Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has again admitted the Merseyside derby doesn't mean as much to him as local fans.

The Spaniard said: "I've been here three years so I know how important this game is. But if you said to me whether I preferred to lose this game and win the Premier League then I'd say yes. I'm sure if you asked our supporters they would all say the same.

"It's important to have a big picture. We want to win this game, especially for our fans. But the most important thing is having more points than the team that is second in the table."

Try telling that to Jamie Carragher. As a proud Scouser, last season's 3-0 defeat at Goodison hurt him more than most. Worse still, he had a bad game on his return from injury and was at fault for Everton's second goal.

Carragher said: "We definitely owe them one after last year. The team, the club and me personally.

"I've lost in a couple of cup finals, and had other ups and downs, but last season against Everton was probably as low as I've ever felt in football because of the score, because I made a big mistake for one of the goals and because I played poorly.

"I probably let the manager and the players down because I came back too early and wasn't ready for a game of that magnitude.

"Maybe I was a bit selfish because I was that desperate to play in it. I came into it cold and it showed. It's something I'll never do again."