THE symbolic image of Saturday's Merseyside derby wasn't Rafael Benitez racing on to the Anfield pitch at the final whistle to congratulate his players on a courageous victory.
Nor was it the sight of the Liverpool manager barely acknowledging Steven Gerrard as his skipper trudged disconsolately into the dressing room after his mindless 18th-minute red card threatened hope of a home triumph.
Instead, the snapshot that encapsulated the essence of a fractious, pulsating encounter came when, after Andy van der Meyde prepared to follow Gerrard down the tunnel for an early exit in the 73rd minute, David Moyes stood by the dug-out, hand clasped to his forehead in seeming disbelief at what was transpiring.
No wonder. It had been Everton's ideal opportunity to end their near seven-year wait for a win at Anfield. And, as an exasperated Moyes's body language suggested, they had blown it.
Not that Liverpool cared. While their neighbours lamented what might have been, Benitez's side celebrated a third successive derby victory following a performance in which they were forced to reach deep into their reserves of character and resolve.
That it was wholly deserved says as much about the attitude and application of the Liverpool players as it does the hugely disappointing failure of Everton to perform.
The visitors might have been expected to capitalise on the early expulsion of Gerrard, the Liverpool captain scything down Kevin Kilbane barely a minute after being cautioned for kicking the ball away.
Yet rather than encourage an Everton side who had began the game the brighter, the dismissal served only to galvanise the home side into a display which would have yielded three points even without infuriating referee Phil Dowd evening the numbers with van der Meyde's sending-off.
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