Last Sunday’s Merseyside Derby was a relatively tame affair on the field, particularly in terms of Everton’s play. But apparently things were different in the stands. Our captain, Phil Neville, reportedly had a drink tossed on him as he took a throw-in and was also punched by a Shite supporter. Yet, typically enough, it was Liverpool’s manager Rafa Benitez who lodged the first complaint, stating that Everton fans insulted Steven Gerrard’s daughter.

Such behavior is a bit unusual at this Derby where humor, albeit biting, is usually the order of the day. As intense rivalries go, the one between Liverpool and Everton is comparatively civil. It’s a pure sporting rivalry, with no political component (unlike, say, Roma-Lazio), no nationalistic implications (unlike Real Madrid-Barcelona), and no religious connotations (unlike the Celtic-Rangers derby in Glasgow).

To me the flavor of the rivalry was best captured by the Liverpool bus driver who drove a crowd of Evertonians to a match during the dreadful 1998-99 season. He chided us for 20 minutes, culminating with a hilarious bit of shtick in which he gleefully gave us directions to the towns and cities in the lower division where, frankly, most of us thought Everton would be playing the following year.

If I ran into this same fan in Stanley Park after a Liverpool loss in the Derby, I doubt that he’d be as jovial. But I wouldn’t fear for my safety . . .as long as I didn’t insult Gerrard’s daughter.