Liverpool 0 - 0 Everton

Liverpool 0-0 Everton

Updated: January 31, 2004, 5:21 PM UK

Everton fans left Anfield singing after inflicting a serious, if not fatal, blow on their bitterest rival's bid to qualify for the Champions League.

For Everton the goalless draw was another precious point in their quest to haul themselves away from a possible relegation fight, and they showed tremendous desire and defensive bravery to withstand a near non-stop second-half Liverpool barrage.

• Moyes: Hyypia should have been shown red

Everton had several first-half chances, Sami Hyypia could have been sent off for a last-man clip on Tomasz Radzinski while Nigel Martyn was outstanding throughout.

Liverpool knew a point was not good enough, particularly with Newcastle winning. And even though they can look to a tremendous display by Steven Gerrard and a shot against the post from their skipper, this was desperately-needed points squandered.

Jerzy Dudek also had to produce heroics at times, but it was two second-half efforts headed off the Everton line that finally broke the home side's hearts.

It was a tremendous match, full of all the good things in English football. And even though it only included one booking, the pride and passion was always there.

So too was Everton's tremendous defiance. They deserved their point.

Teenager Anthony Le Tallec got his first taste of Mersey derby for Liverpool while Everton were forced to play Alessandro Pistone in central defence because of Dave Unsworth's back injury.

Both keepers were in constant action, with Martyn tipping over a Dietmar Hamann volley before Dudek needed to dive bravely at Duncan Ferguson's feet after a clever move involving Wayne Rooney and Thomas Gravesen.

Liverpool had started well with some clever, neat inter-changing, but Everton's more robust style soon had them in the game, and only a bodycheck by Hyypia stopped Rooney in full flow.

The chances continued to flow. Alex Nyarko tested Dudek from 25 yards before Tony Hibbert's ball put Radzinski clear, but the Canadian allowed Dudek the faintest touch and the chance was lost.

Everton started to find the gaps and Gravesen cut in from the left, went round Stephane Henchoz and saw his 12-yard low shot blocked by Dudek's legs.

Gerrard dominated midfield, and one surging run saw him unleash a 25-yarder that flashed wide of Martyn's right-hand post.

The first moment of controversy came on 33 minutes when Hyypia looked to clip Radzinski as the striker was about to surge away from him, but referee Steve Bennett refused all Everton appeals for some action, Gravesen and Ferguson the most vocal.

The ball was fired to the other end, Michael Owen's touch put Gerrard clear in the box and it took another fine touch from Martyn to save the day.

On 37 minutes it was Martyn again, this time turning another Gerrard effort onto a post.

Four minutes from the break Everton hit back. Ferguson nodded on for Rooney to chip into the box to open up Liverpool and Ferguson arrived to nod wide from just eight yards.

A minute later Hibbert's cross was met by a powerful Stubbs header and Dudek turned it over with a spectacular save, and in the mayhem that followed a second moment of controversy saw Jamie Carragher look to handle in the box. Everton finished the half raging at referee Bennett, with some cause.

The raging pace continued after the break. Rooney got past three men and clipped a shot over the bar, while Gerrard cut in from the right to slam a left-footer inches wide.

Then Bruno Cheyrou, four goals in five previous games, missed a glittering chance of another when he flicked a header wide of the far post from Le Tallec's cross.

Liverpool's pressure was at last forcing Everton back. Naysmith hooked off the line from another Cheyrou header before Owen finally found some space away from Stubbs as he latched onto a Kewell pass, but he screwed his shot wide of the far post.

Martyn then made another fine block when Owen looked to get a faint touch on a swirling Gerrard free-kick.

But Liverpool were getting closer, and Hibbert somehow got his head in the way of a Le Tallec power header from Gerrard's corner.

In all this frantic Liverpool effort, Everton's response was a 25 yard Stubbs free-kick that Dudek turned round a post, but the visitors were by now constantly forced back, needing to defend heroically.

Carragher was next to test Martyn, lashing in a low drive from the left that the keeper turned over the bar with his legs. And that is where Liverpool's fight died.

They had been camped in the Everton half attacking the Kop end for much of the second period, but it was not enough to clinch the win they so desperately needed.

Moyes: Hyypia should have been shown red

Everton boss David Moyes insisted that Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia should have been sent off during his side's defiant 0-0 Mersey derby draw at Anfield.

And the Scot also claimed that his side should have had a penalty when Jamie Carragher looked to have handled.

Moyes said: 'I do not like seeing players sent off, but certainly Hyypia should have got a red card. Radzinski was through and Hyypia was the last man.

'It may have looked accidental to some, but I have seen the replay and Hyypia definitely has a look at our player before it happened.

'I have not discussed it with the referee Steve Bennett. Keith Hackett, the FA's new boss of the referees was here, maybe it would be better if he had a word rather than another manager having a go.

'And as for the penalty, I have seen that too and it looked like hands. If you are going to win at Anfield you have to have the decisions going for you, and they did not with those two incidents.'

Liverpool chief Gerard Houllier, not surprisingly, saw things differently.

He said: 'I do not see either instances the way David did.

'It seems that whenever we play well someone comes up with claims like this. We could have had a couple of penalties too, and do you think Everton deserved to win?

'We had the better chances, certainly in the second half, and had a couple kicked off the line.

'It was the best derby I have been involved with, we may not have won the game but it was another excellent performance from our side.

'Nigel Martyn was outstanding. It is something he always seems to do to us at Anfield. I recall him having a blinder for Leeds when he was with them.'

Moyes also praised Martyn. He said: 'His performance was wonderful, he is certainly still good enough to play for England.

'And Alan Stubbs was a colossus at the back. When you are involved in games like this, you need people to stand up and be counted, and he certainly did that.'