Premier League Merseyside Derby Match 2
Liverpool FC 1:0 Everton FC
AFTER this humdinger, Hungarian television strangely wanted only to ask Howard Kendall which team he thought would win the championship. 'You haven't seen them here today, I can tell you that,' he said.
The other end of the table remains a different proposition. Kendall will not believe Everton are safe until they are included in next year's Premier League fixtures. Souness talked of 'the scramble going on, with safety our immediate target'. These points should have secured that.
Fears that the relegation struggle would upstage Mersey passion in this 148th derby were unfounded. A raucous and enthusiastic crowd of 44,619, the Premier League's largest of the season, feasted on a typically fierce and fast contest, light on football but heavy on commitment.
Wright was an early casualty, limping off after 10 minutes, allowing Liverpool to roll out the barrel in the unmistakable form of Molby, making his first appearance since injury in October.
He is unlikely to be seen again this season, having played on in agony with a torn hamstring with 25 minutes left. More's the pity, for Molby was the ops room chief with Whelan his squadron leader.
The enforced absence had not been kind to Molby's figure, but his football brain was as lean as ever. As the game galloped into injury time and he hobbled to collect a midfield ball, he spotted Barnes on the left. The winger's run fed Rush, who squeezed a pass through a crowded defence for Rosenthal to strike with 40 seconds of injury time gone.
Rosenthal, off the score-sheet since November, had replaced McManaman after the youngster had put a hatful of chances wide. 'It could have been 44 in terms of chances created but not taken,' said Kendall. Barlow, his substitute striker who is so adept at conjuring himself behind a defence, fired three shots wide. Kendall was philosophical: 'We let ourselves down in injury time.' But perhaps
Everton were victims of Liverpool's deeply instilled belief that the game is not lost until it is over. One of the great unresearched statistics is just how many games they have won in the final minute.
Liverpool: James, Burrows, Harkness, Nicol, Wright (Molby 11), Whelan, McManaman (Rosenthal 76), Hutchison, Rush, Barnes, Walters
Unused Subs: Hooper
Goal(s): Rosenthal (90)
Shirt Worn: Home-Red
Manager: Graeme Souness
Everton: 1 Southall, 2 Jackson, 3 Hinchcliffe, 4 Snodin, 5 Watson, 6 Ablett, 7 Ward (12 Radosavljevic 64), 8 Beardsley, 9 Cottee, 10 Kenny (14 Barlow 52), 11 Ebbrell
Unused Subs: 13 Kearton
Shirt Worn: Blue
Manager: Howard Kendall
Referee: Philip Don Middlesex
Attendances: 44,619
Venue: Anfield
Kick Off: Saturday - 15:00:00
Date: 1993-03-20
HT/FT: D/W (0-0)/1-0
Goal Sequence (Liverpool first): 1-0
Competition: Premiership
Position at Start of match day: 14 / Opposition Position at Start of match day: 17
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