El Nino Wins Us Derby

30 March 2008 Liverpool 1-0 Everton - EPL

BBC - Liverpool strengthened their grip on fourth place after Fernando Torres' 28th goal of the season gave them victory in the Merseyside derby - The Spaniard expertly slotted the ball beyond Tim Howard for the only goal of the game after just seven minutes. With Yakubu deployed as a lone striker Everton created very little, while Liverpool spurned several chances. A rasping Steven Gerrard volley hit the post, while Everton's best chance fell to Leon Osman who headed wide.

Torres: "I always feel confident that I can score at Anfield. I've got 19 Premier League goals here now which is fantastic for me, and I seem to score most of those in front of the Kop! I don't know why that is, but I'm always scoring at that end. It must be something about the stand, it is just different. I think 15 of those 19 goals have come in front of the Kop, and I always feel confident when I'm facing that end of the pitch."

Rafa: "I think Torres has more or less surprised everyone. We knew that he was a fantastic player and that he could score goals, but to score 28 in your first season isn't easy, especially for a foreign player. He is one of the best strikers in Europe and the understanding he has with Steven Gerrard is key for us. Also with Kuyt and Babel going forward the team has more balance and is creating chances."

Hyypia: "It's not over until May 11. We need to make sure we get enough points to be in that fourth spot until May 11. Of course it's sweet. Derby games are always different. I know what it means to all the fans, so now all the Liverpool fans, players and staff can be happy. I think it was a fair result. We had the game under control. It's a pity we didn't score more than one goal but one goal is enough. We didn't give them many chances and it was comfortable. The Man Utd loss brought us down a little bit but we still had the confidence to go into this game. We had the opportunity to go five points clear of Everton, so from that point of view the win is very important."