Merseyside derby talking points

The pressure has cranked up on Roberto Martinez after a 4-0 Merseyside derby humbling for his Everton side at Anfield.

While Jurgen Klopp laughed and joked in the home dugout, the Spaniard cut a stern figure on the touchline, as Liverpool pulled his 10-man team apart in the second-half.

The hosts were already 2-0 up when Ramiro Funes Mori saw red for an ugly challenge on Divock Origi on 50 minutes and from there on it was an exhibition from Liverpool, with Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho rounding off a miserable night for Everton.

Here, we look at the talking points from the match…

Martinez feeling the heat

“It was a horrible, horrible showing… It’s a feeling of embarrassment.” Roberto Martinez, so often eager to put a positive spin on his Everton team’s defeats, could not hide his disappointment at this heavy loss to Liverpool. The Spaniard had gone into the game under pressure and this result and performance has only served to exacerbate the situation.

“That’s an embarrassing defeat, an embarrassing performance and if he gets something similar against Manchester United [in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final] I think it’s difficult for him to come back,” said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

The numbers don’t make for good reading. Liverpool had 37 attempts on goal to Everton’s three. The visitors didn’t force Simon Mignolet into a single save. The Reds also enjoyed 67 per cent possession and had 64 touches in the opposition box. On only three occasions did one of Martinez’s players touch the ball in the Liverpool box. Everton didn’t manage a single shot on target.

It was one of the most one-sided derbies in recent times – although Liverpool did also beat Everton 4-0 in January 2014. Martinez was manager of Everton that day, too.

Now Martinez has to find a way to lift the spirits of his players for their trip to Wembley this weekend. His future tenure as Everton manager could depend on it. “He said himself it was a defining four or five days,” said Carragher. “The first half of that has been a disaster for him. How can he pick them up now and go again?”

Everton dealt FA Cup blows

As if a thrashing at the hands of your rivals was not bad enough preparation for a major Wembley fixture, Everton are facing a defensive crisis for their FA Cup semi-final.

Ramiro Funes Mori will be suspended, …

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