A late Daniel Sturridge equaliser salvaged a 3-3 draw for Liverpool against Everton in a dramatic Merseyside derby.
Everton had looked to be on course for their first derby success since October 2010 thanks to a Romelu Lukaku double in the second half at Goodison Park, but Sturridge headed home from a superb Steven Gerrard delivery in the 89th minute.
Philippe Coutinho was on the scoresheet after just four minutes in what was a lively opening 10 minutes, finishing from inside the six-yard box to hand his side the advantage. Kevin Mirallas, a scorer for Belgium in midweek, was the man to bring Everton level. His first Barclays Premier League goal of the season restored parity just three minutes later.
Luis Suarez scored the game's third goal after 18 minutes, finding a gap in the Everton wall with an expertly-taken, free-kick that bent inside Tim Howard's right post. As well as sending Liverpool in ahead at the break, Suarez's goal also moved him top of the Barclays Premier League goalscoring charts with nine for the season. Lukaku scored Everton's second equaliser after 71 before grabbing his second nine minute from time, only for Sturridge to salvage a point late on.
The home side made one change from their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, as Ross Barkley made his derby debut ahead of Leon Osman. Brendan Rodgers, taking charge of his 50th Premier League game for Liverpool, handed John Flanagan his first derby start in place of Aly Cissokho at left-back, while Sturridge missed out with a dead leg.
Midfielder Joe Allen made his first Barclays Premier League start of the season after recovering from injury, with Suarez starting up front despite playing a full 90 minutes for Uruguay against Jordan in Montevideo on Wednesday.
After a frenetic opening, Liverpool made the ideal start when they went ahead through Coutinho after just five minutes. The unmarked Brazilian poked home from close range after getting on the end of a Luis Suarez header from a corner. But the visitors were not in front for long.
Mirallas brought Everton level just two minutes later when Barkley's knockdown from Baines' set-piece found the Belgian, who turned the ball past compatriot Simon Mignolet.
The goals continued to flow, as Suarez restored Liverpool's advantage after 19 minutes. The Uruguayan, who helped his country qualify for the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, executed a perfect free-kick from 25 yards to score his ninth goal in just seven Barclays Premier League appearances this term.
Barkley almost levelled soon after, with his curled effort forcing Mignolet into a smart save, before Mirallas threatened for Everton after beating Flanagan easily on the right. Mirallas was then booked for a reckless challenge on Suarez 10 minutes before the interval.
Gerard Deulofeu, a second-half substitute for the injured Leighton Baines, had the first chance of the second half, shooting straight at Mignolet when one-on-one before Allen put wide from close range after Howard had gone to ground.
Mignolet frustrated Lukaku with two impressive saves before eventually the Everton striker drew the hosts level, sidefooting home from inside the area in the 72nd minute after a period of sustained pressure from the hosts.
Lukaku looked to have had the final say as he completed his double eight minutes from time, heading home powerfully from a corner, before Sturridge equalised late on.
Both sides then had chances to snatch injury-time winners, with Suarez and Deulofeu threatening, but the spoils were shared after a pulsating game.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "The two teams played in the right manner, created a lot of chances. But conceding two goals from set pieces is very disappointing. We were [trailing twice] when Liverpool didn't even have a shot on target [from open play].
"Overall we had the better chances. Liverpool got too big a reward from the game. But overall it was a fantastic football game.”
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers: "When you come to your rivals, it's very important that you don't lose. Everton have a great home record, you have to show resilience and character, and we showed that.
"We can score goals – we showed that again today. Overall I'm delighted with the character of the players and [it was] a good point away from home. There's a hell of a long way to go and there's some great teams up there, but we feel like we're improving all the time."
culled from premierleague.com
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