Gerrard was back in his finest Liverpool from, netting three times as Liverpool gave one of their best performances of the season in the Merseyside derby. The 3-0 scoreline may have been slightly flattering to the men in red, but Howard had made a number of key saves early to prevent Liverpool from taking the lead, and Liverpool fans may feel the score does indeed accurately reflect the run of play.
Gerrard's delicate chip (with his left foot, no less) over Howard and three Everton defenders for the first goal was sublime and brought back memories of the days when Gerrard was consistently named among the best players in Europe. A combination of injuries has kept him from his best for over a year now, and it should be inspiring for his teammates to see him firing on all cylinders again.
Both the second and third goals were created by Suarez. The little Uruguayan unselfishly squaring the ball back to Gerrard in second-half stoppage time when most strikers would have taken on the shit themselves. Whether he is shy of confidence or was helping Gerrard get the first Merseyside derby hat trick since the days of Ian Rush, we may never know, but Liverpool fans must be pleased with his performance either way.
In fact there were few Liverpool players who didn't have a good game. Liverpool fans are likely coming away from the game extremely impressed with Martin Kelly, whose marauding runs down the right flank will be giving Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar nightmares for the next month. Perhaps, however, they will be even more content with the combined performances of Carroll and Suarez. For the first time since their arrival 14 months ago, the two looked as if they knew how to play with each other. Howard made an excellent save with the score still tied to deny Suarez after he shot one-time from Carroll's knock-on.
Carroll had arguably his best game in a Liverpool shirt. Beyond combining well with Suarez he looked comfortable on the ball. His neat touches allowed Liverpool to get out of defense on a number of occasions and his presence in the Liverpool box on Everton set pieces should never be underestimated. He ran hard without the ball as well, pressuring Everton defenders high up the pitch.
Carragher, Skrtel, and Reina had virtually perfect games. Spearing seems to have recovered from some of his poorer performances this season and looked more assured with Gerrard by his side. Downing and Enrique seem to have developed an excellent understanding and combined well down the left.
About the only player who didn't play well was Jordan Henderson. He was absolutely dreadful against Sunderland on Saturday, and it was something of a surprise to see him out for the start instead of Maxi, Kuyt, or Bellamy. His passing was substandard and although he's a willing runner, he just wasn't that involved in the play. He's still young and he has time to grow and develop, but after the last week, he's the signing from the Dalglish era about whom I'm most skeptical.
Everton fans may have been frustrated that their side didn't appear to be the strongest one available to David Moyes. Commentator Steve McManaman went on and on about how he couldn't believe that Moyes put out such and understrength lineup, but I didn't feel the lineup was that understrength. The inclusion of Anichebe undoubtedly raised some eyebrows, but I felt the fact that this was even an issue was a real testament to the strength of depth on the Everton roster. Jagielka and Distin played at center back, which meant Heitinga was excluded. Seamus Coleman played instead of Leon Osman or Royston Drenthe. And Anichebe played instead of Cahill or Jelevic. Of those, only Coleman and Anichebe seem odd selections, and Coleman has been a regular performer for Everton this year.
Both teams will be looking forward to weekend FA Cup quarterfinal fixtures. Liverpool take on Stoke and Everton host Sunderland. Both should be cracking fixtures. Hopefully this result helps Liverpool recover from the blip in form that had resulted in them losing three league games in a row.
Man of the Match: Steven Gerrard. It's a rather easy contest when all three goals of the match are scored by the same player. Carroll and Suarez could both have been contenders had the goals been distributed differently, but Gerrard it is. Welcome back. Now go grab some more goals, Stevie.
I didn't mention the referee - the best possible compliment that can be paid. Well done, Phil Dowd.
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