Premier League: Liverpool 3 Everton 0

Steven Gerrard scored a hat-trick as Liverpool snapped their winless streak with a 3-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby on Tuesday.

The Reds opened the scoring just past the half-hour mark as Gerrard curled the ball over Tim Howard in the Everton goal from the edge of the area, following good work from Martin Kelly.

Gerrard got their second five minutes after the restart, hammering in after good work down the right by Luis Suarez, and the skipper secured his hat-trick in injury time as Liverpool moved to within two points of Newcastle in sixth place on the English Premier League table.

It did not take long for the hosts to assert some serious pressure on their visitors, as first Gerrard, and then Jordan Henderson went close inside the first seven minutes.

The match continued at break-neck speed as Everton went straight down the other end and almost opened the scoring themselves.

Leighton Baines marched down the left, beating Kelly before playing the ball through Henderson’s legs, but after cutting the ball back to Pienaar, the South African blasted over.

It was fairly clear that both teams were insistent on getting the ball down and playing, but it was the link-up play between Carroll and Suarez that made the next chance. The big striker did well to flick on a long-ball to the Uruguayan with his head, but Howard saved well again.

It was Kelly’s run down the right which created the first goal, with Howard only able to parry the right-back shot into the path of Gerrard, who curled a left foot shot over the keeper and Phil Jagielka on the goalline.

Two minutes later Kelly was at it again as he got away from his markers down the left, getting on the end of a pass into the area, but his clipped effort went just wide of the far post, while Stracqualursi then went close down the other end with a well-timed header which Pepe Reina dealt with comfortably.

It did not take long after the break for Liverpool to get their second though, and it was Gerrard once again.

Suarez did well down the right, getting down to the byline, beating Sylvain Distin and fortuitously overrunning the ball into Gerrard’s path, who smashed the it into the roof of the net.

With half-an-hour left to find a way back into the match, Rodwell almost gave Everton a lifeline.

Baines charged down the left and played a clever pass into the area for the midfielder, but his side-footed effort was stopped before it got to the goal by Jose Enrique, who slid in and cleared at the last second.

David Moyes made a triple substitution in the hope of inspiring his side, but the changes came to nothing for the visitors, who conceded a third goal in injury time when Gerrard broke through the midfield and exchanged passes with Suarez before completing his hat-trick.