A dream derby finale beckoned at Goodison - but Steven Gerrard doesn't always follow the script

The 34-year-old turned in an unremarkable performance before spurning an opportunity to win this dour Merseyside derby, writes Andy Dunn

Powers on the wane: The skipper couldn't turn it on like the Gerrard of old at Goodison

Eighty-seven minutes gone, stalemate, the ball rolls into his path, the keeper invites a strike, 20 yards out, only a half-chance but a perfect finale beckons for Steven Gerrard.

A distance wide. Gerrard does not always follow the script. And he certainly didn’t against Everton.

It was not for want of trying, but Steven Gerrard failed to show up for the Steven Gerrard derby.

The long goodbye must feel like it is already dragging.

This was another staging post on Gerrard’s journey towards the horizon, and it was an unremarkable one.

But no one belts out their best tune on a farewell tour. AP McCoy will doubtless find out what Gerrard is discovering – the distraction of a different existence looming can be nothing but a hindrance in the one coming to an end.