Reds the ruler of the city of Liverpool, There is something wrong at Arsenal, this win it was important to Manchester United next year participate to Champions League.
Liverpool 4 Everton 0:Red color of the city of Liverpool
Everton pitched up at Anfield intent on showing that the gap with their neighbours is closer than ever only to depart, dishevelled and in disarray, having fallen victim to the biggest derby drubbing in 32-years.
Seldom has Liverpool’s superiority been as absolute as it was last night.
Whether Brendan Rodgers goes on to write new history this season remains to be seen. For now, he found contentment in the same old story being played out as Everton’s long wait for a victory, now 15 years and counting, on this ground goes on.
Liverpool, rampant and irresistible, were out of sight by half-time following goals from the excellent Steven Gerrard and a Daniel Sturridge brace and had the luxury of missing a penalty after Luis Suarez had added a fourth to consolidate their position in the chase for the Champions League.
For Roberto Martinez and his ravaged side there was the blessing that Liverpool did not match their biggest ever derby win at Anfield – a 6-0 thrashing in September 1935 – or the 5-0 triumph at Goodison Park in 1982 given their own performance was without a single redeeming feature.
It is testament to Ross Barkley’s talent that much of the focus and fretting – from both sides – in the hours before kick-off had centered on whether he would return after three weeks out and play with a fractured little toe.
Martinez, with that meticulous approach of his, does not cut it as a risk-taker. However, the inclusion of Barkley, and that of Phil Jagielka who had a tight hamstring, was a gamble and a further indication of the how high the stakes were stacked.
Within 62 seconds, it almost paid off. Jagielka stepped in to prevent Philippe Coutinho finding Luis Suarez in the Everton penalty area and launched a rapier counter-attack which carried Everton the length of the pitch and saw Kevin Mirallas find Barkley lurking with intent.
The youngster’s instructions from Martinez – who left John Heitinga out of his squad to allow him to speak about a move to Galatasaray – will have been to find the space between Liverpool’s defence and midfield. From there, and in front of watching England assistant manager Ray Lewington, he fizzed a left-foot shot narrowly over the crossbar from 30-yards.
The scare set the tone for another pulsating encounter, played out at break-neck speed, seemingly intent on matching the ebb, flow and drama of November’s 3-3 stalemate.
Everton initially looked more comfortably in possession, but Liverpool created a cluster of chances the best of which fell to Raheem Sterling.
Sturridge indulged in some keepy-uppies in the middle of the pitch before volleying forward a brilliant pass that went down the side of Antolin Alcaraz and was weighted perfectly for Sterling. The winger side footed his effort straight at Howard, who saved with his right leg when he should have had no chance.
Yet there were to be no more let-offs and Martinez stood shell-shocked on the sidelines as, with his team unravelling at the seams, Howard was forced to retrieve the ball from the back of his net three times before the break.
It is difficult to imagine three worse goals for a team that had been breached just seven times since the last neighbourhood squabble to concede, but the opener would have been particularly galling.
Everton had let in three goals from set pieces at Goodison Park and the sight of Gerrard rising above Alcaraz to reach Suarez’s corner and heading powerful past Barkley on the line was a desperate lapse in concentration.
The moment also revealed that Gerrard is not ready to acquiesce to Barkley just yet and the Liverpool skipper was immense.
If the sight of Romelu Lukaku disappearing on a stretcher in the aftermath of the goal, having damaged ankle ligaments when Gareth Barry ran into him, was not distressing enough, then what followed compounded the visitor’s misery.
Rodgers had set up his side in a 4-1-4-1 formation to try and gain extra solidity in midfield after recent aberrations and it was Everton who were over-run before uncharacteristically folding.
Sterling won a duel with Barry and fed Coutinho who danced through the middle unchallenged before releasing Sturridge and his clipped finish beyond the exposed Howard was exquisite.
One of Sturridge’s strengths is the variety of his finishing and within two minutes he demonstrated his repertoire once more.
Kolo Toure’s punt forward inexplicably caught out Jagielka and Alcaraz and enticed Howard into No Man’s Land which allowed Sturridge to send a lob over him from the edge of area and into a gaping net with precision perfection.
Despite the stadium announcer playing Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ at half-time, a song synonymous with Istanbul, there was to be no miraculous comeback from a yawning 3-0 deficit.
Everton got lucky, but it will just not feel like that.
A slip by Jagielka on the half-way line allowed Suarez to run away and coolly score beyond Howard, who can scarcely have recognised what was being played out before him, within four minutes of the restart.
Then, with Liverpool threatening every time they attacked, Sterling was brought down by the keeper but Sturridge blazed the penalty over the crossbar before dithering with another chance as a hat-trick was spurned.
“Are you Moyesy in disguise?” bellowed an exultant Kop. And with that Everton’s humiliation was complete.
Liverpool vs Everton Match Stats
Liverpool (4-3-3) – Mignolet 7; Flanagan 7 (Kelly 73), Skrtel 7, Toure 7, Cissokho 6; Henderson 6, Gerrard 8, Coutinho 8 (Alberto 79); Sterling 7, Sturridge 8 (Moses 71), Suarez 7.
Subs not used – Jones, Aspas, Ibe, Smith.
Goals: Gerrard 21, Sturridge 33,35 Suarez 50
Everton (4-2-3-1) – Howard 7; Stones 7, Alcaraz 5, Jagielka 6, Baines 6; McCarthy 6, Barry 7; Mirallas 7, Barkley 7 (McGeady 76), Pienaar 5 (Osman 46, 6); Lukaku 6 (Naismith 25, 6).
Subs not used – Robles, Hibbert, Gueye, Osman, Garbutt.
Booked – Pienaar, Barry, Mirallas.
Man of the match – Steven Gerrard.
Managers – Brendan Rodgers 8, Roberto Martinez 6.
Referee – Martin Atkinson 7.
Attendance – 44,450.
Liverpool 4 Everton 0 Match Video
[media id=1027 width=610 height=340]Southampton 2 Arsenal 2:Arsenal stopped by Saints
Arsenal had arrived at St Mary’s with all the confidence that seven successive victories bring, have shown little sign of the fragility many expected to undermine their title challenge.
Five of those seven wins had been in the Premier League keeping Manchester City and Chelsea at bay.
Southampton, by contrast, had found the mid-winter a bleaker prospect after their bright start to the season. Stretching back to their 2-0 defeat at the Emirates in November, the Saints had won only two of the previous 11 League games.
The off-field distraction of Dani Osvaldo’s training ground fight with Jose Fonte and subsequent suspension by the club has not helped the fragile mood around St Mary’s.
With the future of manager Mauricio Pochettino in doubt following the resignation of chief executive Nicola Cortese, Southampton fans are grateful for a productive first half of the season, which sees them safely tucked into mid-table.
With Osvaldo banned, and Ricky Lambert and Gaston Ramirez injured, Saints handed a first start to Sam Gallagher, 18, who scored his first goal for the club coming off the bench against Yeovil in the FC Cup on Saturday.
The 6ft 4in Gallagher from Devon led the attack against a Gunners’ defence that has been the meanest in the Premier League this season having conceded only 19 in 22 matches going into last night’s South Coast encounter.
Gallagher almost made the dream start after five minutes when Luke Shaw’s cross evaded Laurent Koscielny but the ball cannoned off his knee wide of the post from six yards.
Moments later a powerful drive by the Scotland-qualified teenager brought smart save from Wojciech Szczesny as Saints made the early running against a surprisingly lack-lustre Gunners.
Saints’ high-tempo pressing style denied Arsenal the space and time they wanted to play their own cultured game in midfield and it was no shock when the home side took a 21st minute lead.
The ever dangerous Shaw found space on the left and his deep cross was met powerfully by Jose Fonte, who climbed all over Nacho Monreal to beat Szczesny at his near post with his header.
Arsenal looked hopefully for a free kick but what was really missing was their usual invention and zip.
Their team bus had been delayed in traffic and they were playing like late starters as Saints, the hungrier side, snapped into every tackle, and Gallagher was denied his first league goal when Koscielny blocked his goal-bound shot.
Olivier Giroud was an isolated, frustrated figure up front for Arsenal and Artur Boruc in the home goal remained little more than a spectator for the first half until the 44th minute when he reacted superbly to push away Koscielny’s close range effort from a corner.
The second half was a different story, suggesting Arsene Wenger had tore into his team during the break as the Gunners struck back with two goals in the opening six minutes.
After two minutes Sagna out-muscled Jay Rodriguez for the ball on the right and his low cross was deftly back-heeled in by Giroud. Four minutes later Arsenal were in front, Mesut Ozil setting up Santi Carzola whose sweet left foot drive found the corner of the net from 20 yards.
But Southampton came straight back to bring the scores level by the 54th minute. Rodriguez’s powerful run cut open Arsenal’s defence and his low cross was driven home by the game’s best midfielder Adam Lallana.
Suddenly the match felt like a cup tie as both team’s threw men forward at pace whenever they had the ball, leaving defences exposed.
Ozil saw one shot half-blocked by Fonte that looped on to the bar and bounced to safety with Boruc helpless.
Ten minutes from time Arsenal lost Flamini for a reckless two-footed lunge on Schneiderlin as Southampton continued to press forward.
Southampton vs Arsenal Match Stats
Southampton: Boruc 5, Chambers 6, Fonte 7, Yoshida 5, Shaw 7, Cork 5, Schneiderlin 5, S. Davis 5 (Do Prado 90), Lallana 7, Rodriguez 6, Gallagher 6 (Ward-Prowse 70, 6). Unused subs: Kelvin Davis, Clyne, Wanyama, Hooiveld, Isgrove.
Goals: Fonte 21, Lallana 54.
Booked: Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse.
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7
Arsenal: Szczesny 5, Sagna 6, Mertesacker 5, Koscielny 5, Monreal 4, Arteta 5, Flamini 3, Ozil 6, Cazorla 7 (Gibbs 86), Gnabry 5 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 70, 7), Giroud 7 (Podolski 90). Unused subs: Vermaelen, Fabianski, Bendtner, Jenkinson, Gibbs.
Goals: Giroud 48, Cazorla 52.
Booked: Giroud.
Sent off: Flamini.
Manager: Arsene Wenger 5
Att: 31,284
Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire) 7
Man of the match: Adam Lallana
Southampton 2 Arsenal 2 Match Video
[media id=1028 width=610 height=340]Manchester United 2 Cardiff City 0:United returns with Mata
Even though he had just two training sessions under his belt, United’s club-record £37.1million new boy lasted all but the final seven minutes of Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Cardiff.
Mata could even claim a partial assist for Robin van Persie’s opener given it was the Spain midfielder who delivered the impressive 50-yard cross-field pass to Patrice Evra that launched the sixth-minute move.
And with United both winning and, at times, looking more convincing than they have done since the turn of the year, Mata has every reason to feel satisfied.
“I have felt comfortable at this club from the first minute,” said the 25-year-old.
“Time has gone so quickly but the welcome has been amazing.
“The lads are really good and there is a great atmosphere.”
And the good news for United is that Mata is acutely aware there is still much more to come from him.
“To be honest I didn’t train that much last week because of the transfer,” he said. “I know I can improve.”
And his efforts will only be enhanced by the return to fitness of Robin van Persie, who had missed 11 games with a thigh problem, and Wayne Rooney, who played only once in 2014 before succumbing to a groin injury.
“Rooney and Robin are two of the best strikers in the world,” said Mata.
“It will be amazing to play alongside them.
“I just want to help them, and help the team win matches.
“We need to sustain this feeling.
“I am always positive. If any club can come back and climb the table it is this one.
“It will take time but hopefully we can go back up the table. That is what we have been talking about in the dressing room.
“We will try to win as many games as we can to the end of the season, hopefully all of them.”
Mata was also complimentary about the United supporters, who have been given so little to shout about this season.
There was certainly a less foreboding atmosphere around Old Trafford, fuelled in part by the reception for Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who is held in such huge affection at United that the hosts were still singing his name at the final whistle.
For the uplifting mood to be maintained, though, greater consistency is required.
Liverpool laid down a pretty significant marker at Anfield, and the groans from supporters as the result of the Merseyside derby was read out at the final whistle underlined what a tough job United face if they are to claim that precious final Champions League slot, which seems to be the only realistic prize available to them on the domestic front.
Moyes believes there is genuine reason to believe his troops will enjoy a far better end to the campaign than their troubled start.
And though Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick sat out the game with wrist and ankle problems respectively, the presence of Rooney and Adnan Januzaj as headline names on a bench packed with international experience gives Moyes justifiable reason for his optimism.
“People would have looked at our bench and said that is more like it,” said Moyes.
“We are starting to get players in.
“I need competition and I need players to play well.
“We have not had enough right at the top of their game. Hopefully the competition for places will help make that happen.”
Manchester United vs Cardiff City Match Stats
Man Utd: De Gea 6, Rafael Da Silva 6, Smalling 6, Evans 7, Evra 7, Valencia 7, Jones 6, Giggs 6 (Cleverley 71, 6), Young 8, Mata 6 (Januzaj 85), Van Persie 7 (Rooney 63, 7). Subs not used: Lindegaard, Hernandez, Fletcher, Kagawa.
Goals: Van Persie 6, Young 59.
Manager: David Moyes 7
Cardiff: Marshall 6, McNaughton 5, Caulker 6, Hudson 6 (Turner 69, 6), John 5, Noone 6 (Daehli 78), Medel 7, Mutch 7 (Kim 52, 6), Whittingham 6, Campbell 6, Bellamy 7. Subs not used: Berget, Turner, Eikrem, Gunnarsson, Lewis.
Booked: Bellamy.
Referee: Craig Pawson.
Attendance: 75,301.
Manchester United 2 Cardiff City 0 Match Video
[media id=1029 width=610 height=340]English Premier League Match Week 23 Results
Tuesday, 28 January
Norwich City 0 Newcastle 0
Swansea City 2 Fulham 0
Man United 2 Cardiff City 0
Southampton 2 Arsenal 2
Crystal Palace 1 Hull City 0
Liverpool 4 Everton 0
Wednesday, 29 January
Tottenham 1 Man City 5
Sunderland 1 Stoke City 0
Chelsea 0 West Ham 0
Aston Villa 4 West Brom 3
Barclays Premier League Match Week 23 Table
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