Honours split in the six-goal Merseyside Derby

There is never disappointment in the Merseyside Derby. With Everton being rock solid at the back lately and Liverpool finding renewed hope in the SAS partnership, the clash was destined to be colourful and mind-blowing.

The usually fierce derby did not produce the first blood until the half an hour mark. Kevin Mirallas' reckless stud-first tackle on the already-limping Luis Suarez would have sent him for an early bath, but Phil Dowd took exceptionally long time to decide a booking was sufficient to suppress the temper.

Before that, Tim Howard was already beaten twice. Philippe Coutinho smartly escaped the defence and met Steven Gerrard's corner at the back post. The Brazilian calmly flicked it past Howard, who could have made himself bigger but did not react quickly enough.

Liverpool's second goal further undermined the creditability of the American goalkeeper. Howard instructed a 4-man wall to protect a freekick from outside 30 yards, while room was left between Steven Pienaar and the wall. It was as if a mental game played by Howard to challenge Suarez to beat him through the gap. Suarez accepted the challenge and completed the task, despite Steven Pienaar's attempt to narrow the gap. Whether Pienaar should have been part of a 5-man wall instead, Howard would have a lot to explain to Roberto Martinez.

In between, Kevin Mirallas managed to find his first goal of the season. Liverpool could not deal with Leighton Baines' freekick cleanly and Simon Mignolet was beaten in close range by compatriot Mirallas. The winger looked active especially with Liverpool fielding young John Flanagan at left back, who more often plays on the opposite flank.  The Belgian, though, further irritated Liverpool fans in the second half when he elbowed Jordan Henderson in a header contest but escaped a second booking.

As Daniel Sturridge was only fit to make the bench, and with Coutinho and Glen Johnson only just back from injury, Suarez was the only threat in Liverpool's frontline. Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka looked well prepared for the Uruguayan. When Suarez finally managed to beat the defence, with the help of the opponents, Joe Allen infamously put it wide, with only Tim Howard between himself and the goal. The Welsh's woeful Liverpool career continues.

Lukaku hit the brace against Mignolet

An accidental step by Henderson on Baines' right foot forced the dead-ball specialist to depart shortly after the interval. Still, Everton had no problems in mastering possession at home. Deulofeu was introduced to enrich their attacking options, with Barry dropping to left back. The energy on the Everton side seemed to have enlightened Romelu Lukaku.

The on-loan striker was far from his best for most of the afternoon, even with Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho only on the bench. When given the opportunity, the young Lukaku was able to deliver and once again he proved, maybe to Jose Mourinho in particular, himself to be a prolific striker in the Premier League.

In contrast to Howard, Mignolet had an outstanding afternoon. Ross Barkley's cunning shot towards the bottom corner in the first half could not trouble the Belgian keeper. Both Deulofeu and Lukaku also could not get the better of Mignolet in one-on-one situation. When Lukaku's deflected freekick was one again being parried out, it seems to suggest this is not the day for Everton.

Sturridge came to rescue

Persistence finally paid off. Shortly after Lukaku's freekick being saved, Everton reorganised the big Belgian calmly placed the shot past Mignolet near the penalty spot to equalise at 2-2. 10 minutes later, just as Roberto Martinez was ready to consolidate the defence by introducing John Stones, the fans ruptured into celebrations when Lukaku's header brought them the lead for the first time in the afternoon.

Martinez had overturned his Merseyside Derby debut from disastrous to delightful, but Daniel Sturridge came off the bench to deny the Spanish manager a winning one. The English striker converted captain Gerrard's freekick to conclude the eventful derby. It might be a bit disappointing to the home fans but they would be content with the results after trailing twice. On the other hand, Brendan Rodgers would count themselves very lucky. Being the second best, SAS has preserved Liverpool second position in the Premier League table.