Anfield was once home to Everton, long before The Reds were even a football club. Out of the ashes and determined to move out of the shadow of their would-be neighbours, Liverpool FC was formed in 1892. A dispute arose. Both clubs felt entitled to Anfield. Everton eventually made the short trip across Stanley Park to their current Goodison home, and from this dispute – a rivalry was born.
The ‘Friendly Derby’; the ‘Dirtiest Match in England’; the ‘Oldest Rivalry in Football’ – Call it what you want! This weekend, the UK will come to a standstill for 90 minutes and all eyes will be on the 228
th Merseyside Derby when Liverpool play Everton at Anfield in Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off.
A 3-0 victory for Everton at Goodison Park in 1894 was the first of many bloody battles to take place between two club’s whose stadiums are literally a stone’s throw from each other. On Saturday, they will come to blows once again in what will be their 50
th meeting in the Premier League era. This fixture has seen some real classics in recent years – the 3-3 draw in November 2013 was a real ‘thrill-a-minute’ see-saw battle that epitomised everything about this fixture. The lead changed hands multiple times until Liverpool clawed themselves level at the death before both sides spurned chances to win it. Much like in the early days when Everton constantly got the better of Liverpool, until the power shifted and Liverpool dominated English football for a generation. Everton’s 82 wins is now some way off Liverpool’s derby record of 116 wins. The blue half of Merseyside haven’t been able to brag about an Everton victory in seven years since a 2-0 win at Goodison Park in 2010. They have finished above their rivals just once the last 30 years and they haven’t won at Anfield since 1999.
Liverpool legend Bill Shankly famously once said “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” No fixture in England has as much power to divide, yet as much power to unite as the Merseyside derby. Following the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989 in which 96 people died, the two clubs have gone to great lengths to honour and respect those families who were affected, often putting the rivalry aside. In a fixture against Newcastle in September 2012, Everton fans paid a touching tribute before kick-off to the ‘96’ fans who lost their lives and although this game tears families apart for a day, they are still together in the end, united by one city.
There are sure to be fireworks and only one can come out on top but who will be left laughing and who will be left crying this April Fool’s Day?