Everton captain Phil Jagielka stepped up to save the day in stoppage time when his almost inconceivable 35-yard strike silenced Anfield to rescue a point despite a disappointing Everton display.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard had put the home side in the lead with a costless-kick from 20-yards in the 63rd minute, a strike which Tim Howard simply couldn't stop and with the visitors' struggling to test Simon Mignolet, the game seemed all but over until Jagielka's once-in-a-lifetime effort from distance perhaps undeservedly nicked the visitors point.

The 223rd Merseyside Derby started in routine fashion, with plenty of tough tackling, passion and intensity. In fact, Gareth Barry was in the book in less than a minute after hauling down Adam Lallana with a poor challenge. It gave Liverpool the chance to steal an early lead, and Mario Balotelli stepped up with that exact intention but his curled attempt could only find the top of the wall.

Up the other end, Romelu Lukaku was the danger man for Roberto Martinez' side and he had claims for a penalty waved away by Martin Atkinson early on after clashing with Alberto Moreno. Just minutes later, there was a case for the home side to be given a penalty themselves but Atkinson miraculously said no, despite Barry's clear handball. Raheem Sterling tried a shot from outside-of-the-box, and Barry's raised arm got in the way but no penalty was awarded.

Barry was the centre of attention just minutes later, tenaciously hooking Mario Balotelli's feet after the Italian tracked back and nicked possession from the former Manchester City midfielder. Balotelli, who lined up as a lone forward, continued to probe and his rasping drive from distance from the resulting costless-kick bounced just before goal and prompted Howard to react quickly and palm it past his left post.

From the corner, the home side should have taken a lead but American stopper Howard responded brilliantly to Adam Lallana's powerful header. After Gerrard's pin-point delivery, the playmaker leapt above and beyond and connected excellently to guide it towards the bottom corner but the stopper through himself to the ground and stopped it well.

After a brief lull in play, Lukaku tried his luck but his rising drive was comfortable enough for Mignolet to catch and in truth, the Belgian struggled to impose himself for much of the game. Minutes later however, Leighton Baines could quite easily have opened the scoring after racing on to a loose ball quicker than Lazar Marković, on his first league start, and running towards the near post but his poor cross across the box was hooked away by Dejan Lovren.

Shortly after, Kevin Mirallas pulled up and Martinez was forced into a substitution, bringing Aiden McGeady on for the Belgian. Within seconds of coming on, the winger found himself in acres of space after Javier Manquillo misjudged a pass and after weaving towards the box, his shot was poor and Mignolet got down to it with relative ease.

The end-to-end nature of the game was evident in the first half and not too long after Everton's flurry of chances, Balotelli should have converted from Moreno's cross to open the scoring but he instead failed to judge to flight of the ball and completely missed it. Sterling too, had a golden opportunity to put the Reds in the lead shortly before half-time but Howard reacted quickly to turn his shot out for a corner. Barry was caught out with a poor pass and Jordan Henderson burst towards the Everton box before finding the 19-year-old sprinting towards the inside channel and Sterling latched onto the pass but couldn't find a way past the outcoming goalkeeper.

After a barrage of the Everton goal in the first-half but a lack of any real clear-cut chances for the home side, Rodgers' side continued in the same way after the restart but couldn't create anything more than half-chances - with Lovren and Balotelli climbing over each other as miscommunication meant Sterling's deep cross into the box went amiss.

With the Reds struggling for opportunities, the quiet Marković was replaced by Coutinho but it was Balotelli who played a huge part in the build-up to Liverpool's opener. He dispossessed an Everton defender and forced a costless-kick out of Baines, after the defender bundled him over outside the area. After Balotelli had fluffed the earlier effort, it was Gerrard who stepped up for this one and he sent it up, over the wall and into the back of the net, despite Howard reaching it with one hand.

Spirited by the goal, it could and should have been two less than a minute later after Sterling flew past Tony Hibbert with pace and sent a ball towards Balotelli inside the box. From close-range, the Italian fired a shot that crashed off the top of the crossbar as Everton were shook for confidence.

For the remainder of the game, it looked as if the home side would see out a victory as Everton struggled to make an impact in the final third despite the introduction of Samuel Eto'o. In fact, it looked more likely the home side would build on their lead as Balotelli expertly brought down Mignolet's goalkick, killed it dead with his chest and fired a volley first-time towards goal which just shot wide of the post.

Instead however, with two minutes of stoppage-time remaining - an unlikely hero popped up. Sub Tyias Browning rescued a loose ball and after Martin Skrtel had failed to head the cross clear, McGeady picked it up on the opposite flank and tried another cross, which Lovren rose to clear. Unfortunately, it fell perfectly for Jagielka to hit an unstoppable shot that curled away towards the top corner, kissed the bottom of the crossbar and rasped the net to rescue a point for Everton. It was an unlikely goal from an unlikely source, and it salvaged a draw after a performance that far from merited one but the Reds were left to rue their missed chances and left the pitch with their heads bowed, and their motivation shot.

Liverpool (1) Everton (1)
Mignolet 6 Howard 7
Manquillo 6 Hibbert 5
Lovren 6 Jagielka 7
Skrtel 6 Stones 7
​​ ​​ ​Moreno 6 Baines 6
Gerrard 7 Besic 6
Henderson 7 Barry 5
Lallana 8 McCarthy 5
Sterling 6 Mirallas 5
Marković 5 Naismith 5
Balotelli 6 Lukaku 5
Substitutes
Coutinho 6 McGeady 5
Lambert 5 Browning 7
Eto'o 5