In a surprisingly dull Merseyside derby, the last one for legendary Liverpool defender Jamie Carraghar, the Reds held Everton to a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Sunday evening.
Captain Steven Gerrard for Liverpool was the most effective player for the home side as all of their movements seemed to flow through him. He was only stopped from scoring a clear goal by the brilliant Phil Jagielka with a last ditch block in the first half.
In the second half, Gerrard latched on to a ball by Daniel Sturridge, rounded off the keeper superbly, but was denied by a goal line clearance from defender Distin.
More chances for Liverpool came in the second half for Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho, however they were all denied by some effective defending by the Everton back four.
Everton had only a few chances to score in the match, when Marouane Fellaini shot just wide of the post and when Pepe Reina turned an effort from Anichebe against the bar.
The most controversial point of the match, however, came in the 56th minute when referee Michael Oliver disallowed a goal scored by the Blues defender Sylvain Distin.
From a Leighton Baines corner, Distin headed in the ball after clambering for it with Jamie Carragher, but the referee blew the whistle for a foul committed by fellow Blue Victor Anichebe on Red goalkeeper Pepe Reina, the goal was disallowed and free kick awarded to Liverpool.
With the draw, Everton have made sure that they finish above city rivals Liverpool in the league for the second successive season. However, as Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said in the pre-match interview, finishing above or below Everton in the league “meant nothing much” to the team.