Kevin Campbell struck after just four minutes of a bad-tempered Merseyside derby, which saw just 19 players finish the match.

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Everton had striker Francis Jeffers sent off in the second half for fighting with Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, who was also dismissed.

And the home side's misery was complete with substitute Stephen Gerrard joining them in the bath for a waist-high challenge on the goalscorer.

Referee Mike Riley could have probably removed more players from the pitch, with Michael Owen getting away with a similar offence to Gerrard's in the first half.

Everton defended superbly, as the home side dominated possession but looked vulnerable on the break.

Liverpool can look a great team when they have the ball, but without it they frequently appear a dreadful one, no matter which area of the pitch the football is being played in.

Campbell fires home

Campbell's goal came from the sort of sloppy defending near to goal that Liverpool appear unable to remove from their game.

But Everton were offered plenty of other easy chances to break after their great rivals lost the ball inside their own half.

They should have won by more than one goal - and Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard had to play his part with two late saves.

But the star was veteran Richard Gough, who used his experience of derby matches in Glasgow and London to full effect in his first all-Merseyside affair.

Carragher blamed

The winner came with 86 minutes left as three men in red shirts allowed Nick Barmby to turn on the edge of the area and slip the ball to Jeffers.

He played Campbell in behind two defenders, although it needed Jamie Carragher to carelessly play the big striker onside as other defenders pushed out.

As usual in these games, referee Riley needed more than one pair of eyes, and missed one bad tackle from Don Hutchison.

Owen tumbles but there was no penalty

He did spot Owen's two-footed lunge at David Weir, and the yellow card might easily have been red.

Owen might also have won a penalty when he fell over Michael Ball's clumsy challenge later in the first half.

Whatever was said at half time in the home dressing room, any warning about Everton's increasingly dangerous counter-attacking was ignored just after the break.

Jeffers wasted two opportunities after sprinting clear - chances which proved to be about the best on offer before a gripping final 10 minutes.

Late cards

Gerard Houllier used all three substitutions in search of an equaliser before the 70th minute.

Westerveld and Jeffers were never going to get away with this

He will have regretted such hasty action five minutes later when Jeffers and Westerveld came to blows after a collsion.

The referee had no option to dismiss both, but it was Liverpool left to face the last 15 minutes with outfield player Steve Staunton in goal.

He pulled off one marvellous save although it was Gerrard in the away side's goal who produced the stop of the match to deny Eric Meier's deflected effort.

Finally, the other Gerrard on the pitch, Liverpool midfielder Stephen, was forced to leave it in injury time for his high lunge on Campbell, and Everton held firm to the end of almost six minutes of breathless stoppage time.

Teams: Liverpool: Westerveld, Staunton, Hyypia, Carragher, Heggem, Berger, Hamann, Redknapp, Smicer, Owen, Fowler. Subs: Henchoz, Meijer, Camara, Nielsen, Gerrard.

Everton: Gerrard, Ball, Gough, Dunne, Weir, Barmby, Collins, Hutchison, Xavier, Campbell, Jeffers. Subs: Cleland, Gemmill, Ward, Johnson, Simonsen.