A Danny Ings goal on his Merseyside derby debut was quickly cancelled out by Romelu Lukaku as Everton and Liverpool went into the break at Goodison Park locked at 1-1.
Ings is quickly becoming a Kop favourite and the summer signing further endeared himself to Reds fans by capitalising on awful Everton marking to head Liverpool in front on 41 minutes.
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But the visitors were ahead for only five minutes, as equally poor defending at the other end allowed Lukaku to instinctively fire the Toffees level with his third Premier League goal of the week.
It was half-time parity that Everton deserved after Simon Mignolet had earlier kept Liverpool on terms with two fantastic saves from Steven Naismith’s header and James McCarthy’s fierce drive.
And it appeared as though the Belgian’s good work would help the Reds lead at the break when Ross Barkley let Ings go at a corner, which Tim Howard should have claimed, to score from close range.
Barkley was involved in one of the half’s other flash points as he clashed with Emre Can. Both were shown yellow cards, but the Liverpool man avoided a second for a potentially dangerous overhead kick.
It was Can’s scuffed clearance from Gerard Deulofeu’s stoppage-time cross which gifted Lukaku his fifth goal of the season, as Brendan Rodgers was once again left to lament an individual error.
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