Everton and Liverpool shared the spoils in an exciting, thrilling Mersyside Derby which ended 3-3 at Goodison Park.
The game’s opening goal came in the 5th minute of the Merseyside Derby, as Philippe Coutinho found space in the box after getting on the end of a corner and slotted home past James McCarthy on the post, and Tim Howard in goal to score his first of the season to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead.
Everton then responded almost immediately as they levelled matters just three minutes later. Belgium international winger Kevin Mirallas rifled a close range shot into the top corner after a Leighton Baines free-kick to equalise at Goodison Park, and make it 1-1 with just eight minutes on the clock.
The Reds then grabbed the lead once more, Luiz Saurez drew a foul on the edge of the box from Gareth Barry and duly stepped up to curl home a wonderful free-kick around the wall and into Howard’s bottom left corner with 19 minutes played.
In a fixture that has brought the most red cards in the Premier League’s history; Toffee’s goal scorer Mirallas was lucky not be sent off for a studs up tackle on Liverpool striker Saurez with just over the 30 minutes played and the Belgium player escaped with only a yellow card.
The second-half started where the first ended with both sides pushing forward and the hosts looking for another equaliser.
Substitute Gerard Deulofeu should have done much better when he was released with a wonderful through-ball from Mirallas, but the young on-loan winger from Barcelona could not beat Simon Mignolet in the Liverpool goal in the 54th minute.
The visitors could have sealed all three points on the hour mark but Joe Allen put his shot wide after being fed by Saurez and the midfielder should have scored.
Everton started to take control as the game went on, Lukaku forcing Red’s keeper Mignolet into action in the 68th and 71st minutes.
The big Belgium striker then did equalise for the Toffees when he found the bottom corner after good work by countryman Mirallas and midfielder McCarthy to make it 2-2 in the 72nd minute in this pulsating derby clash.
Neither side was prepared to sit back and settle for a point, with both sides having chances to snatch a late winner, a Saurez header forcing a point-blank save from Howard in the 78th minute to set up a dramatic final 10 minutes of play.
Lukaku then gave Everton the lead for the first time in the game when the striker powered home a header from a Deulofeu corner in the final eight minutes of the game.
Brendan Rodgers’ men did not however give up and second-half substitute Daniel Sturridge scored their third and made sure that the points would be shared in the Merseyside Derby that lived up to expectation.
