Many expected Kuyt to see red for his reckless lunge

The Dutchman was only booked for an aerial two-footed lunge and said: "Maybe I was a bit lucky.

"I was trying to make a tackle, I did not want to touch him, and I didn't."

Everton defender Alan Stubbs disagreed and said: "In the laws of the game if a player goes with two feet and makes a lunge, that's what it was, it's a red."

Everton players felt aggrieved with referee Mark Clattenburg on a number of occasions.

The home side had two penalty claims rejected, while Liverpool were awarded two spot-kicks, both of which were successfully converted by Kuyt.

In addition, there was the dismissal of Tony Hibbert for tripping Steven Gerrard for the first penalty - a decision which Stubbs suggested was influenced by the Liverpool captain.

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"The referee went to book Tony Hibbert holding a yellow card, their player (Gerrard) walks past him (the referee) and it's changed to a red," Stubbs fumed.

"We were 1-0 at half-time and on top, we had control of the game.

"The penalty changed everything, it gave them impetus and we were a man down.

"We are disappointed because we have lost. But there was zero feedback from the referee, I think they should have to come out after a game and explain themselves.

"We have to explain ourselves if we make bad decisions or mistakes, why not referees?"

Kuyt was delighted to secure a victory that keeps Liverpool in the top four.

"You could see our reaction after the game and what it meant to all of us," he said.

"Derby wins mean a lot to people like Jamie (Carragher) and Stevie, but they mean a lot to the rest of the players as well, we all understand how important these derby games are to our fans."