Liverpool 3 Everton 0: Stevie three! Gerrard caps 400th game with derby hat-trick
It was always his intention to celebrate the landmark in a memorable manner. Steven Gerrard joined an illustrious, exclusive club and did it as only he knows how.
If the build-up to the 217th Merseyside derby had been dominated by talk of how David Moyes had a glorious chance to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his appointment by masterminding Everton’s first win at Anfield since 1999, Gerrard was the only name being discussed in the aftermath.
Becoming only the fifth player to make 400 Barclays Premier League appearances for one club would have been a meritorious feat on its own.
The fact he scored all Liverpool’s goals in a resounding 3-0 win was even more remarkable.
Super Stevie: Gerrard bagged three goals for Liverpool as they saw off Everton
Match facts
Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Carragher, Jose Enrique, Henderson (Kuyt 73), Gerrard, Spearing, Downing, Carroll, Suarez. Subs not used: Doni, Maxi, Coates, Adam, Shelvey, Flanagan.
Booked: Jose Enrique.
Scorer: Gerrard 34, 51, 90.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman (Drenthe 61), Rodwell, Fellaini, Pienaar, Stracqualursi (Osman 61), Anichebe (Jelavic 61).Subs not used: Mucha, Heitinga, Cahill, Neville.
Booked: Baines, Drenthe, Pienaar, Hibbert.
Referee: Phil Dowd.
Attendance: 44,921.
Hat-tricks in these games are not 10-a-penny — Ian Rush’s in November 1982 was the last — and all three finishes were perfect to cap a majestic individual Gerrard performance. When Liverpool need him, rarely, if ever, does he disappoint.
Not surprisingly, he was beaming at the final whistle, pumping his fists and savouring every step back to the dressing room with the match ball stuffed up his jersey. Moyes, by contrast, cut a disconsolate figure, frustrated that once again Everton had come up short in this battle.
The Merseyside derby’s place in British football has long since slipped from the halcyon days of the 1980s, when collisions between these two clubs would invariably decide the destination of the season’s silverware.
However much it still means in this city, it was impossible to escape the feeling, following the publication of the team sheets, that both clubs had weekend assignments in the FA Cup in mind.
Kneesy does it: Gerrard takes a slide after bagging the opener for the hosts
Moyes sprang the biggest surprise, making six changes to the side that had beaten Tottenham on Saturday.
Should Everton secure a trip to Wembley for a semi-final this weekend, Moyes may well be vindicated. But some Evertonians will wonder why so many alterations were made, particularly when many of those who came in failed to match the men they replaced. It wasn’t good enough.
Liverpool, by contrast, dominated from start to finish and the final score was not flattering. From the moment Gerrard forced an athletic save from Tim Howard and Jack Rodwell blocked Jordan Henderson’s follow up, Everton were almost always on the back foot.
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That set a predictably frantic tone, as tackled were traded and the volume increased. So often this season Liverpool have failed to capitalise when in the ascendance but, on this occasion, they were in no mood to let their opponents off the hook, producing their best display at Anfield since December.
Gerrard’s opener epitomised their mood. Brilliant play from Luis Suarez set Martin Kelly free and the young right back unleashed a powerful shot that squirmed from Howard’s grasp.
Kelly had the foresight to follow up, Sylvain Distin made a hash of his attempted clearance and Gerrard seized his moment, delicately lofting a left-foot chip that drifted over a sea of blue shirts and floated into the Anfield Road net.
Brace yourself: Gerrard take the praise for the Anfield faithful after scoring the second
Cue bedlam. As Dalglish spun on his heels and thrust his arms to the sky, Gerrard was mobbed by his team-mates after he had slid on his knees in celebration.
It was no more than Liverpool deserved and it was the response to the meek offering at Sunderland that Dalglish had anticipated. But, again, it was a performance that prompted more questions than answers.
Why is it that Liverpool rarely put a foot wrong when the stakes are high — consider wins against Manchester City in the Carling Cup and Manchester United in the FA Cup — but fail to cope with the more routine tasks? Until they find a solution, they will remain short of Champions League class.
No hard feelings! Gerrard bags his second after the two managers had shared a joke before kick-off
When Everton emerged for the second period, it was not difficult to envisage them summoning a response. A hard task soon became almost impossible, however, as Gerrard’s thumping drive effectively ended the contest.
Suarez was the creator, his wriggling, jinking run carried him past three challenges before he teed the ball up for Gerrard to do the rest. His blast from 10 yards ripped past the grounded Howard and took a dagger to Everton’s ambitions in the process.
With their advantage doubled, Liverpool threatened to go rampant and Carroll almost extended the lead with a left-foot drive that whizzed past the upright. Kelly then came close, just failing to get on the end of another Downing centre.
One for prosperity: Gerrard nabbed the match ball after the final whistle
How the mood around Anfield changed and Gerrard’s smiles confirmed it. But for Moyes it was more torture. He had to endure chants of ‘10 more years’ from the home fans, who revelled in normal service being resumed.
The gloss was applied in injury time, as Suarez — back to the kind of form he showed before his recent nine-match ban — caused havoc once again, squaring for Gerrard to gleefully drive home and raise an exultant three fingers to The Kop.
On the Everton bench, Moyes sat with his hands clasped together, shaking his head in disbelief. This was not the anniversary he planned. Not by a long shot.
