LFC : Derby win and the importance of Gerrard

A sending off and a missed penalty, a goal from Andy Carroll and the return of the "Talismanic" Steven Gerrard. All fit to be the next folklore in a Merseyside derby.

It all started excitedly when Dirk Kuyt was recalled to the starting 11. I was not surprised by Kenny's decision to include the Dutchmen as he has been Everton's 'bogeymen' in recent seasons.

The host was reduced to 10 players as early as 23 minutes of play when Rodwell was shown the red card by referee Martin Atkinson. This was after he fouled Suarez in the middle of the park and the referee seemed to think it was a sending off offense.

Liverpool's number 7 was fouled again, this time inside the box and the Reds was awarded with a penalty. Mr Reliable ~ Kuyt seemed to be deserted by "lady luck" when his spot kick was saved by Howard. Minutes later in stoppage time Howard was beaten but the ball only rattled the cross bar after a great shot from Charlie Adam. Half-time ended 0-0.

Second half started with the same script as the first half. I honestly thought Liverpool could be lucky if they can get a point. Meanwhile Everton, with one man short doesn't seem to be like a team with less energy and enthusiasm.  It all changed when the King made a double substitution. On came in Gerrard for Adam and Bellamy for Downing.

The introduction of Gerrard somehow changed the whole scenario. Everyone seemed more focus and looked more relaxed and calmed. I'm not saying the effort from the players was less before that, but they seemed more careless. They tend to snap at their shots more which didn't produce the goods. Kenny saw this and he didn't waited long.

Gerrard may still not be 100% match-fit. He has been out for 6 months and it's not easy to produce the magic that he usually does in just 25 minutes of play. And he only had about 25 minutes of football prior to this. 

But this is no ordinary player. This is the heart of the team. He is the captain and he is Steven Gerrard. His presence on the field alone changed the tempo and the mood of the game. I'd imagined, what if Rodwell was not red carded and we are still without Gerrard? The game might end with a 0-0 score.

He might not be at his best ... yet, but with his experience in 'big games', in years of experience carrying the team on his shoulders, Gerrard is definitely the man to get something from tonight's derby. We do have good players in Adam, Suarez, Hendo, Downing, Kuyt and Lucas. But they are not natural born leaders. They don't have 'the aura' like Gerrard have.

He's done it and we have seen and witnessed it again and again and we will talk about it repeatedly. Istanbul 2005, his goal against Olympiakos, another stunning shot against West Ham in the FA Cup final and many more. And tonight he did it again. It was his 'aura' on the field that made it all happen. Even our big Carroll scored!!

He's back and he'll be stronger than ever. This time around he will have support from the other players that has been brought in by King Kenny and the rest of the lads. This is not like the time when it's either Gerrard and Alonso or Gerrard and Torres. Now it will be Gerrard and the team.

They will get stronger as the season goes by. We might see some under-par performances along the way, but it would not be as bad as the lost against Spurs or Stoke. Then, it was clearly seen that the team was just lacking 'leadership' on the field. This will change now.

Welcome back Steven Gerrard !!

YNWA