In Sheryl Crow's words, 'A Change Would Do You Good' and that was certainly the case for Everton after a tale of two halves in Sunday's derby encounter with Liverpool.
After the game David Moyes stated that some of his players were "naive" at times, and that seemed the case as Liverpool threatened to run riot towards the end of the first half.
The naivety that Moyes bemoaned post-match was evident as Everton passed up an early opportunity to stun the surprisingly subdued Anfield crowd through Jermaine Beckford.
Beckford found himself 30 yards out with just Daniel Agger and Jose Reina to beat and instead of trying to advance further with the ball, he fired a wayward shot at goal that ballooned high and wide.
After the game David Moyes stated that some of his players were "naive" at times, and that seemed the case as Liverpool threatened to run riot towards the end of the first half.
The naivety that Moyes bemoaned post-match was evident as Everton passed up an early opportunity to stun the surprisingly subdued Anfield crowd through Jermaine Beckford.
Beckford found himself 30 yards out with just Daniel Agger and Jose Reina to beat and instead of trying to advance further with the ball, he fired a wayward shot at goal that ballooned high and wide.
However it was Liverpool who went closest to taking a precious lead as Sylvain Distin's hesitance allowed Fernando Torres a path to the goal. Into the box and with Heitinga for company, Torres worked the ball onto his left foot and curled an effort onto the post beyond the despairing dive of Tim Howard, only for Dirk Kuyt to blaze his shot over the bar from the follow up.
This set the tone for the rest of the half as Liverpool went on to thoroughly dominate, opening the scoring in the 29th minute through Raul Meireles.
Glen Johnson- from the left flank- crossed the ball into the box for Dirk Kuyt whose header and subsequent follow up shot were saved by Tim Howard, but with his momentum taking him the other way, the American international could do nothing to prevent Meireles lashing home from 18 yards.
This set the tone for the rest of the half as Liverpool went on to thoroughly dominate, opening the scoring in the 29th minute through Raul Meireles.
Glen Johnson- from the left flank- crossed the ball into the box for Dirk Kuyt whose header and subsequent follow up shot were saved by Tim Howard, but with his momentum taking him the other way, the American international could do nothing to prevent Meireles lashing home from 18 yards.
Taking the initiative: Raul Meireles opens the scoring in the pulsating Merseyside derby.
Liverpool flags, scarves, badges, beach towels- in fact any memorabilia you could think of- came out and the Liverpool fans briefly sprang to life.
The onslaught continued as Liverpool surged forward with Everton well and truly on the ropes.
Torres found space in the box to fire a shot at Howard from the angle and his save resulted in the ball looping into the air. With Evertonian hearts in mouths, Phil Neville did enough to stop Meireles grabbing a second goal, diverting the ball away from the goal line as the two challenged for a header but the ball then fell at the feet of Maxi Rodriguez who passed up a glorious chance.
The Argentine winger steadied himself before scooping the ball over the bar from inside the six yard box and Everton will have felt fortunate to go into the break just one goal down.
Torres found space in the box to fire a shot at Howard from the angle and his save resulted in the ball looping into the air. With Evertonian hearts in mouths, Phil Neville did enough to stop Meireles grabbing a second goal, diverting the ball away from the goal line as the two challenged for a header but the ball then fell at the feet of Maxi Rodriguez who passed up a glorious chance.
The Argentine winger steadied himself before scooping the ball over the bar from inside the six yard box and Everton will have felt fortunate to go into the break just one goal down.
Then came the change, although not one that supporters of either team would have expected to have had a significant influence on the game.
Replacing the "ill" Daniel Agger was Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Everton went on to exploit Liverpool's defensive fragility in an explosive seven minute spell at the start of the second half.
Replacing the "ill" Daniel Agger was Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Everton went on to exploit Liverpool's defensive fragility in an explosive seven minute spell at the start of the second half.
The Toffees were incorrectly awarded a corner kick but they took full advantage of their new found fortune as Sylvain Distin powered home his first Premier League goal for Everton just 43 seconds in to the second half.
The centre back rose above Martin Skrtel and his header squeezed in despite the best efforts of Glen Johnson on the goal line.
The centre back rose above Martin Skrtel and his header squeezed in despite the best efforts of Glen Johnson on the goal line.
Now it was Liverpool on the ropes as Everton played with vigour and style, matched with a tempo that was too high for the Reds to handle.
Victor Anichebe was proving a real handful for the Liverpool defence and in the 52nd minute he rose above Martin Kelly to head a cross-field ball to Leon Osman.
Victor Anichebe was proving a real handful for the Liverpool defence and in the 52nd minute he rose above Martin Kelly to head a cross-field ball to Leon Osman.
Osman, quiet and ineffective in the first 45 minutes provided a moment of magic, showing typically quick feet to baffle his markers and slide a pass into Jermaine Beckford inside the penalty box. The summer signing from Leeds showed strength and determination before firing a shot into the corner of the net in front of the Everton fans who believed a first win at Anfield since 1999 was on the cards.
Delirious: Jermaine Beckford reels away in celebration after giving Everton the lead.
Cue pandemonium in the away end as the players reeled away in evident delight. The Evertonians most certainly enjoyed it and chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning"-aimed at Kenny Dalglish- resonated around the ground.
Cue pandemonium in the away end as the players reeled away in evident delight. The Evertonians most certainly enjoyed it and chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning"-aimed at Kenny Dalglish- resonated around the ground.
Everton went on to dominate the 15 minute period that ensued with Marouane Fellaini- the outstanding performer- pulling the strings from central midfield.
Yet for all their dominance, Everton failed to find the goal that would surely have killed Liverpool off and in the 68th minute, it was they who were awarded a penalty against the run of play as Tim Howard felled Maxi Rodriguez in the box.
After a free kick was launched into the box, Howard rushed to collect the ball but Rodriguez- going away from goal- nipped in before him and went down with no hesitation. A penalty indeed but the attempts by Rodriguez to get Howard sent off were despicable as he almost begged with referee Phil Dowd for the 'keeper to be given his marching orders.
Dirk Kuyt stepped up and predictably slotted past Howard with his fifth goal in a Merseyside derby.
From then on there was plenty of endeavour from both sides, yet the game petered out despite attempts to win the game from the two teams.
Moyes freshened things up, bringing on James Vaughan, Jack Rodwell and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov whilst Dalglish introduced Jonjo Shelvey- all to no effect.
As the final whistle blew there was a sense of disappointment in most Evertonians and almost relief in the Liverpool fans. All that being said though, David Moyes will be delighted with the second half performance, his players coming out with fantastic positivity and reaching the required tempo to turn around the deficit.
As previously mentioned, Marouane Fellaini was superb, showing attacking intent and defensive stability to replicate the kind of form that made Moyes believe he was the best central midfielder in the Premier League just over a year ago.
Finally, Moyes was full of praise for forward Jermaine Beckford after the match, applauding his knack to be in the "right position" and to score goals. Beckford looks to be acclimatising to the Premier League and his goal was reward for increasingly impressive displays in recent weeks.
Written by Sam Mackie on 17th January 2011.
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