Sturridge says sorry to Rodgers after angry touchline confrontation with boss following Merseyside derby substitution

 

• Daniel Sturridge forced to apologise after Liverpool's 4-0 win
• The striker marred a two-goal performance with a show of petulance when he was substituted
• Brendan Rodgers rebuked him after his poor reaction to the change
• England man blazed over a penalty that would have given him a hat-trick

By John Edwards
Daniel Sturridge was forced to apologise to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and the Anfield crowd after marring a match-winning performance with a show of petulance.
Liverpool’s England striker destroyed Everton with two first-half goals but spurned the chance of a hat-trick by blazing a 54th-minute penalty over the bar. When he was substituted soon after, he appeared to speak out of turn to Rodgers, who promptly brought him into line with a stern rebuke that stopped him in his tracks.
‘I want to apologise for my reaction,’ he told BT Sport. ‘It was just disappointment after missing the penalty, but I let myself down and the fans. I apologise if it caused anyone any offence.

Frustration: Daniel Sturridge argues with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers after being substituted

 

Having words: Sturridge and Rodgers exchanged views after the striker was brought off in the second half and the England striker appeared to shake off Rodgers' attempt at a handshake (right) as he walked to the bench

Glare: The argument was clear to see but both Sturridge and Rodgers insisted that there is no problem

Pose: Sturridge put a picture of his man of the match award on Twitter saying: 'Guess I'm not good at pens!'

‘I didn't react in any way (to Rodgers) when I came off, I was just disappointed in how I took the penalty. But it's not about myself. It's about the boys in the team.’
After revealing Sturridge had said sorry to his team-mates in the dressing room, Rodgers made it clear he had given his in-form frontrunner a reminder of how he expects Liverpool players to conduct themselves.

Martinez and Rodgers go head to head in clash of the pass masters... and Liverpool boss takes all the plaudits

CLICK HERE to read Matt Lawton's verdict on the battle of the Mersey bosses.

‘It wasn’t a difficult decision to take him off at all,’ he said. ‘He scored with two sublime finishes and was outstanding throughout. But I wanted to shore the game up, after we put so much effort in. It was time to make a change and balance the team up, and that’s why Daniel came off.
‘It was just frustration on his part, but there is no problem. He apologised to the group. I always say to the players that they must show respect to the club and that when the manager makes a decision like this, it’s not because someone has played poorly.
‘Sometimes it is tactical or down to injury, but you accept coming off and sit with the rest for the remainder of the game. If you want an explanation, you can knock on my door the next morning, and you will get an honest answer. You don’t disrespect the club or its supporters. Daniel was just disappointed because he was desperate to get on the scoresheet again.’
Steven Gerrard took responsibility for Sturridge’s penalty howler after handing spot-kick duties to him in the hope he would complete his hat-trick.
‘I told him to take the penalty, so I have to hold my hands up and take the blame for that,’ said the Liverpool skipper. ‘I wanted him to experience what it feels like to score a hat-trick against Everton at Anfield. I’ve experienced it, and I wanted him to. It's a shame he missed it but he'll just have to go and score against West Brom now. 

 

 

Howler: Sturridge ballooned his penalty over the crossbar when a goal would have secured a hat-trick

Head in his hands: The Reds forward was left in disbelief at his woeful penalty effort

My responsibility: Steven Gerrard insisted it was his decision for Sturridge to take the penalty

‘But we've got two world-class forwards, in Daniel and Luis Suarez, and with them we have always got a chance. The aim all season has always been top four and we are very much in that now.
‘Daniel was disappointed but he was absolutely world class and he destroyed Everton in the first half. The third goal killed Everton and knocked the stuffing out of them.’
Rodgers added that he hoped to make ‘a major signing’ before the window closes at the end of the week.
Everton’s injury worries worsened after Romelu Lukaku was taken off on a stretcher with suspected ankle ligament damage in the first half.
‘It looks like a ligament injury,’ said manager Roberto Martinez. ‘We will assess it in the morning, but it doesn’t look good. He twisted his ankle after colliding with Gareth Barry when Liverpool scored the first goal, and it has been put in a cast.’
Martinez pulled no punches as he reflected on his side’s shortcomings.
‘I was particularly disappointed with the first half,’ he said. ‘There was a spell of 13 or 14 minutes where we lost the game through naivety. We were desperate to come here and be ourselves and give a performance that the fans could be extremely proud of, but we played a bit too much with our hearts at times. Liverpool wanted to hit us on the counter, and we should have used that to our advantage, but we didn’t.
‘We seemed focused only on trying to score, and, as a consequence, we left ourselves way too open. We haven’t done that all season, and it became a test of character in the second half after we let the game slip away from us. We looked out of sorts, and we gave the ball away far too cheaply.’

 

Good night's work: Despite the flashpoint, Sturridge can take comfort from two goals in the Mersey derby

Quite brilliant: Liverpool's third goal came from a wonderful Sturridge lob over Tim Howard

Making his point: Sturridge celebrates his superb second goal in Liverpool's 4-0 win against Everton

Carved open: Philippe Coutinho (10) supplied the pass for Sturridge's first goal of the night

Brace: How Sturridge (15) got on the end of Kolo Toure's long ball to score Liverpool's third goal

CLICK HERE for more stats and analysis from Sportsmail's brilliant Match Zone
Rodgers insisted Liverpool are on course for a return to the Champions’ League and denied he was dissatisfied with club bosses over their failure to deliver more signings this month.
‘I'm delighted for the players and the supporters, because it was a brilliant team performance based on really good defensive organisation, he said. ‘We were clinical in front of goal and outstanding on the counter attack.
‘I think it was a message. We have shown all season we are going to be in contention for a Champions' League place, and this was further proof.
‘We have shown great spirit. We have structured the team so we are not reliant on any one player.
‘To get Sturridge and Suarez into the same team is a bit of a risk because other players have to fill in. Jordan Henderson, for instance, had to work his socks off, but I would rather take that risk because they give us so much of a threat.
‘I think all wins are important, but especially against your rivals. Psychologically, it was a big win and one that can reinforce the confidence in the squad.
‘It puts us four points ahead of Everton now and we have to put the foot to the floor and go on from this. We had a real focus and concentration coming into the game. We knew it was massive, and to score four goals and defend like we did was an immense performance.

On top of the world: Liverpool celebrate their derby demolition of Everton at Anfield

‘If anyone questioned whether Steven can play that deeper role, they got their answer. You have seen him in 32 derby games where he has been all action, but he was equally brilliant further back tonight.
‘He is such an unselfish guy and a real generous man. A local guy in the derby giving up a penalty like that is a mark of the man.
‘It is really special because of the nature of the game with two teams doing the city proud all season. I am more delighted for the supporters and the players. The fans can go away and have a beer and celebrate.
‘Hopefully we can have a major signing before the window shuts, I think we will hopefully do something over the next couple of days.
‘It couldn't be further from the truth that I am angry with the club. I came here to do a collective effort to turn around the fortunes of the club. The people here are very important to what we are doing and we want to do it together.’