1. Steven Gerrard’s potentially last Merseyside derby had little chance of setting hearts racing
The 3-3 draw when Liverpool last visited Everton was one of the most entertaining games of that season and many, who expected a lot of goals and at least one from the Reds skipper, were left disappointed after this dull affair ended as a 0-0 draw.
Gerrard had a couple of moments to remind the world why he is the top goalscorer in this derby in the Premier League era, like his first-half free-kick which was clawed away by Joel Robles and an acrobatic overhead kick that cannoned off the head of Steven Naismith and went wide.
Other than that the game had very little goalmouth action given Everton’s cautious approach plus eight of Liverpool’s starters having played from the off at Bolton in the FA Cup replay last Wednesday.
2. James McCarthy’s seamless return provides more competition for Everton’s two central midfield positions
Everton’s biggest achievement in this game was stopping in-form Philippe Coutinho from influencing the game in between their lines and McCarthy was at the heart of that. The “dog of war”, as he is affectionately known by the Goodison faithful, was returning from a six-week absence but that was hardly evident as he was arguably the best central midfielder for Everton.
It will be interesting to see McCarthy’s role going forward since Everton usually adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation which allows only two central midfielders. Gareth Barry is the most trusted player as the protective shield to the centre-halves while Muhamed Besic’s hard tackling and overall impressive performances have made him a fans’ favourite.
3. Raheem Sterling could be part of another deadly SAS if he works on his finishing with his left
Raheem Sterling has repeatedly shown his intelligence as a forward in recent games leading Liverpool’s attack. He repeatedly spins in behind central defenders to receive the ball with the goal at his mercy, but his finishing and final ball keeps letting him down, particularly when he gets into the inside left channel.
That has been the case since his first game as the furthest forward in Liverpool’s 3-4-3 formation at Manchester United as he frequently got into good positions. Even against Everton’s compact defence, the England forward still had moments when he got through on goal on that left side but his finishing was average.
If he gets that right then he will bag a lot of goals considering that he gets a couple of good chances in each game with his brilliant movement. With Daniel Sturridge back, Liverpool could have another era of a lethal SAS.
4. Roberto Martinez may have to retain his conservative approach again
Everton have stopped leaking ridiculous goals, they are now unbeaten in six matches in normal time in all competitions and they have kept three consecutive clean sheets, but it has been at the expense of their offensive threat as they have scored just once in their last three games.
An attack-minded manager like Martinez would ideally wish to revert back to the open entertaining football with Ross Barkley starting and Everton throwing both full-backs forward in attack, but their next encounter is a trip to Chelsea so Martinez may have to continue with this cautious approach before he reverts back to the style he believes in.
5. Another gamble at Goodison Park paid off for Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers likes to pull surprises when he visits Goodison Park. He fielded five derby debutants – Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom, Nuri Sahin, Suso and Joe Allen – in October 2012 and last season Jon Flanagan had an impressive debut appearance after returning to the Reds from a loan spell as he contained Kevin Mirallas in open play.
This time Lazar Markovic, who has been impressive as a right wing-back, was not fully fit and Rodgers showed faith in Jordon Ibe by handing him his first league start since he returned from a loan spell at Derby County.
Again the move was inspired as Ibe caused Bryan Oviedo problems with his pace and he hit the post with a thunderous strike from outside the box. The young winger, who was the man-of-the-match, showed his tactical intelligence by fulfilling the defensive duties of a wing-back while also keeping his offensive threat when in possession.
