Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday to return to fifth place in the English Premier League and move within four points of their fourth-placed cross-town rival.
Steven Gerrard and Luis Garcia scored first-half goals for Liverpool, who finished with 10 men after Milan Baros was sent off with 13 minutes remaining. Tim Cahill scored in the 82nd minute to try to rally Everton, who lost the third in their last four league games.
Also on Sunday, Birmingham beat local rival Aston Villa 2-0 with goals from Emile Heskey and Julian Gray, while Southampton moved out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough.
At Anfield, Gerrard scored in the 27th minute from a free kick that went under the Everton wall and out of the reach of goalkeeper Nigel Martyn.
Five minutes later, Martyn parried a Fernando Morientes shot and Luis Garcia headed the ball in.
Liverpool used all of their substitutes before half-time, necessary because of injuries to Dietmar Hamann, Stephen Warnock and Morientes.
Baros wasted two chances to score in the second half. Baros hesitated on a breakaway and allowed Tony Hibbert to make a saving tackle in the box.
Soon after, Baros had only Martyn to beat, but the goalkeeper tapped away the ball with his toe while on his back.
In the 77th, Baros received a red card for a high tackle on Everton captain Alan Stubbs. Everton took advantage of the extra man, getting within a goal when Cahill half-volleyed the ball past the near post from a Duncan Ferguson headed cross.
”It would have been a lot easier if Milan had taken his chances, unfortunately he’s missed and been sent off,” Gerrard said. ”It was hard work in the end but our defensive unit defended like lions today.”
The Toffees haven’t finished above Liverpool since they won the league title in 1987 — when the Reds finished second.
Liverpool reclaimed fifth with 47 points after Bolton moved ahead on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Norwich. Everton remained with 51 points, while Bolton has 46.
The fourth-place finisher earns the final spot from the Premier League in next season’s European Champions League.
”We didn’t set out to be here. We don’t have the funds to be at this level,” Everton manager David Moyes said. ”We are nowhere close to these teams. Some of these teams have spent £100-million to get fourth. We’ve not.”
Birmingham’s 52nd-minute opener was helped by Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who allowed Heskey’s attempt through his arms and over the line. Gray scored Birmingham’s second in the 89th.
Villa haven’t beaten Birmingham in six games.
”We hit the inside of a post with a free kick and it stays out, and then in the second half we give a shocking first goal away and then another stupid one,” Villa manager David O’Leary said. ”We have contributed to our own downfall again.”
Southampton won with two goals from Peter Crouch and another from Andreas Jakobsson. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink briefly levelled for Middlesbrough in the 41st minute.
The win moves Saints into 17th place with 27 points, one ahead of Crystal Palace. West Bromwich Albion have 24 and Norwich have 20.
On Saturday, Chelsea edged closer to their first title in 50 years with a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, and Manchester United and Arsenal also won in the fight for second place.
Frank Lampard and Joe Cole scored a goal each for Chelsea, and substitute Mateja Kezman added two more at Stamford Bridge.
Robin van Persie scored for Arsenal in a 1-0 win at Blackburn, while Manchester United beat Fulham 1-0 off a Cristiano Ronaldo strike.
Chelsea lead with 77 points, 11 more than United and 13 ahead of Arsenal.
Newcastle drew 1-1 with Portsmouth to end an eight-match winning streak; Manchester City lost 2-1 at Tottenham in the first match under caretaker manager Stuart Pearce; and West Bromwich Albion won their first away match this season 4-1 at 10-man Charlton. — Sapa-AP