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The Merseyside derby on Sunday was a disappointment – certainly from a neutral perspective – yet again. The recent goalless draw at Goodison Park between Everton and Liverpool was not the dramatic, titanic, tense clash we were promised (by the media build-up, at least). But, then again, that’s hardly surprising, as the Merseyside derby very rarely lives up to its own billing.
When considering the big derbies in English football, the Merseyside rivalry is up there with the first that spring to mind, along with Manchester, north London, Steel City, Tyne-Wear and Birmingham. However, where Liverpool and Everton’s showdown invariably differs from the others in that list is that it consistently fails to actually deliver the excitement and thrills that it should.
The reason for this is primarily Everton, and their lack of ambition. The Toffees haven’t beaten the Reds – in any stadium, in any competition – since October 2010. To really get a sense of how long ago that triumph was, remember that the goals came courtesy of Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta. In the fixture, there have been four 0-0 draws since then, and three 1-1 stalemates.
By contrast, in the north London derby since 2010, there hasn’t been a single 0-0 draw. There have only been three draws in total in the Manchester derby in the same nine-year time period.
Of course, just because a game ends in a draw doesn’t mean it must have lacked excitement or drama. To judge the nature of these fixtures on the basis of final scores alone is reductive. The frequency of draws between Everton and Liverpool, it could be argued, simply suggests the two clubs are closely matched. But to say that would be to miss the point.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been closely matched in recent years. The reason they rarely draw is because, for both sides, a draw simply isn’t good enough. Winning is everything in these games. It’s all or nothing. The same goes for when Manchester United meet their City counterparts. Or when Newcastle take on Sunderland, or the Blades face the Owls. However, this is not the case when the Merseyside clubs meet – and that’s a huge shame.
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In their history, Liverpool have claimed eighteen top flight English domestic titles, as well as seven FA Cups and a record eight League Cups. Everton have triumphed in the league nine times and have been crowned FA Cup winners on five occasions. When these two local rivals meet it should be a clash of giants. Instead, all too regularly, we are served up a damp squib, as both clubs would simply prefer not to lose rather, rather than seek to win at all costs.
Everton, especially, are guilty of being delighted to merely draw. In fact, they celebrate it. Imagine Spurs celebrating a draw with the Gunners. Or Aston Villa cheering a stalemate at St Andrew’s. Of course, in the most recent case, there was an element of Everton fans celebrating the fact they’d dented the Reds’ title bid. But it’s March, and there’s only one point in it at the top, so they’ve hardly prised the trophy from their hands on the final day, have they?
It’s a shame that the Merseyside derby isn’t what it should be. It’s one of the recurring disappointments of the Premier League and effectively it comes down to a lack of bottle – they’d both rather not lose than risk it all trying to win.
