Kuyt 54

A 54^th minute Dirk Kuyt header won an ugly Merseyside derby for Liverpool, returning them to the EPL’s top-four after favourable results elsewhere.

It will be regarded as a momentous victory in the Red half of the city, as Liverpool were a man short after Greek central-defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos was sent-off for a two-footed lunge on Marouane Fellaini in the 32^nd minute.

But it was a nasty, low quality affair. Everton’s Steven Pienaar saw red after his second booking in second-half stoppage time, and was lucky not to be sent-off in the first half for a studs-up challenge on Javier Mascherano.

And Fellaini could actually have seen red in the incident which saw Kyrgiakos dismissed.

Kuyt headed the only goal from inside the six-yard box as he managed to get goalside of his marker Phil Neville from a Steven Gerrard corner.

Gerrard clipped the top of the crossbar with a 45^th minute free-kick from the edge of the box and an unmarked Tim Cahill sent a diving header inches over from eight yards two minutes later.

And despite Everton’s man advantage, only substitute Yakubu’s 88^th minute snapshot forced a save out of Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina in the second half.