Danny Ings admitted he was left with mixed emotions after netting the opening goal in the Merseyside derby draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The striker marked his first appearance in the city showdown with a 41st-minute header to give the Reds the lead, but the hosts stormed back and Romelu Lukaku’s equaliser ensured Roberto Martinez’s team claimed a point.

While the Englishman was satisfied by finding the target, the No.28 was equally frustrated that the travellers could not hold on to their advantage.

Ings told Liverpoolfc.com: “Mixed emotions. Obviously it’s great to get a goal in the derby, but I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get the three points.

“There’s a lot of positives we can take from this game, especially the first half. I thought we created a lot of chances and the defence was magnificent.”

On his goal from a well-worked corner swung in by James Milner, he added: “I do pop up with a few headers now and again. It was just a little bit of movement and luckily enough it fell to my head.

“I thought it was a great game for the fans to see. In the first half we created a lot of chances and towards the end of the game they started to create a bit as well, but overall we are disappointed we didn’t win the game, but we got a point.”

Ings was given a standing ovation from the away section of Goodison when he made way for Adam Lallana with 15 minutes remaining.

He said: “It’s always nice knowing your own fans are extremely behind you and I had it from the moment I made my debut here.

“It’s great to have that support behind me, it gives me great confidence going forward.”

The 23-year-old was forced to nurse an ankle injury suffered in the first half of the derby but revealed the knock won’t keep him out of international duty for England.

“It should be OK,” he said.

“I got caught in Phil Jagielka’s legs when he made a tackle but it should be fine. I’ll just need to look after it for the next couple of days. It was one of those, I could feel it through the game but the adrenaline kept me going.

“Knocks like this happen in derby games because they are quite fierce and I thought it was, but at the same time I thought it was extremely fair from both teams.”

Ings will now join up with Roy Hodgson’s squad for the forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania, an opportunity he intends to make the most of.

He added: “I’m a big believer in marginal gains and for me this is another step in my career, another step in development and it’s one of those moments that’s huge in my career, and one I don’t want to end.

“It’s one I need to build on and take great confidence from.”