Mersey derby can turn around season - for both Liverpool FC and Everton FC

Liverpool, of course, badly needed a win to get their Premier League campaign back on track but they don't need to just look at how they played, but how others around them are faring too.

The fact of the matter is, amidst all this doom and gloom, the media packs from London coming up to hunt for Rafael Benitez's head, the exits form the Carling Cup, Champions League and, it's fairly safe to say, the title race, nobody has actually managed to capitalise.

We have to work on the basis now that qualifying for the Champions League will be Liverpool's chief aim and I think they have to be favourites to preserve their top four status.

In fact, the best price I got against that the other day was 11-10 so that tells you everything.

Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa have all showed signs that they are ready to pounce on Liverpool's poor form. But despite the fact that Benitez's team have been dropping points left, right and centre, they're still in fifth and very well placed to claw back their place in the Champions League elite.

Tottenham are flaky when you get at them, Villa are a good counter-attacking team but sides have worked out how to play against them and City just don't have that balance - or indeed an ability to close out a game for victory.

And none of those sides have one of the best strikers in the world to come back from injury.

When Fernando Torres does make his return, Liverpool will be in a position to strike at the pretenders to their throne.

The other sides have all been improving but they will all struggle with the weight of expectation as the pressure builds.

Liverpool have been there before and, as they showed on Sunday, they are ready to fight it out.

Everton can also be encouraged by their performance. Bilyaletdinov should have scored in the first half and then Marouane Fellaini would have equalised if it wasn't for Pepe Reina's miraculous save.

At the moment the luck just isn't going for them, but they didn't look like a side who had conceded six goals in a week and had been humbled by Hull days earlier.

They are still struggling for results but it was a performance of promise rather than desperation.

And one that they can build on when they welcome Tottenham to Goodison Park this weekend.

But the players need to tune in to the message their manager sent out last week about walking to the ground with the punters to appreciate how they are feeling.

They need to stop thinking they can coast through games just because there are a few out injured.

Tottenham could be there for the taking if they go for it - and with Goodison rocking once again, they need to take the best bits form the derby and throw them at Spurs from the off.

Mark Lawrenson was talking to NICK SMITH