Everton and Liverpool shared the bragging rights in the Merseyside derby this afternoon as they played out a goalless draw at Goodison Park.
Jordon Ibe came closest to breaking the deadlock with a rasping drive that hit the post, but ultimately neither side could find a goal as the spoils were shared for the second time this season.
Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out during the 224th meeting between the city rivals.
© Getty Images
EVERTON
Goal
Joel Robles: Was beaten all ends up by Ibe's long-range effort, but, aside from that, most of his saves were routine. Was caught in no-man's land having been beaten to the ball by Sterling in the first half, but did well to recover and make the chance tough for the Liverpool man. (6/10)
Defence
Seamus Coleman: Did not get forward as much as he would have liked throughout the match, but was able to advance late on to draw a good save from Mignolet with Everton's best chance and only shot on target. (6/10)
Phil Jagielka: Did a decent job of marshalling Sterling, keeping the vibrant youngster quiet for much of the game. (6/10)
John Stones: Composed in possession and solid when defending, Liverpool struggled to find a way through Everton today and Stones was one of the key reasons why. (7/10)
Bryan Oviedo: Drafted in for the injured Baines and found himself up against an unexpected opponent in Ibe. Did not exactly get the runaround from the youngster, but struggled to deal with him at times. (5/10)
Midfield
James McCarthy: A solid presence in the middle of the park and an important factor in why Coutinho was quieter than he has been in recent weeks. (6/10)
Gareth Barry: Was caught in possession on a couple of occasions and gave the ball away cheaply other times. Not his best performance for the Toffees. (5/10)
Muhamed Besic: Certainly got into the derby spirit with some aggressive play, including one incident with Ibe that prompted a minor scuffle between both sets of players. (6/10)
Kevin Mirallas: Pressed high up the field well and stole the ball in promising positions on a couple of occasions, but could never make the most of that. (5/10)
Steven Naismith: Battled on despite landing heavily on his neck in the first half. Never shy to put himself about, but failed to come up with anything of real substance. (6/10)
Attack
Romelu Lukaku: A largely subdued figure, kept quiet by Skrtel. His best moments came when he pressed the opposition defenders, but more is expected from a £28m man. (5/10)
Substitutes
Aaron Lennon: Made his debut with a 30-minute cameo off the bench and had a couple of bright moments with his pace down the right. However, he could not make anything substantial from a couple of decent positions, which is the criticism most levelled at him. (6/10)
Ross Barkley: Only got five minutes, but Everton fans will be wishing it was more. Made an immediate impact when he came on and set up Coleman for Everton's best chance within a couple of minutes. (7/10)
Antolin Alcaraz: Only had a few minutes on the field as Martinez looked to ensure that his side did not lose the game. (6/10)
© Getty Images
LIVERPOOL
Goal
Simon Mignolet: Was not called into action until the 87th minute, but was still alert enough to make a very good stop and deny Coleman a winning goal. (7/10)
Defence
Emre Can: Composed when coming forward with the ball as ever, but was caught in possession on a couple of occasions. Looked very comfortable for the vast majority of the game, though. (7/10)
Martin Skrtel: Always seemed to be in the right place to clear up any dangerous moments, whether they came from Everton's attacking endeavour or Liverpool's own mistakes. (7/10)
Mamadou Sakho: Did some things well, such as dealing with the physical threat of Lukaku, but was persistently shaky in possession. Was caught dwelling on the ball more than once in dangerous areas, putting his side under unnecessary pressure. (5/10)
Midfield
Jordon Ibe: A surprise inclusion in the starting XI, but justified his selection with a good performance down the right flank. Came closest to scoring with a rocket of a shot and had one or two other bright moments in his first Merseyside derby. (7/10)
Jordan Henderson: Busy as ever in midfield as Liverpool enjoyed more of the ball, but could not provide any cutting edge from the middle of the park. (6/10)
Lucas Leiva: Lasted little more than 15 minutes before being forced off with an injury. (6/10)
Steven Gerrard: His final Premier League Merseyside derby and most likely his last ever in any competition. Has had such a huge say on this fixture over the years, but could not provide one more moment of magic today, despite a bicycle kick that was goal-bound before being deflected behind. (6/10)
Philippe Coutinho: Has been in magnificent form lately, but could not have as much of an influence on this game. Set up a couple of half-chances for Sterling, but also wasted one or two good positions. (5/10)
Alberto Moreno: Always a willing runner forward and helped to prevent Coleman from having much of a say in the opposite direction. (6/10)
Attack
Raheem Sterling: More subdued than usual as he struggled to get much joy against Everton's stubborn defence. Failed to make the most of a couple of half-chances before being withdrawn for Lambert. (6/10)
Substitutes
Joe Allen: Came on for Lucas early on and had a steady game without coming up with anything out of the ordinary. (6/10)
Daniel Sturridge: Was handed 35 minutes but could not make a difference in that time. Was kept very quiet during his cameo. (6/10)
Rickie Lambert: Brought on with just under 10 minutes remaining, but was unable to have an impact. (6/10)
No Data Analysis info
