Fixture - Everton vs Liverpool

Match report

For photos from the match click on 'Photostream' above left, while find all the statistics from the match by clicking on the 'Statistics' tab above

Everton battled back from a two-goal deficit to draw with Liverpool in the 219th Merseyside derby.

When Luis Suarez headed in his sixth goal in eight league matches in the 20th minute, after Leighton Baines had turned the Uruguay forward's cross-shot into his own net, the Reds appeared in control at Goodison Park.

However, in a pulsating first half Leon Osman pulled one back before Steven Naismith equalised 10 minutes before half-time.

The remaining 55 minutes subsequently failed to match what had gone before, and although both sides could have won it after the break, the point was enough to keep Everton six points ahead of their near-neighbours.

Liverpool fielded five derby debutants - Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom, Nuri Sahin, Suso and Joe Allen - with Everton having just two in Kevin Mirallas and Naismith. That may have contributed to what was a first 45 minutes so open it belied its history of being the oldest and longest-running cross-city rivalry in English football.

Suarez opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Steven Gerrard's pass sent Jose Enrique, on his first start since October 2, racing down the left and although his cross flashed through the six-yard area it was collected by the Uruguay forward, whose drilled cross-shot return was deflected in by Baines.

Six minutes later Osman's slight trip on Sterling presented Gerrard with the chance to curl in a free-kick and Suarez's deft header helped the ball past Tim Howard and into the far corner of the net. But Everton produced an instant response.

Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones, deputising for the recovering Jose Reina who was on the bench, punched a corner to the edge of the area, where Osman controlled and drilled the ball home.

The game became even more open with Suarez shooting just wide before Marouane Fellaini, back from injury after two matches out, ran the ball out of play as he bore down on goal when teed up by Nikica Jelavic.

Everton poured forward with Mirallas marauding down the left and the Belgian had a shot turned away by Jones and another blocked by Skrtel after a turn took him past Wisdom, while Seamus Coleman also blazed over.

Everton suffered a blow when Mirallas failed to appear after the break and was replaced by Magaye Gueye while Rodgers made a tactical switch by bringing on Sebastian Coates, another derby debutant, and Jonjo Shelvey to go 3-4-1-2.

Chances continued to be created with Sterling clipping a shot wide, having been put through by Enrique while Jelavic just failed to connect in the six-yard box before heading wide Baines's free-kick.

Gerrard had a shot blocked by Phil Jagielka before Suarez was denied an injury-time winner by a linesman's flag.