Why the Merseyside derby was more entertaining than the North London derby by Adelani Ogunrinade.
The Merseyside derby has produced more red cards than any other Premier League game. In recent Barclays Premier League seasons, the North London derby has equally been fiery and electrifying affairs.
Yesterday, these two derbies promised to be “blood and thunder” encounters. However, both games ended in a 1-1 draw and no player was shown a red card.
In the North London derby, Arsenal enjoyed 69 percent of ball possession at the Emirates stadium but struggled to find an answer to Younes Kaboul’s towering presence in the Spurs defence. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal in the 73rd minute revived an Arsenal side staring down the barrel of defeat after Nacer Chadli’s goal made amends for Spurs sloppy attacking display.
With referee Michael Oliver fairly punishing every hefty challenge, the match lacked a moment of controversy. There was no spectacular goal scored- and no late drama. The much anticipated North London derby overall was not a classic.
The Merseyside derby on the other hand, had a few more talking points. The heroics of the heavily criticized Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was certainly a highlight of the game. After his depressing performance against West ham last week, his stunning free-kick reminded critics why he will always be an Anfield legend.
It was a surreal experience to see Mario Balotelli on his best behaviour. The controversial Italian forward watched his best chance of scoring rattle the crossbar. Unlike the North London derby, there was late drama at Anfield: Just when Brendan Rogers felt his side had secured all three points, up stepped Everton’s Phil Jagielka to riffle home a spectacular injury-time equaliser.
In retrospect, the North London derby had its moments but the Merseyside derby had more memorable moments. All four teams will not be satisfied with one point as the race to the Champions League spots slowly heats up.
