The unbeaten home record was increased by one other game, but it is only scant consolation to take and on second thoughts it only feels like clutching on straws. The one really feeling felt after the final whistle is of frustration of not being able to break up them annoying neighbours. Coupled with that was the hopelesness during the match, somehow as the minutes were ticking by in the second half I had that feeling of hollowness that the ball would never get in the onion bag.

Liverpool attacked and attacked and the statistics this morning show 25 goal attempts, but the real goal mouth action must be only in a single figure, with their goalkeeper Tim Howard never really stretching himself to the very limit. Nor Everton's goal post or bar was ever really tested.

On days like these, you just rue the injuries and what the match was really screaming for was Luis Garcia. He infuriates me sometimes, or even most of the times but matches like these are won by one single piece of magic and he did that more than once in a Liverpool shirt. Xabi Alonso, even though having a quiet game by his own lofty standards went close to do that when he had a shot and with Tim Howard beaten the ball only ended on the outside of the net's ceiling. When you can't enter through the door, you try entering through the window but as shots from long range go, Xabi's shot was the closest that Liverpool had to show.

Saint James Park is now calling, which should be a good preparation for the very big match at the Nou Camp and a good match in itself. The talk of a late title surge is quieter today, but Liverpool never really got carried away about it and the cautious take on all the title talk would mean that yesterday's two points dropped will only be taken on the chin and never a real blow.