A reminder that the Merseyside derby is getting under way here. All of the dignitaries have taken their seats - Howard Kendall, Roy Keane...

Image source, AFP

Hull manager Steve Bruce: "If you'd offered a point of course I'd have taken it. What we wanted after last week was effort and endeavour. There was a response. In the first half in particular it was a terrific performance. It is a shame because it is cruel. We did enough to win the match.

"It is a soft free-kick (from which City scored). Sergio Aguero is a fantastic player but to me it looks like a tiny arm on the shoulder.

"I suppose they had a big call for a penalty but two wrongs don't make a right.

"Late goals erode a bit of confidence. I think that is five times it has happened now. It is a frustration but the performance was the most important thing. We have shown enough to see we can stay in this division. Let's hope we can keep it up."

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellgrini: "It is frustrating because I think the team worked a lot in the game and had good possession. We did all we could to win but we are not in high performance in the attacking zone.

"We work and run but you need ideas when you play teams like Hull, Middlesbrough or Arsenal when they come with nine or 10 players behind the ball.

"Maybe players coming back from injury - important players will help. We need to try and find other ways to play. It is difficult to know what the reason is for the spark going.

"Every point you lose it is more difficult to recover. But in football you never know. We are not thinking about Chelsea. They are six points clear but can lose games. But we are thinking about our performance."

Leaders Bristol City were denied a seventh consecutive victory as Steve Cotterill's side were held to a 0-0 draw at MK Dons in their top of the table clash. City were reduced to 10 men when defender Luke Ayling was sent off five minutes from time at Stadium:MK.

Swindon Town are the main beneficiaries from that draw and leapfrog the Dons to move into second place following a 2-0 win over mid-table Barnsley, who had won their previous two games. Raphael Rossi Branco and Ben Gladwin got the goals.

Yeovil scored two goals in a match for the first time in 18 attempts to turn things around against Crawley Town and move off the foot of the table with a 2-1 win in their relegation six-pointer. Ajay Leitch-Smith added to Gozie Ugwu's equaliser to move Yeovil up to 22nd.

Former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin
Final Score

"I actually thought Aston Villa were very good today. If they had played like that throughout the year so far they would be in the top half now. The only reason why they didn't win today is because of lapses in concentration."

Image source, Reuters

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, speaking to BBC Sport: "I like Aston Villa's team. They have very good players. It is difficult to believe Villa are where they are. I wanted to analyse them not because of the points they have, or the goals they don't score, but by the quality of the players. It was a very difficult game, the stadium is a difficult place to go. The referee was very, very good. Very, very good in the way he controlled the emotions of the game.

"Sooner or later Villa had to score and they did it today. They have so many good players, with runners in attack. They put Benteke on in the second half, they had Cole, Sinclair and Gil behind the striker, three very creative players. It makes it very difficult to play against them, so this is a very important victory for us.

"It is one more hurdle in the title race, but there are many more. Every game is difficult. It is possibly the only league in Europe where teams from the bottom can play against the top ones and not just make things difficult but win points.

"I like [that Man City lost] but that was not my concern today. I was never in the game asking for that result. We have to think about us and focus on our matches."

BBC Radio Merseyside

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers: "I can only talk about our momentum, not Everton's. We're playing well and the balance of the team is really good. I'm happy with how it's going now, considering where we were earlier i the season. But in these games form can go out of the window, because you play with a different sort of emption. But at the moment, as a team we are operating at a really good level."

BBC Radio Merseyside

Everton boss Roberto Martinez: "I think everyone benefits when a club is able to bring in a player of the pedigree of someone like Aaron Lennon. You can see that everyone in the dressing room now has a spring in their step. He's a player who's put a smile on the faces of all the other players. Not the he smiled in his photos when he joined us! That's something I blame the photographer for, by the way."

And allow me to point out our dedicated live text for the Merseyside derby. We'll bring you updates here, but will focus on post-match reaction from the 3pm kick-offs. We're not quite at the last orders stage yet, but the big party is certainly getting started over here.

I've had my head buried in Premier League, so apologies for the late notice... but Atletico have hammered Real 4-0 in the Madrid derby. Wowzers. Read reaction here.

Former Everton, Sunderland and West Brom winger Kevin Kilbane
Football Focus

"John Stones reads the game so well. When Everton don't have him in their defence they look so much poorer, a little disjointed. Distin hasn't been in good form and Jagielka has looked off, as has Alcaraz. Defensively Everton have been found wanting, and they need a settled back four.

"Aaron Lennon, who's just joined the Toffees on loan, is only 27 - he has good years ahead of him. He has good pace and ability, and hopefully he'll fit into that Everton side and do well."

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson
Football Focus

"You can see John Stones is natural footballer. He could easily play in midfield for me but you don't want him there because he is so good in defence. He will only get better in that position because a lot of it is about experience. He reads the game for fun, he brings the ball out with both feet, he can pick out a pass, he is quick and makes it all look so easy. I think he has a really big future in the game."

There's plenty of love for John Stones ahead of the Merseyside derby...

Callum Wilson scored a brace as league-leaders Bournemouth secured a 3-1 win over struggling Wigan Athletic on a day when five of the top six secured maximum points. Wilson's strikes sandwiched Yann Kermorgant's effort as the Cherries secured consecutive victories for the first time since December.

Second-place Derby County, who have won six of their last seven league games, remain level on points with Bournemouth after a debut brace for midfielder Tom Ince helped secure a 4-1 win over a Bolton side that have now failed to win any of their last five games in all competitions

Meanwhile, new Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman, who replaced Stuart Pearce earlier this week, saw his side battle to a 3-2 win at Brighton on his debut. Lewis Dunk gave the hosts the lead just before the break but Forest hit-back through Danny Collins, Henri Lansbury and Ben Osborn before Beram Kayal hit back in the final moments.

It's also been a good day for Southampton and Manchester United. The Saints have gone three points clear of Arsenal, while United are ready to pounce when they visit West Ham tomorrow.

Here's how the bottom half of the Premier League looks following today's matches...

Paul Seaton: Manuel Pellegrini gone by the end of the season, then. Tactically out-thought, team out-fought.

Chris Denton: Just off to the Fiat showroom. Those Unos are clearly something else. Thanks for the tip, Gareth from Harpenden (see 16:41).

Stuart Mitchell: As good as the Premier League is it lost my attention towards the destruction of Real Madrid, 4-0 losers to Atletico.

Send us your thoughts using #bbcfootball, external on Twitter, text in on 81111 (UK only), or drop us a line on the BBC Sport Facebook, external or Google+ page., external

It's not looking good for Manchester City, is it? Seven points behind Chelsea, out of both cups and they face Barcelona in the next round of the Champions League.

Joe from Edinburgh: Gareth from Harpenden (16:41), you owe Chelsea two points. Please send by cheque or postal order.

Tom in Glasgow: I hope Gareth from Harpenden is eating a large slice of humble pie after that free-kick!

Gareth in Harpenden (again): Currently not able to say anything right now as a result of my foot being in my mouth...

Send us your thoughts using #bbcfootball, external on Twitter, text in on 81111 (UK only), or drop us a line on the BBC Sport Facebook, external or Google+ page., external

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City midfielder James Milner: "It was not good enough. Coming off the back of a good performance last week we knew it would be tough against a spirited side but we've slipped up at home again. You can look at a few things but over 90 minutes we didn't do what we should have done. It is disappointing again but we need to re-group and come back again.

"You look at our success in recent seasons and it was built on solid home form. It shows we now need to make up the ground away from home. Chelsea have a big lead now."