LIGI KUU ENGLAND:::LIVERPOOL WAICHAPA EVERTON GOLI 4 KWA BILA

Steven Gerrard has made countless accurate predictions during his career but the one he offered before the 222nd Merseyside Derby could not have been more wrong. 'Don't be surprised if this is a tight, cagey affair,' he suggested.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. This will go down in the history books as the Demolition Derby, the night Liverpool tore Everton to shreds with a devastating brand of counter-attacking football and ran up their biggest victory since 1982.
By the final whistle, Liverpool had smashed four unanswered goals past their shell-shocked neighbours, could have scored a few more and, most significantly, made an emphatic statement in their ambition to reclaim a place in the Champions League.

Gerrard will not mind in the slightest that he never called this right. No victory matters more to Liverpool's captain than one against their oldest foes and he set the tone, opening the scoring with a towering header and dictating the tempo throughout.
How he revelled in it, celebrating the two goals Daniel Sturridge dispatched before half-time and the one Luis Suarez swept in just after the break with the same gusto as those on The Kop. He has enjoyed many special nights but this will certainly be up there with the best.
For Everton, though, the pain at this ground continues. This was as bad as they have played since Kevin Campbell secured their last victory here in September 1999 and how they will recover remains to be seen. On the sidelines, Roberto Martinez looked devastated. His team selection backfired.
Martinez is on the way to becoming a manager of the highest calibre but perhaps he could consider an alternative career in poker; his pre-match fitness bulletin was so gloomy he had left the impression Everton would be going to war with a patched up team of fringe players.
The arrival of the team sheets, however, painted a different picture. In was captain Phil Jagielka, who had injured his hamstring at Stevenage but, more importantly, so was Ross Barkley. The England midfielder has not kicked a ball for three weeks but Martinez was happy to gamble.

Captain marvel: Steven Gerrard celebrates after heading home Liverpool's first goal of the night

Collision: While Gerrard headed in the opening goal, Gareth Barry clattered into team-mate Romelu Lukaku (left)

Worrying signs: Lukaku holds his injured right ankle after the collision and was later forced off

No wonder. Barkley is blossoming into one of those rare talents who can illuminate these high-pressured occasions and his performance in the 3-3 draw at Goodison Park in November, full of invention, desire and energy, tormented Liverpool.
Fittingly, Barkley made the first significant contribution. Barely 60 seconds had passed when he darted in between the lines, seized possession and, from 25 yards, cracked a left-footed drive that whistled just over Liverpool's crossbar. The troublesome toe had passed its first test.
That set the tone. The opening 10 minutes of these games in the past used to be wild and chaotic, with Red and Blue shirts hurtling into each other at speed; the ball was almost inconsequential as tackles were traded.
Here, though, was a change in emphasis as shots were exchanged. Jordan Henderson countered Barkley's piledriver with a volley Tim Howard beat away; Luis Suarez had a sighter from 20 yards, while Steven Pienaar tried his luck with an effort that squirmed through a forest of legs.

Cool finish: Daniel Sturridge tucks away his first goal and Liverpool's second of the night

On target: Liverpool striker Sturridge milks his moment after bagging the second goal

Red pyramid: Sturridge (centre) is mobbed by his jubilant team-mates after his brilliant second goal

Up, up and away: Sturridge scored his second goal with a brilliant first-time lob over Tim Howard

Not a dry eye in the house: The England striker was clearly emotional after bagging his brace

It had been a fairly even start but there came a point midway through the first half when Liverpool started building up a head of steam and once they found their range, in the space of 13 devastating minutes they took the contest away from Everton with three goals.
Gerrard, so often the major fixture in these games since the turn of the century, started the onslaught. His towering header, from an inch-perfect Suarez corner, knocked the stuffing out of Everton and imbued the home side with confidence.
Martinez had suggested his side would need to be 'pristine' from set pieces here - given they had conceded three to Liverpool in the first meeting - but his warning went unheeded; James McCarthy did not jump high enough, while Barry lost Gerrard's run as Suarez took the corner.

Salt in the wounds: Luis Suarez bursts past Phil Jagielka to slot past Howard for the fourth goal

Sharpshooter: Suarez celebrates his strike early in the second half at a rainy Anfield

Last season, it took Luis Suarez 33 matches to
score 23 Premier League goals. This season, he has managed the same feat in 18 appearances.

To exacerbate the situation for Everton, a collision between Barry and Romelu Lukaku resulted in the Belgium forward leaving the field on a stretcher, with an injury that was described as being ankle ligament damage. Yet if that was bad, it was soon to get even worse.
They had mustered a response, with Kevin Mirallas, Barry and Jagielka all trying shots - the England defender came closest when forcing a diving parry from Mignolet - but a breath-taking counterattack from the hosts completely changed the dynamic.

Going down: Raheem Sterling was upended by Howard to hand Liverpool a second-half penalty

Blown it: Sturridge had the chance to seal his hat-trick but blasted wildly over the bar

Why does it always rain on me? Sturridge can't believe what he has done after his penalty howler

Sour note? Sturridge appeared to exchange strong words with manager Brendan Rodgers (right) after he was substituted shortly after his missed penalty and a subsequent missed chance involving Luis Suarez

Philippe Coutinho, who is nicknamed David Blaine by his team-mates because of his 'magical' ability, slipped an inch-perfect ball into the path of Sturridge and, having timed his run to perfection, the England striker nonchalantly beat Howard with a finish into the far corner.
Given what is at stake in terms of potential Champions League qualification, the goal was raucously celebrated but the cacophony had not subsided by the time Sturridge grabbed his second and the decisive third of the evening two minutes later.

Commitment: Gerrard puts in a tackle at full stretch against Evrton midfielder Steven Pienaar

No wonder he's angry: Roberto Martinez reacts with fury to his side's derby capitulation

Read it and weep: The scoreboard at Anfield confirms the misery for the blue half of Liverpool

Chasing a long ball out of defence, Sturridge streaked clear and didn't hesitate when Howard came racing out of his goal, lobbing in from 20 yards. Queue bedlam. The stands were bouncing, a mass of Red shirts engulfed Sturridge and on the touchline, Brendan Rodgers punched the air.
That scene continued after the break. Suarez, who had been pelted with coins in the first half as he took a corner, got in on the act, racing 50 yards after dispossessing Jagielka to finish nonchalantly as Howard tried to close the angle.
Liverpool were even able to miss a penalty - Sturridge blazing over after Raheem Sterling had fallen over Howard's challenge - and still smile. For the Red half of Merseyside, this was as sweet as it gets