Merseyside derby
The Merseyside Derby is the name of the football match played between the Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the Merseyside area of England. It is the longest currently running top flight derby in England, having been at that level since 1962 when Liverpool were promoted to the First Division (later the Premier League) for the last time.
It is often referred to as "The Friendly Derby" due to the amount of families who have both Reds and Blues in them. Neither club takes its fan base from distinct parts of the city (like the derbies in Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, or Stoke).
After the fall out from the Heysel Stadium disaster, fan relationships became strained, with Everton fans blaming Liverpool hooligans for their ban from the European club competitions. However, relations improved after the Hillsborough disaster when both sets of fans rallied together.
Both clubs have rich histories, with Everton being one of the twelve founder clubs of the Football League. Everton have only been relegated twice and have competed in over 100 seasons of top flight football, more than any other club. To date Everton have won 9 League Championships, 5 FA Cups and 1 European Cup Winners Cup. Liverpool hold the current record of the most League Championships with 18. They also have won the European Cup 5 times, more than any other English club.
This season's derby at Goodison Park was won by Liverpool, and will next be played at Anfield on 29 March, 2008.
History and Results
Competition | Played | Liverpool | Draw | Everton |
---|---|---|---|---|
League | 176 | 65 | 55 | 56 |
FA Cup | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
League Cup | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Other | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Totals | 203 | 77 | 62 | 64 |
statistics obtained from Soccerbase
Records
This derby is responsible for many records across all derby matches, largely due to it being contested so many times:
- The longest unbeaten derby game run in all matches is 14, held by Everton, this was between the 1941/42 and 1951/52 seasons.
- The longest unbeaten derby game run in home matches is held by Liverpool when Everton failed to beat them in the League for 14 games between the 1970/71 and 1984/85 seasons.
- The longest unbeaten derby game run in away matches is held by Everton with a 16 match run at Anfield between 1899 and 1920 which included 10 victories.
- The longest unbroken winning run at home belongs to Liverpool with 5 between 1932/33 and 1936/37.
- The longest unbroken winning run away from home belongs to Everton who scored 7 consecutive victories at Anfield between 1908/09 and 1914/15.
The following are records just for the Merseyside derby Match itself:
- The record home victory in a league match is 6-0 recorded by Liverpool at Anfield in the 1935/36 season.
- The record away victory in a league match is 5-0 recorded by both Everton at Anfield in the 1914/15 season and by Liverpool at Goodison Park in the 1982/83 season.
- The highest scoring match was in 1932/33 when Liverpool won 7-4 at Anfield
- Neville Southall of Everton holds the record for most derby match appearances.
- Ian Rush of Liverpool holds the mark for the most derby goals with 25, overtaking Dixie Dean of Everton's long-standing record in 1987.
- Record Attendance: 78,299 at Goodison Park, September 18, 1948 (Old Division One)
Switching Sides
It is rare for a player to play for both teams in their career due to the huge rivalry.
Everton then Liverpool
- Nick Barmby
- Fred Geary
- Dave Hickson
- David Johnson[1]
- Bill Lacey
- Steve McMahon[2]
- Darren Potter[3]
- Billy Scott[4]
- Abel Xavier
Liverpool then Everton
- Gary Ablett
- Peter Beardsley
- David Burrows
- Alan Harper
- Ben Howard-Baker
- Don Hutchison [5]
- Johnny Morrissey
- Jimmy Payne
- Kevin Sheedy
- Dave Watson[6]
- Sander Westerveld[7]
Notable Games
In truth every derby that produces a winner is notable for both sets of fans as victory brings with it the bragging rights in the city until the next derby comes around.
The first ever meeting was in the 1894/95 season when Everton won 3-0 at Goodison Park, it was only at Liverpool's sixth attempt that they beat Everton with a 3-1 win in 1897/98 at Anfield.
The first meeting between the two sides at Wembley Stadium came in the final of the 1984 League Cup with Liverpool eventually winning a replay (at Maine Road, Manchester) after the first tie at Wembley was drawn.
Later that year the clubs met again at Wembley Stadium in the FA Charity Shield. Everton emerged as the victors thanks to a Bruce Grobbelaar own goal.
The 1986 & 1989 FA Cup finals are still the only Merseyside derby finals in the competition to date with Liverpool victorious on both occasions, 3-1 and 3-2 (AET) respectively.
November 6, 1982 saw a dominant Liverpool side beat Everton 5-0 at Goodison Park with Ian Rush scoring 4 of the goals.
On February 21, 1991, an epic 4-4 FA Cup match saw Everton come from behind 4 times. It is generally regarded as one of the greatest Merseyside derbies ever. Everton won a replay days later and Liverpool's manager Kenny Dalglish subsequently resigned.
In 2001 as part of Liverpool's run to a cup treble and securing of a 3rd place, champions league spot, Gary McAllister curled in a 30 yard freekick in the 94th minute to give Liverpool a decisive 3-2 win.
In the 2001/02 Goodison Derby, Liverpool stuck 3 goals past Eveton again in a 3-1 victory, goals coming from Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and a supurb solo goal from John Arne Riise.
In the 2003/04 Goodison Derby, Liverpool kick started their season with a 3-0 victory thanks to two goals from Michael Owen and then a great strike from Harry Kewell, this was Kewell's 1st goal for Liverpool. In the 2003/04 Goodison Derby, Liverpool kick started their season with a 3-0 victory thanks to two goals from Michael Owen and then a great strike from Harry Kewell, this was Kewell's 1st goal for Liverpool.
- In 2005/06, Liverpool completed a League double over Everton, beating them 3-1 at Goodison Park thanks to goals from Peter Crouch, Steven Gerrard and Djibril Cisse, Everton had 2 players sent off in Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta. Liverpool then beat them at Anfield 3-1 in a classic derby, Steven Gerrard got sent off inside 20 minutes with 2 bookable offences and Liverpool had to battle on with 10 men. On the stroke of half time, Phil Neville headed into his own net from a Xabi Alonso corner and immedietly after half time Luis Garcia chipped Richard Wright from a Jose Reina pass to make it 2-0 to the ten men. Everton hit back through Tim Cahill before Andy Van Der Meyde got sent off for elbowing Xabi Alonso, the game was wrapped up when Harry Kewell scored a cracking goal from 25 yards infront of a delighted Kop.
- The 2006 Goodison Park derby saw Everton beating Liverpool 3-0, scoring three goals for the first time in a league derby since 1966, and the first time at Goodison since 1904 with goals from Tim Cahill and a double from (then) club record signing Andy Johnson.
- The 2007 derby at Goodison became controversial when Everton, who were leading at the end of the first half through a Sami Hyypia own goal, were denied two penalty appeals both involving Joleon Lescott, first with Steve Finnan and then with Jamie Carragher in the last few seconds of the game.
The next Merseyside Derby will be on March 29th 2008.
Doing the Double
It is quite rare for either team to beat the other in both league games in one season. Liverpool have managed it 11 times and Everton 7 times. An 8th Everton double would have occurred in the 1999-2000 season when Everton, having won 1-0 at Anfield, could have won the return at Goodison when in the last minute Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld inadvertently blasted a clearance against the back of Everton's Don Hutchison. Referee Graham Poll disallowed the goal, claiming that time had already been called. Poll would later confess in his autobiography that his decision was wrong and that the goal should have stood.
Everton
Liverpool
Season | Anfield Score | Goodison Score |
---|---|---|
1908-1909 | 0-1 | 5-0 |
1911-1912 | 1-3 | 2-1 |
1928-1929 | 1-2 | 1-0 |
1931-1932 | 1-3 | 2-1 |
1938-1939 | 0-3 | 2-1 |
1964-1965 | 0-4 | 2-1 |
1984-1985 | 0-1 | 1-0 |
Season | Anfield Score | Goodison Score |
---|---|---|
1898-1899 | 2-0 | 1-2 |
1920-1921 | 1-0 | 0-3 |
1922-1923 | 5-1 | 0-1 |
1924-1925 | 3-1 | 0-1 |
1947-1948 | 4-0 | 0-3 |
1972-1973 | 1-0 | 0-2 |
1981-1982 | 3-1 | 1-3 |
1989-1990 | 3-1 | 1-2 |
1990-1991 | 3-2 | 1-3 |
2000-2001 | 3-2 | 1-3 |
2005-2006 | 3-1 | 1-3 |
Full game list
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |
2000-2007
1992-1999
1980-1991
NB: Scorers before 1992 are not available
Date | Stadium | Competition | Score |
---|---|---|---|
28th December 1991 | Goodison Park | Football League First Division | 1-1 |
31st August 1991 | Anfield | Football League First Division | 3-1 Liverpool |
27th February 1991 | |||
17th February 1991 | Anfield | FA Cup Rnd 5 | 0-0 |
Wembley Games
Year | Competition | Winner | Liverpool Goals | Score | Everton Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | FA Cup | Liverpool | Aldridge 4', Rush 94', 104' | 3 - 2 aet | McCall 89', 102' |
1986 | Charity Shield | Draw | Rush 88' | 1 - 1 Title shared |
Heath 80' |
1986 | FA Cup | Liverpool | Rush 57' 84', Johnston 63' | 3 - 1 | Lineker 28' |
1984 | Charity Shield | Everton | 1 - 0 | Grobbelaar (o.g) | |
1984 | League Cup | Draw (Liverpool won replay 1-0 at Maine Road) | 0 - 0 |
External links
Notes
- ^ Played for Ipswich Town in between.
- ^ Played for Aston Villa in between.
- ^ Played for Blackburn Rovers in between.
- ^ Played for Leeds City in between.
- ^ Played for West Ham United and Sheffield United in between.
- ^ Played for Norwich City in between.
- ^ Played for Real Sociedad and Portsmouth in between. He only played for Everton for a very brief loan (from Portsmouth) spell due to a keeper crisis at Everton as Nigel Martyn and Richard Wright were both injured and Iain Turner was banned.