Derby day and there’s more than 3 points on offer here… ya-da-ya-da-ya, etc. We’ve all heard the recycled rubbish about the beautiful relationship Liverpool and Everton fans have, but I’ve heard too many horrible things aimed at each other from both Liverpool and Everton fan’s mouths to believe it any longer.

The realisation of it would make me proud. I want to believe it. Moments like Hillsborough and the tragic death of Rhys Jones almost made me believe it. However, it comes across as a manufactured product to me. Hillsborough affected families before it affected football. As did the murder of young Rhys. These unfortunate cases brought people together in grief – football was just a backdrop.

How many times during the match did you see a fan hurling abuse at an opposition player? How many of your friends on Facebook before and after the game declared ‘blue/red scum?’ There was genuine anger. An anger that’s not to be confused with a fit of passion, but genuine anger and hatred that festers in the modern football fan.

It’s easy to be fooled by the faux-sentimental montages and the constant panning across stadiums to find blue and red shirts sat side by side into thinking that these two clubs have a ‘special relationship’, but it strikes me more as a selling point than camaraderie.

I believe the relationship once existed – long before football meant so fucking much to people. I’m not devaluing the sport. It means a lot to me, and it’s meant a lot to people for the last century, but I’ll never sacrifice general decency, kindness and compassion for others for its cause.

By the looks of it, people don’t watch it for fun, they watch it for a purpose. I’m not old enough to have stood in The Kop in its heyday, but I did spend the last remaining years of its original state perched on a barrier with my dad stood behind me. A place he’d stood for thirty years. I was brought up with the spirit of The Kop inside of me. Watching football was a part-time job on The Kop, the rest of the time was dedicated to singing, supporting, loving, joking, chanting, praising, and having fun.

Like many middle aged fellas, I quit The Kop in disillusion. I’m only in my mid-twenties now and the last game I witnessed on The Kop was the European cup semi-final against Chelsea in 2005. That was the closest feeling to what my dad had felt so many times before I could experience. I choose to watch the matches from my armchair now. I’ve been to the odd game here and there – sat in different parts of the stadium or at away games – but it’s not the football I learnt. Football is meant to be enjoyable. I’ve heard such negativity directed at our own players, at opposition players, at our own fans, at opposition fans, that it seems like a totally different game to what I’m supposed to be watching.

The Kop is like our ‘special relationship’ with Everton. They tokenise it so they can bring it out whenever they like or tell the Liverpool ‘story’ but it’s essentially a tourist trap – a once great event that offers little other than nostalgia. Watching our games on television, I can see people looking bored in the crowd, talking through You’ll Never Walk Alone and taking pictures of the corner flag. The match IS the experience, not the moments documenting it.

I’m not pining for the good old days. I’m asking for a sense of realism and some perspective and good nature from the people involved. Football is clinging on to its tradition like religion is with its faith. We just don’t believe it anymore.

There are isolated groups out there who do adhere to football virtues and that the special relationship between the two merseyside clubs is actually special to them and acts as a foundation in their togetherness and societal values. Unfortunately, the poison of modern football behaviour has penetrated any character the derby once had, and it’s now descended into just another distasteful slanging match.

Anyway, a quick review of the match:

—Mignolet—

—Johnson–Skrtel–Agger–Flanagan—

—Gerrard–Lucas–Allen—

—Henderson—Suarez—Coutinho—

Six goals were shared evenly in this pulsating and energetic match, and true to form, controversy played its part too.

Coutinho kicked off the scoring in the 5th minute when a corner glanced off the challenging heads of Distin and Agger to find the Brazilian free at the back post. He cooly controlled the ball on his knee before slotting it under Everton ‘keeper, Tim Howard, to make it 1-0.

An equaliser for Everton came just three minutes later when, also from a set piece, Mirallas marginally beat Gerrard to a loose ball in the box to find the top corner of the net. It was obvious at this point that the game wasn’t going to settle.

Suarez made it 2-1 to Liverpool when he carefully steered home a free kick from a good twenty five yards out before being on the end of a very nasty challenge from Everton goalscorer Mirallas. The tackle was high and left a puncture on the Uruguayan’s right knee. A yellow was given but a red was surely the most justified. Tensions ran high even further moments later when Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard went up for a header elbow first. The recipient, Barry, fell to the ground despite there being no contact, but it was a clumsy attempt at an aerial ball from Gerrard and it could have put the team down to ten men.

Everton scored twice within ten minutes in the second half through powerful Belgian, Romelu Lukaku, after a glaring missed opportunity by Allen a mere ten minutes earlier. The Liverpool midfielder was substituted for striker Daniel Sturridge soon after and may have contributed to Liverpool’s lack of defensive solidity for Everton’s two goals.

At 3-2 down with just eight minutes left, Liverpool didn’t have much time to equalise. Rodgers had chosen to go all out and win the game with the inclusion of Sturridge and it proved effective when the striker met a Gerrard free kick at the near post to steer the ball into the back of the net with just one minute of normal time remaining.

A thoroughly entertaining game at Goodison Park with some outstanding individual displays. Full back, Flanagan, deserves special recognition after being thrust into the first team and performing not only competently but effectively and strategically. He was solid in the tackle and picked the right moments to go forward and carry on with attacking play. Lucas was also magnificent. Playing as an anchor man, he covered the opposition’s forward runs well and cleared up any lose balls or potential attacks.

Of course, Gerrard, Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho, all came up with match-defining pieces of skill, technique, and finishes to add to their already gleaming reputations, but goalkeeper Mignolet also made a number of one-on-one stops from Everton attempts by making himself big and establishing a presence in goal.

As far as I’m conceded, Rodgers should continue to look to win matches by sacrificing defence for attack is a positive move in doing so. We have the fire-power to score goals and it should be our first line of defence. I am very pleased with how he sees our team and I believe the future looks promising under his guidance.

Great entertainment and a fine display from Liverpool.

Kop Rules Ok.