Everton boss Frank Lampard was left delighted after their 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
The game was played in a deafening atmosphere, with the watching Evertonians roaring the Blues on as they took the fight to their city rivals.
Lampard revealed his pride in how Everton stood toe-to-toe with Liverpool – and is confident his team will only improve.
“It was a very intense game," he said. “There was good quality and lots of chances for both teams.
“It's my first experience of a derby at Goodison, and the atmosphere from the beginning to the end [was incredible].
“More than anything, the spirit and work ethic from our players was fantastic. Liverpool are a great team over the last six or seven years and we're at the beginning of the process but what you see today is a team that's progressing, we're working hard.
“We showed spirit, hard work but also quality to play and we're playing better, and we will get better."
Asked how Everton approached the game tactically, Lampard explained: “We wanted to be more aggressive in our approach in terms of how we worked off the ball.
“We didn't want to succumb and accept too much pressure and I thought we did that pretty well for most of the game.
“The lads followed through with the game plan, the desire to stay in the game, and the desire to create our own chances.
“I'm happy with the point, of course, because of the chances that they had, too. And I'm very happy with the team and the way we're going."