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Information About

Merseyside Derby




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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). Claims have been made down the years that the clubs are split on religious lines, similar to the Glasgow derby, and largely due to the high volume of Liverpudlians of Irish descent from both religions. In truth there is no evidence to back this up and both sides have forged traditional links with both Glasgow clubs in equal measure. Both club's fans have songs which are shared with Glasgow Celtic , Liverpool's Fields Of Anfield Road and Everton's It's A Grand Old Team while both also have combined Liverpool/Rangers or Everton/Rangers supporters clubs in Northern Ireland.

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.


HISTORY AND RESULTS

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 15 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


Liverpool then Everton




NOTABLE GAMES


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 40 yard freekick in the 94th minute to give Liverpool a decisive 3-2 win.

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 club record signing Andy Johnson . This was only Everton's second win over Liverpool in seven years and took them to the top of the Premier League.


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.


Everton



Liverpool



WEMBLEY GAMES



EXTERNAL LINKS



NOTES