well-taken header for Liverpool’s crucial first, Gerrard’s relinquishing of a late penalty to Sturridge embodied his unselfish evening, even if the young striker did woefully squander this gift-wrapped opportunity to secure the hat trick.

In the buildup prior to the match, Rodgers was quoted as saying Liverpool should be finishing above Everton. A vision realised, his charges made a strong statement to that effect, driving home the point in front of the home crowd with devastating potency. As the final whistle blew, the Kop serenaded its heroes, the ghosts of the recent Dark Ages of Anfield far from the mind. On the strength of this performance, Reds will find none in the city to argue with the assertion that “Liverpool are magic.”  With the rest of the top five still yet to visit Anfield, supporters can dare to hope Rodgers and his men have what it takes to maintain their magic run, an enchantment that will hopefully land Liverpool in the Champions League, or perhaps, even higher.

Joel Tracy

@jtras2