The first buds of spring are shooting on Merseyside, after a long, cruel winter.
No one is getting carried away on either side of the city after a bruising derby, but there are signs of life returning from the frozen dead ground.
For Everton there is some hope, even in painful defeat. There is no solace, but they know how different this game could have been, had not James Tarkowski’s header bounced down and out off the bar. Yet that moment was pivotal in stirring Liverpool, providing them with the hope that their talent can still bloom this season, with a Champions League still to play for.
