Liverpool 4-0 Everton: Talking points from the Merseyside derby

The pressure has cranked up on Roberto Martinez after a 4-0 Merseyside derby humbling for his Everton side at Anfield.

While Jurgen Klopp laughed and joked in the home dugout, the Spaniard cut a stern figure on the touchline, as Liverpool pulled his 10-man team apart in the second-half.

The hosts were already 2-0 up when Ramiro Funes Mori saw red for an ugly challenge on Divock Origi on 50 minutes and from there on it was an exhibition from Liverpool, with Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho rounding off a miserable night for Everton.

Here, we look at the talking points from the match…

Martinez feeling the heat

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

"It was a horrible, horrible showing… It's a feeling of embarrassment." Roberto Martinez, so often eager to put a positive spin on his Everton team's defeats, could not hide his disappointment at this heavy loss to Liverpool. The Spaniard had gone into the game under pressure and this result and performance has only served to exacerbate the situation.

"That's an embarrassing defeat, an embarrassing performance and if he gets something similar against Manchester United [in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final] I think it's difficult for him to come back," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

The numbers don't make for good reading. Liverpool had 37 attempts on goal to Everton's three. The visitors didn't force Simon Mignolet into a single save. The Reds also enjoyed 67 per cent possession and had 64 touches in the opposition box. On only three occasions did one of Martinez's players touch the ball in the Liverpool box. Everton didn't manage a single shot on target.

It was one of the most one-sided derbies in recent times - although Liverpool did also beat Everton 4-0 in January 2014. Martinez was manager of Everton that day, too.

Now Martinez has to find a way to lift the spirits of his players for their trip to Wembley this weekend. His future tenure as Everton manager could depend on it. "He said himself it was a defining four or five days," said Carragher. "The first half of that has been a disaster for him. How can he pick them up now and go again?"

Everton dealt FA Cup blows

As if a thrashing at the hands of your rivals was not bad enough preparation for a major Wembley fixture, Everton are facing a defensive crisis for their FA Cup semi-final.

Ramiro Funes Mori will be suspended, following his straight red card. John Stones was forced to leave the pitch in the second half with stomach cramps. That's in addition to Seamus Coleman and Phil Jagielka, who are both struggling with hamstring problems.

Muhamed Besic and James McCarthy finished the game at centre-half for Everton at Anfield, and Martinez may well be forced into playing another inexperienced pairing in defence on Saturday.

Funes Mori sees red

During his time with River Plate in Argentina, Funes Mori played and scored against arch rivals Boca Juniors in a Superclasico Copa Libertadores final, so the notion that he'd get carried away in this fixture seems an odd one. But, with his team seemingly reeling from a half-time dressing down from the management, the 25-year-old made an ugly challenge on Origi and was rightfully dismissed.

Referee Robert Madley at first drew a yellow card from his pocket, before appearing to be advised by assistant that the challenge warranted a more severe punishment. It was a decision Carragher in the Sky Sports studio agreed with, although he was critical of Funes Mori's reaction to his dismissal.

"He has let himself down with the challenge," said the former Liverpool defender. "It happens in football. I've made bad challenges and other players have made bad challenges, but going off the pitch he was kissing his badge to the Everton fans.

"Why was he kissing the badge? Number one, he has only been here for two minutes and number two, why is he playing to the crowd? Because he's injured a Liverpool player? Are they going to be happy with that?

"They were getting battered in the game and he's now going to miss the biggest game of the season when they've got Jagielka out. It's embarrassing. What is he doing? Everton fans won't fall for that nonsense. It was the only challenge anyone put in by the way, but it was a bad one."

Liverpool on a roll

Regardless of how many changes Jurgen Klopp makes, Liverpool keep on winning. Despite 10 changes at Bournemouth and nine on Wednesday, the Reds have now notched up four victories in a row across all competitions - with an aggregate score of 14-5.

With a Europa League semi-final on Thursday, expect further changes for the visit of Rafa Benitez's Newcastle to Anfield this weekend. But the momentum is with Klopp's squad right now, and Liverpool's former manager Benitez will face a huge test with his relegation-threatened side.

Against Everton, Liverpool impressed from front to back, but Mamadou Sakho, Philippe Coutinho and James Milner deserve special credit.

The latter was imperious at the back, aggressive in the opposition box and careful in possession. His Brazilian colleague had 116 touches (almost twice as many as any Everton player), fired nine shots at goal and recorded six key passes.

However, Milner took home the man of the match prize after registering two assists in one game for just the second time in his Premier League career. The previous occasion came just 10 days earlier at Stoke.

Klopp has got his Liverpool squad firing at the business end of the season. 

Origi injury opens the door for Sturridge

Despite the win, Klopp conceded he could not be "100 per cent happy" with the outcome, given Origi's injury. The 21-year-old Belgian appeared to have established himself has his manager's first-choice forward and, after his first-half goal against Everton made it five in five games, all was going to plan.

However, Funes Mori's challenge saw Origi leave the field on a stretcher and, while the full extent of his ankle problem is yet to be revealed, there are concerns he could be set for an extended period on the sidelines.

That presents an opportunity for Daniel Sturridge. The England striker grabbed a goal and attempted to claim Coutinho's after replacing Origi and he is now in a position to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.

Sturridge's cool finish made it 50 goals in 87 games for Liverpool - only Fernando Torres has reached the milestone in quicker time for the Reds during the Premier League era. However, Carragher says Sturridge still has work to do to ensure he is part of Klopp's plans going forward.

"That record he's got shows the quality of Daniel Sturridge," said Carragher. "He's an unbelievable striker. But he's got to think to himself, 'why am I not in this team?' It's not an unbelievable Liverpool team. The fact he's not playing is something that has to sink in."