David Moyes has a good team at Everton. His side can compete with just about anyone in the Premier League. Without Tim Cahill, though, they lack the firepower needed to contend for a Champions League bid.
Liverpool proved that today. In the 7th minute, Xabi Alonso took the ball away from Ayegbeni Yakubu in front of Everton's goal, and Dirk Kuyt took the stray ball and set up Fernando Torres for his 21st goal of the season. That was all the Reds needed as they topped the Toffees, 1-0, in the Merseyside Derby and opened the gap between 4th and 5th place to five points.
The real gap, however, seemed much, much wider than that today, didn't it?
At no point did Everton really look better than Liverpool -- equal to them in midfield, perhaps, but no more. The Reds had more shots on goal (9 to 2), more corner kicks (11 to 4) and more possession (54% to 46%). Their passing seemed sharper and more accurate than Everton's, and their backline looked more organized. Even in the second half, when Liverpool sat back and waited to launch counterattacks, Everton mustered too few opportunities to make a real difference.
Liverpool still has work to do to secure 4th place and the Champions League bid that goes with it, but they are clearly in the drivers seat and can focus now on knocking Arsenal out of this season's Champions League.
Everton, meanwhile, finds itself ill-equipped to challenge for 4th place and now must battle to keep 5th place and earn a return trip to the UEFA Cup next season. The Toffees have a 4-point lead on Portsmouth, but with Jermaine Dafoe scoring at will and Moyes needing to fill a Tim Cahill-sized hole, the battle for 5th could get very tight very quickly.
