Anyone who watched Saturday’s Merseyside derby will agree it was a match impossible to take your eyes off.

Despite Everton coming away from Anfield with a disappointing result, the contest between two of the fiercest rivals in English football was anything but.

Liverpool winger Sadio Mane set the tone with a brilliant opening goal in the eighth minute before Matthew Pennington marked his Everton debut with an equaliser 20 minutes later.

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The Toffees had barely finished celebrating when the match swung back into the hosts’ favour thanks to a fantastic solo effort from Philippe Coutinho with 31 minutes on the clock.

While the scoreline remained 2-1 for the remainder of the first half, a nasty incident involving Dejan Lovren and Ross Barkley could have seen the second period play out very differently.

As the pair sprinted towards a loose ball, Barkley arrived late to plant his foot on the shin of Lovren, leaving the Serbian rolling on the pitch in agony yet lucky to escape without a serious injury.

Referee Anthony Taylor has been criticised for showing the Everton star a yellow card for an act that could easily have warranted a sending off, especially given he had committed a number of reckless fouls earlier in the match.

The Liverpool defender played down the ferocity of the challenge but admits he was disappointed not to receive an apology from Barkley.

"That is the only thing I do not like. If you make a hard challenge than be open about it and say sorry or something like that,'' said the Croatian, as per ESPN.

"Don't talk to the referee and say it was not a foul. I think everyone saw it, especially me, but now it is over.

"If I show you [my leg] it will be headlines tomorrow.”

Barkley was involved in a similar incident during the last Merseyside derby in December, which saw him somehow escape a red card for a horrific tackle on Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.

The Everton playmaker is certainly talented with the ball at his feet, but he must eliminate these rash challenges from his game before he inflicts serious damage to an opponent.