ACTIONS speak louder than words. And the two players targeted for abuse by rival supporters dished out their own form of retribution at Anfield yesterday.

Now Liverpool and Everton must go again on Wednesday week to discover who progresses from their FA Cup fourth round tie after a second meeting inside a week once more failed to separate the Merseyside rivals.

Steven Gerrard and Joleon Lescott have long been the focus of tasteless jibes from opposing fans that have gone beyond typical derby banter.

So for both to land the significant blows of a tense, absorbing heavyweight encounter suggests, should it be necessary, that such taunts are counter-productive.

While the scoreline was the same as last Monday’s Premier League encounter, the situation was reversed with Liverpool fighting back from going behind to earn a draw.

Some things, however, remain the same. Liverpool’s continued shortcomings at defending set-pieces allowed Lescott to glance Everton into a first-half lead in front of the Kop end, only for Gerrard, as last week, to prove Liverpool’s saviour with a 54th-minute shot that somehow evaded Tim Howard.

Certainly, recent performances have justified Rafael Benitez’s faith that Gerrard’s game is unaffected by his current off-field distractions.

Both Benitez and Everton counterpart David Moyes later claimed the moral victory, but it’s the latter who will be by far the happier with this result, returning across Stanley Park once more with their unbeaten run intact despite missing the injured Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard’s absence helped dictate the rhythm of a game in which Liverpool dominated, particularly during the second half, the possession and chances with Everton reliant on the dogged defence that has conceded just twice in eight games.

But the visitors were admittedly helped by Liverpool having reacquired the unwanted habit of being unable to turn superiority into goals.

Both Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres spurned decent opportunities late on to avoid another high-profile fixture Benitez could have done without as Liverpool resume their Premier League title challenge at Wigan Athletic on Wednesday.

A frustrated Benitez’s post-match moans about Everton’s defensive attitude simply smacked at an attempt to mask his own team’s deficiencies.