Everton capitalized on dreadful errors from Liverpool's defense and keeper to register a stunning 3-0 victory in the Merseyside derby on Saturday as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Middlesbrough. The big victory put Everton at the top of the Premiership table with 10 points from four games while Liverpool were left eighth. Unchallenged Tim Cahill opened the score line midway through the first period before Andrew Johnson eluded Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher to double the lead before the interval. English international Johnson put the icing on the cake in the dying seconds when he headed home on the rebound after goalkeeper Jose Reina failed to hold on to Lee Carsley's shot. Everton grabbed the lead in the 24th minute when a cross from the right flank found the unmarked Cahill who controlled the ball and buried past Reina. Johnson put the hosts two up 12 minutes later as he outpaced marker Hyypia, scuffed the ball after Carragher failed to clear and squeezed a low shot into the tight angle. Reina's blunder capped a bad day for the Reds as Carsley's shot fell from his hands only for the anticipating Johnson to head home.
Middlesbrough In London, Arsenal captain Thierry Henry scored from the spot as the Gunners could only secure one point against ten-man Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium. European runners-up Arsenal are 17th with just two points with one match in hand. Middlesbrough are 11th. James Morrison stunned the home crowd in the 22nd minute when he struck past advancing goalkeeper Jens Lehmann after a quick exchange. George Boateng was dismissed in the 64th minute after collecting a second yellow card because of an aggressive challenge on Frederick Ljungberg. Three minutes later Emmanuel Eboue darted down the right flank but was clipped by England defender Stewart Downing inside the area. Henry converted a low penalty home to tie the score. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger threw three attacking-minded players into the fray, fielding Julio Baptista, Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Adebayor but the hosts failed to score the winner.
