Liverpool moved into second place in the Premier League on Saturday, beating Everton 3-1 in the Merseyside Derby.
Liverpool played a man short from the 18th minute when England international Steven Gerrard was sent off on two yellow cards within 60 seconds; one for kicking the ball away and the second for a foul on Kevin Kilbane.
There were five other yellow cards in a physical first half and a dozen in the match.
PHOTO: EPA
Gerrard's absence didn't slow Liverpool.
The Reds went ahead just before the break, taking a 1-0 lead on an own-goal when Everton's Phil Neville headed the ball into his net.
Luis Garcia made it 2-0 in the 47th, with Tim Cahill getting Everton's lone goal in the 61st. Harry Kewell put the match away for Liverpool in the 84th.
Everton was reduced to 10 men in the 73rd when Andy Van der Meyde was sent off on a red card.
Chelsea leads the Premier League with 75 points, followed by Liverpool (64), Manchester United (63), Tottenham (52) and Arsenal (50). Blackburn has 49, followed by Bolton with 48 and Wigan with 46.
In the League Championship -- the level just below the Premier League -- league-leading Reading could clinch promotion with a victory at Leicester. The Royals could even go up with a draw or loss.
Hearts and Rangers picked up victories as they tried to keep up with league-leading Celtic.
Second-place Hearts won 2-1 at Falkirk with Edgaras Jankauskas scoring the winner in the 81st.
Rangers defeated Dunfermline 1-0, with Sotirios Kyrgiakos scoring in the 70th at Rangers' Ibrox Stadium.
In other Premier League games, it was: Aberdeen 2, Motherwell 2; Dundee United 2, Kilmarnock 2; Hiberian 0, Inverness 2.
Celtic plays at Livingston on Sunday.
Celtic leads with 76 points with Hearts on 62 and Rangers on 56.
A weakened FC Barcelona drew 0-0 on its visit to last-place Malaga, leaving the defending champion in need of 14 points from its eight remaining games to be certain of winning its 18th Spanish league title.
Barcelona lies 13 points clear of second-place Osasuna, which lost 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao in Saturday's late game.
Barcelona has 68 points, while Osasuna stayed with 55.
Ten-man Juventus was held to 1-1 by AS Roma, and second-place AC Milan defeated Fiorentina 3-1 in the Serie A.
With seven rounds left to the end of the season, Juventus looked closer to a record 29th Italian title, its second in a row under coach Fabio Capello.
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