Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Everton, in what proved to be a frustrating Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
The Reds dominated possession and created the better of the chances, but Brendan Rodgers side could not find the breakthrough.
Rodgers sprung one surprise with his team selection, with 19-year-old Jordon Ibe selected for only his second Premier League start.
Ibe was perhaps the Reds most impressive player, in what proved to be a disappointing game.
Raheem Sterling once again led the line, and had the game’s first chance when chasing a Philippe Coutinho through pass. Having beaten goalkeeper Joel to the ball, Sterling looked to cut back inside and sneak one into the near post, however his tame effort went wide.
All the build up to the game surrounded Steven Gerrard playing in what would be his final Merseyside derby. The Reds captain almost produced a fairytale finish, when his 35 yard free kick tipped was over the crossbar by Joel.
The closest either side came to finding a goal came in the first 45 minutes, when the impressive Ibe picked up the ball in his own half and drove at the Everton defence.
The 19-year-old unleashed a stunning strike from all of 25 yards which had the Everton keeper beaten, however the woodwork came to the Toffees rescue.
Daniel Sturridge was introduced early in the second half as the Reds looked to turn all their possession into a goal.
Steven Gerrard almost produced what would have been his most memorable derby goal, when an acrobatic scissor kick was deflected of Steven Naismith and over the bar for a corner.
For all the posession however, the Reds failed to make any sort of clear cut openings.
Ibe created perhaps the best opportunity of the second half, beating his man on the right flank and delivering a low cross which saw Daniel Sturridge produce a shot which was blocked.
It took Everton 85 minutes to produce their first shot on target of the game, however it required a superb save from Simon Mignolet, who reacted brilliantly to tip Seamus Coleman’s effort around the post after the full back had been sent clear by substitute Ross Barkley.
Gerrard almost had the final say in the minutes that remained, first teeing up substitute Rickie Lambert for what was a tame shot at the Everton goal, before placing a left footed shot wide of the post having been fed the ball on the edge of the box by Sturridge.
All the statistics showed it was match in which the Reds deserved to win, with 17 attempts to the Toffees six, and 55% of the possession.
A point at Goodison is satisfactory enough for Brendan Rodgers, with the biggest positive from the game being the man of the match performance from Jordon Ibe.
