Only rarely do Merseyside derbies disappoint and at the end of a breathless and highly eventful evening which saw three men sent off, blue was the colour. Rather improbably, a victory which by no means flattered Everton lifts them up to the giddy heights of sixth place in the Premiership.
A match which had simmered all evening ignited with 15 minutes remaining when Sander Westerveld and Francis Jeffers were dismissed after exchanging blows inside the area. Having used their allocation of substitutes Liverpool were unable to use their reserve team goalkeeper Jorgen Nielsen and so finished the match with Steve Staunton between the posts. In injury time Steven Gerrard was sent off for a gruesome high tackle on Kevin Campbell.
Liverpool's period of transition is proving to be painful in the extreme and more patience will be required before any significant corner is turned.
Despite carrying an ankle injury which may ultimately necessitate surgery, Gerard Houllier included Robbie Fowler while Dietmar Hamann was asked to take his place in a maelstrom of a game after seven weeks of inactivity.
Everton are a cohesive unit this season and by doing no more than applying the basics of discipline and organisation they grasped the game by its throat and began to shake gently.
Even so, the speed with which they underlined their obvious superiority was surprising, for just four minutes had elapsed when Liverpool's thin red line was breached.
Nick Barmby's pass inside presented Jeffers with countless options. Very wisely the youngster opted to move the ball forwards into the path of his partner, Campbell, who scored with a fine strike.
Midway through a frenetic opening half, Jeffers rose inside a crowded penalty area to power in a towering header which Westerveld did well to turn aside.
Liverpool's frustration saw Staunton and Jamie Redknapp cautioned, and they should, perhaps, have been reduced in numbers after 28 minutes when Michael Owen reduced David Weir to rubble with a tackle which was very high and very late.
Jeffers is a marvellous young talent, but he still endures moments of worrying profligacy. Five minutes into the second period he could have moved the game all but out of Liverpool's reach but poked his shot wide when, in truth, scoring did appear to be the easier option.
Liverpool drew strength from their neighbours' wastefulness and as the tempo began to increase Fowler and Owen, at last, began to hint at real menace.
Fowler almost drew his side level after 57 minutes. His shot was smartly driven but Paul Gerrard held on comfortably.
LIVERPOOL: Westerveld, Staunton, Hyypia, Carragher, Heggem, Berger, Hamann (Meijer 66), Redknapp, Smicer (Camara 70), Owen, Fowler (Gerrard 66). Subs Not Used: Henchoz, Nielsen. Sent Off: Westerveld (74), Gerrard (90). Booked: Staunton, Redknapp, Owen.
EVERTON: Gerrard, Ball, Gough, Dunne, Weir, Barmby, Collins, Hutchison, Xavier, Campbell, Jeffers. Subs Not Used: Cleland, Gemmill, Ward, Johnson, Simonsen. Sent Off: Jeffers (74). Booked: Ball, Gough. Goals: Campbell 4.
Referee: M Riley (Leeds).
