A goalless stalemate saw the honours shared in the 231st Merseyside derby.

Liverpool had enjoyed large spells of dominance, only for Everton to spurn a series of misses late on through Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Goalies are only winners in dour derby

 

Rarely have goalkeepers taken centre-stage in a Merseyside derby.

The last time it happened, Nigel Martyn and Jerzy Dudek occupied their respective clubs’ goals to produce a goalless stalemate in January 2004.

Almost 15 years later, history came full circle with Jordan Pickford and Loris Karius reprising the roles through a series of impressive saves at either end.

Unquestionably the stand-out moment belonged to the Liverpool stopper as he managed to deny Yannick Bolasie’s curling effort with a finger-tip save.

However that should still not detract from Pickford’s ability to thwart Dominic Solanke at close range as well as seeing off James Milner’s threat to his goal.

They were the only winners from either side in this drab derby stalemate.

Allardyce really doesn’t get it

 

Modern-day Evertonians have been preconditioned to losing against their old enemy. Even then, there are upper limits to what is considered tolerable.

Sam Allardyce may not have plunged the same depths as his predecessors but a defeatist approach was a new low from the current Blues manager.

Negativity does not bother him as much as it grates the Goodison Park crowd; he continues to make that abundantly clear through his public remarks.

But this was a new low even in Everton’s recent history, with only Mike Walker’s tenure a quarter of a century ago remotely comparable with it.

Liverpool’s half-strength side had been there for the taking but Allardyce instead chose to blow hopes of ending an eight-year derby drought.

He clearly underestimates just how much this fixture means to the fans and the club as a whole. Then again, maybe he does not care and never has.

Reds stand-ins expose Salah shortfall

 

Danny Ings’ last outing in a Goodison derby had offered signs of promise before a knee injury took his Liverpool career on an unwanted detour.

His first-ever start under Jurgen Klopp fittingly came at the scene of his greatest triumph, having scored against Everton in October 2015.

That, however, is where the narrative ended. After 916 days, much more had been expected of Ings. The same can also be said of fellow striker Solanke.

With Mohamed Salah rested for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final return leg, Liverpool once again paid the price for a lack of quality in depth.

No longer any hiding place for Bolasie

 

If the penny has failed to drop for Allardyce, it should now be obvious to at least one of his players.

Barely half an hour in, Bolasie appeared as jaded as a player who had completed a 90-minute match rather than getting through one third of it.

It was not even a lack of match fitness behind the DR Congo international’s lethargy; it appeared to be nothing less than sheer disinterest.

Some may be blinded by his first-half effort which drew a brilliant save from Karius but it was about the sum of his input on the overall proceedings.

Goodison is now fully wise to it, too; widespread cheers rang out when the winger was finally hooked on the hour mark in favour of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.