A total of 53 points separated Everton and Liverpool at the end of last season. On the sixth game of this new campaign the huge gulf that existed just months ago was reduced to nothing.
Against the side that played every game imaginable last year, in the 241st Merseyside derby the team that had been so close to catastrophe competed as equals. Not only that, the Blues came inches from a victory in a performance that showcased the progress being made under Frank Lampard.
After Conor Coady 's thumping close range finish was ruled offside by the tiniest of margins, once again Lampard can point to luck just not quite falling for a side that remains winless in the Premier League. This was a display suggesting Everton will not need to rely on luck over the coming months, however.
