Steven Gerrard praises Raheem Sterling's bottle

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard believes teenager Raheem Sterling proved he has the ‘bottle’ for the big occasion in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Everton.

The 17-year-old winger became the second youngest derby debutant in the club’s history behind Michael Owen when he started at Goodison. Sterling, who was making his eighth successive Premier League start, endured a difficult opening 45 minutes. He was booked for bringing down Leighton Baines and then received a final warning from referee Andre Marriner after fouling the full-back again. Raheem Sterling: A young Liverpool FC talent emerges Aug 13 2012 View But the England Under-21s international shone after being moved into a central attacking role in the second half. He terrorised the Blues’ back four with his pace and trickery, and his performance delighted the Reds captain.

“I thought Sterling was fantastic,” said Gerrard.

“At 17 years of age, playing away in a derby, in a cauldron and an atmosphere like that against a big, physical long ball team, he was outstanding.

“I don’t think the Everton players would have known much about Raheem Sterling before Sunday. But I think they will be seeing an awful lot of him in the future.

“He will be playing in many Merseyside derbies and he will have a major impact on them."