Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard hailed Dirk Kuyt after his matchwinning derby performance against Everton.

Kuyt's 50th goal for the Reds ensured Rafael Benitez's men moved into the top four for the first time since October - and the skipper believes the Reds are now in the mood to continue their excellent recent run when they travel to Arsenal and Manchester City over the next two games.

"It was a tough derby with passion, commitment and plenty of fight from both sides," Gerrard told liverpoolfc.tv. "We have beaten a good Everton side today with ten men and the boys should take a lot of credit.

"They have been on a fantastic run but we have beaten them with ten men and played some good football, so we're really pleased.

"Our attitude was great and we stuck together. We always knew we'd be up against it today but we knew we could get chances from set-pieces, especially when you have players like Dirk Kuyt on the field."