Lukaku: Hungriest side will win Merseyside derby

Romelu Lukaku says whoever is the hungrier out of Everton and Liverpool will take the spoils in this weekend’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Everton go into the first meeting between the two rivals this season having failed to win their last 10 games against Liverpool in all competitions, but enjoyed a morale-boosting victory against West Brom on Monday.

Having fallen two goals behind at The Hawthorns, Lukaku sparked a late comeback with two goals as Roberto Martinez’s side won 3-2 – the Belgian’s winner coming with six minutes to play.

The three points extended Everton’s unbeaten run to four matches and Lukaku says they must show similar hunger if they are to taste victory on Sunday.

“Monday’s win sets everything up really well but the derby is a different game,” Lukaku told the Liverpool Echo.

“It is about the personal pride and the pride for us as a club. The side that is hungrier is going to win this game on Sunday.

“We went back to Liverpool on Monday night and tried to recover as soon as possible. It was then that we started focusing on the derby.

“I will work hard on Sunday like I did at West Brom and whenever I go on the pitch I want to work hard, help my team-mates and help us win. I want to win the game and score.”