FA Cup - Everton hold Liverpool again

Eurosport - Mon, 26 Jan 08:30:00 2009

Liverpool drew 1-1 with Everton at Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round, the Merseyside rivals' second such result in a week.

2008-2009 Liverpool Everton Steven Pienaar Albert Riera - 0

After Monday's draw in the Premier League, the teams again could not be separated as Joleon Lescott's close-range header was cancelled out by a low Steven Gerrard strike.

The consequence is a third derby, this time at Goodison Park, with a place in the last 16 still at stake for the winners of the replay.

Although Liverpool dominated much of the game, Everton will feel they let their neighbours off the hook, as Gerrard's 54th-minute equaliser came courtesy of a mistake by goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's commitment to the FA Cup has never been absolute - the Reds' 2006 triumph notwithstanding - but he took this fixture seriously enough to give goalkeeper Pepe Reina only his sixth appearance in the competition in four seasons.

There was another blow to Robbie Keane's rock-bottom confidence as the Irishman was left out of Liverpool's 18-man squad, as Benitez played Fernando Torres as a lone striker with David N'Gog on the bench.

Everton boss David Moyes picked his strongest available side, but that still meant no Mikel Arteta, with the Spanish midfielder sidelined after suffering a rib injury in training.

On Monday, Liverpool lost the lead against Everton after they lost track of Tim Cahill and the Australian headed a late equaliser.

Lightning struck for the second time in six days with 27 minutes gone, as the shortcomings of Benitez's zonal marking system at set-pieces were once again exposed.

Cahill and Lescott are clearly Everton's biggest aerial threats, but both men found enough space to combine for the opening goal. Cahill met Steven Pienaar's corner with a firm header goalwards, and Lescott deflected it to ensure Reina had no chance.

Contrast Liverpool's slackness with the touch-tight marking from Everton, with Phil Jagielka rarely letting Torres beyond his grasp. The Spaniard showed sharpness and some nice touches, but never had the space to show his explosive acceleration or deadly finishing.

It was not all bad from the home side - they enjoyed 70 per cent possession and completed more than three times as many passes as their opponents in the first half. Despite all this, they were unable to muster a goal attempt worthy of the name as Everton keeper Howard's activities were restricted to dawdling over goal-kicks.

Liverpool's frustration was personified by Jamie Carragher, who was so incensed at what he perceived as time-wasting by Howard that he pursued referee Steve Bennett down the tunnel at half-time and earned himself a booking for dissent.

The second half began in much the same pattern, with Liverpool dominant but unable to land a significant blow - then suddenly they were level.

It came from a piece of magic by Torres. The Spaniard collected the ball on his chest just inside the Everton half with his back to goal, and somehow played Gerrard clear with a sublime flick of his left boot.

Gerrard raced through and struck low towards the near post with his left foot. Somehow the ball eluded Howard and fizzed into the net.

Liverpool poured forward in search of a winner. Howard partially redeemed himself with a good save from a Gerrard volley, while Torres had a close-range shot blocked.

But Everton proved too well organised and the tie now travels across Stanley Park to Goodison.

Sporting Life / Eurosport

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  1. Thanks alcock

    From may6_1840_2d_blue, on Sun 25 Jan 10:08PM
  2. RC_BALLCOCK.......

    From fluffy.bits, on Sun 25 Jan 10:06PM
  3. RC_HALFCOCK.....

    From fluffy.bits, on Sun 25 Jan 10:05PM
  4. Dr Mark Lunt (Hater of The Merseyside Community)
    Senior Lecturer in Medical Statistics
    University of Manchester
    Stopford Building
    Oxford Road
    Manchester M13 9PT

    From Nicholas, on Sun 25 Jan 10:02PM
  5. RC_smallCOCK.....

    From fluffy.bits, on Sun 25 Jan 9:53PM
  6. Dr Mark Lunt is your hatred of the people of merseyside as strong as ever?

    From Nicholas, on Sun 25 Jan 9:43PM
  7. Hello Dr Mark Lunt of the Univesity of Manchester still posting I see.........

    From Nicholas, on Sun 25 Jan 9:41PM
  8. Dr Mark Lunt is your hatred of the people of merseyside as strong as ever?

    From Nicholas, on Sun 25 Jan 9:35PM
  9. As I understand it one is ivited to comment on the article above. Then why is it that the majority of comments ignore the invitation and seek only to abuse the opposition supporters or the club management?

    From ROY, on Sun 25 Jan 9:34PM
  10. Hello Dr Mark Lunt of the Univesity of Manchester still posting I see.........

    From Nicholas, on Sun 25 Jan 9:33PM
  11. Come on Moyes boys,let´s do the bin-dippers at Goodison

    Phil the Fluter-FV The Toffee man

    From phil, on Sun 25 Jan 9:33PM
  12. go toffees!!!

    From Bali Tenno, on Sun 25 Jan 9:15PM
  13. james s. chelsea will beat you next week and your title hopes will be gone, then when you play arsenal and man utd you'll be left fighting it out with villa for 4th place. everton will win the replay cos they wil have strikers back by then.

    From ripped of, on Sun 25 Jan 9:12PM
  14. dry your eyes rafa remember this, when man utd win the league by 1 point just remember who took the 2 points last monday night haha super mersey blues

    From WILLIAM, on Sun 25 Jan 9:09PM
  15. invalid comment? cox and fannis, blo jobs, invalid comment that.

    From marklunt636, on Sun 25 Jan 8:56PM
  16. marklunt636, I wouldn;t give any foreign player or manager grief about not being able to speak proper english because the majority of England cannot speak proper english. Seen the school drop out rate recently??? Oh, since you a MAn U supporter, I don't hear you moaning about Ferguson's second in command-Carlos Q.

    From dom S, on Sun 25 Jan 8:54PM
  17. farrellvelloza, i have actually lived in liverpool for a short time because of work, (although it seemed an awful lot longer) walton vale to be exact, what a lovely charming place, much like the rest of the slum, full of prostitutes at night, probably how your sister makes enough money for her next fix.

    From marklunt636, on Sun 25 Jan 8:52PM
  18. Come on the Toffeees

    From Gerard, on Sun 25 Jan 8:50PM
  19. mlunt363 post 62

    along with that, that means your precious team have to re-shcedule another league game
    into an already busy period. against the blue scum, n they always raise their game against you as they hate your lot as much, and in some cases more than our lot

    From barry m, on Sun 25 Jan 8:47PM
  20. to comment 109 we may be in debt whatever doesnt mean we cnt be champs rnt the players that brought us into debt the best

    From sharon t, on Sun 25 Jan 8:39PM
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