LONDON, Oct 20: Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 in a dramatic Merseyside derby on Saturday at Goodison Park as the hosts ended the match with nine men.

Sami Hyypia’s own goal after 38 minutes gave Everton the lead in the 206th meeting between the city rivals but fortune favoured Liverpool after the break.

After 52 minutes Everton defender Tony Hibbert tangled with Steven Gerrard in the box to concede a penalty and receive a red card from referee Mark Clattenburg.

Dirk Kuyt scored from the spot to make it 1-1 and the Dutchman kept his nerve to convert another penalty in stoppage time after Phil Neville had been sent off for a deliberate handball on the goalline.

Everton should have had a penalty of their own in a breathless finish when Jamie Carragher appeared to haul Joleon Lescott down in the area.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, under pressure after some poor performances in the league and in Europe, withdrew Gerrard in the second half to boos from the away end.

“These games you need to play with the brain and we were playing with the heart,” Benitez told Sky Sports when asked why he had taken off the influential Gerrard. “We needed to keep the ball and to pass the ball.”

Liverpool, who had dropped points at home to Birmingham and Tottenham Hostpur and lost to Marseille in the Champions League before the international break, were the better side in the early stages.

Andriy Voronin should have scored when he was set up perfectly by Yossi Benayoun and John Arne Riise had a free kick deflected just wide.

Everton slowly got a foothold and they were gifted the lead when Hyypia tried to clear a high ball into the area with his wrong foot but hit it straight past his keeper Pepe Reina.

Liverpool struggled to respond until Voronin sent Gerrard steaming through on goal and Hibbert appeared to grab the England midfielder’s shirt before bundling him over.

Carragher was lucky to escape conceding a penalty when he appeared to put both arms round Lescott soon afterwards.

Liverpool’s pressure finally paid off when Brazilian substitute Lucas, on for Gerrard, fired in a shot that Neville dived to push away with his left arm.

Kuyt’s penalty crept under the diving Howard to put Liverpool ahead but Everton were left furious at the final whistle after Carragher again seemed to foul Lescott.

Victory put Liverpool into third place before the later kickoffs, which include leaders Arsenal at home to struggling Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United at Aston Villa.—Reuters