Steven Gerrard tends to call the big games right but the prediction he offered before the 222nd Merseyside derby could not have been more wrong.

‘Don’t be surprised if it’s cagey,’ said Liverpool’s captain. Nothing could have been further from the truth. This will go down as the Demolition Derby, the night Liverpool tore Everton to shreds with devastating counter-attacking football to run up their biggest victory over them since November 1982.

By the final whistle, Liverpool had smashed four unanswered goals past their shocked neighbours, missed a penalty, created umpteen chances and — most significantly — made an emphatic statement in their bid to reclaim a place in the Champions League.

Gerrard, the game’s outstanding performer, will not mind that his forecast was askew. No win matters more to Liverpool’s captain than one against their oldest foes and he set the tone, opening the scoring with a towering header and dictating the tempo throughout.

How he revelled in it, celebrating the two goals Daniel Sturridge dispatched before half-time and the one Luis Suarez swept in just after the break with the same gusto as those on the Kop. He has enjoyed many special nights but this was up there with the best.

For Everton, the torture at Anfield continues. Manager Roberto Martinez looked devastated. Up in the stands, chairman Bill Kenwright offered a weary puff of the cheeks. Martinez took a gamble with his team selection and it backfired.

The Spaniard had earlier created the impression Everton would be going to war with a patched-up side. The team sheets, however, painted a different picture.

In was captain Phil Jagielka, who had injured his hamstring at Stevenage but more importantly so was Ross Barkley. The England midfielder had not kicked a ball for three weeks but Martinez was happy to roll the dice.

No wonder. Barkley is blossoming into one of those rare talents who can illuminate high-pressured occasions and his performance in the 3-3 draw at Goodison in November, full of invention, desire and energy, tormented Liverpool.

Fittingly, Barkley made the first significant contribution. Barely 60 seconds had passed when he darted between the lines, seized possession and, from 25 yards, cracked a left-foot drive that whistled just over Liverpool’s bar. The troublesome toe had passed its first test.

That set the tone. The opening 10 minutes of these games used to be chaotic, with red and blue hurtling into each other at speed; the ball was almost inconsequential as tackles were traded.

Here, though, was a change in emphasis as shots were exchanged. Jordan Henderson countered Bark-ley’s pile driver with a volley Tim Howard beat away; Luis Suarez had a sighter from 20 yards and Steven Pienaar tried his luck through a forest of legs.

Midway through the first half Liverpool started building up a head of steam and, once they found their range, in the space of 13 minutes they took the contest away from Everton with three goals.

Gerrard, so often the major figure in these games since the turn of the century, started the onslaught. His towering header, from a Suarez corner, knocked the stuffing out of Everton and imbued the home side with confidence.

Martinez had suggested his side would need to be ‘pristine’ from set-pieces — given they had conceded three to Liverpool in the first meeting — but his warning went unheeded. James McCarthy did not jump high enough, while Barry lost Gerrard’s run.

To add to Everton’s problems, a collision between Barry and Romelu Lukaku resulted in the Belgium forward leaving the field on a stretcher with suspected ankle- ligament damage. Yet if that was bad, it was soon to get even worse.

Everton had mustered a response, with Kevin Mirallas, Barry and Jagielka all trying shots — the England defender came closest when forcing a diving parry from Mignolet — but a breathtaking break from the hosts changed the dynamic.

Midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who is nicknamed David Blaine by his team-mates because of his magical ability, slipped an inch-perfect ball into the path of Sturridge and, having timed his run to perfection, the England striker nonchalantly beat Howard with a finish into the far corner.

Given what is at stake in terms of Champions League qualification, the goal was raucously celebrated and the cacophony had barely subsided by the time Sturridge grabbed his second and the decisive third of the evening two minutes later.

Chasing a long ball out of defence, Sturridge streaked clear and did not hesitate when Howard came out, lobbing in from 20 yards.

Queue bedlam. The stands were bouncing, a mass of red shirts engulfed Sturridge and, on the touchline, Brendan Rodgers punched the air.

Liverpool’s euphoria continued after the break. Suarez, who had been pelted with coins in the first half as he took a corner, got in on the act, racing 50 yards after dispossessing Jagielka to finish with ease as Howard tried to close the angle.

Not even Sturridge’s missed penalty and subsequent petulance after being substituted could spoil the night. This, for the red half, was as good as it gets.

—Daily Mail