Merseyside derby

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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 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 Bristol derby does) or from religious denominations (as the Glasgow derby does) so fans intermingle at work and socially.

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.

1 History and Results
2 Records
3 Switching Sides
4 Boyhood supporters playing for rivals
5 Notable Games
6 Doing the Double
- 6.1 Everton
- 6.2 Liverpool
7 Wembley Games
8 External links
9 Notes

[edit] History and Results

To date, there have been 205 Merseyside derbies with 79 Liverpool wins, 65 Everton wins, and 62 draws.

[edit] 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.
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 victory in a league match is 6-0 recorded by Liverpool at Goodison Park in the 1935/36 season.
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 1989.
Record Attendance: 78,299 at Goodison Park, September 18, 1948 (Old Division One)

[edit] Switching Sides

It is extremely rare for a player to play for both teams in their career due to the huge rivalry.

Everton then Liverpool

Liverpool then Everton

[edit] Boyhood supporters playing for rivals

There have been many players who have come through the academies of Everton and Liverpool or have become legends for one club while actually being supporters of their rivals.

Everton Fans who play/ed for Liverpool

Liverpool fans who play/ed for Everton

[edit] Notable Games

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.

On November 6, 1982, a fantastic game 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.

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Everton

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

Everton were denied the double in 1999-2000 premiership season by a controversial decision from referee Graham Poll. Everton had earlier in the season beaten Liverpool at Anfield 0-1. With the score at 0-0 in the return match, seconds remained, Sander Westerveld hit the back of Don Hutchison with a goal kick. The ball went into the net, but Poll claimed that time had already been called.

There have been many other controversial incidents in derbies in the last thirty years.

In 1977 Everton fans were convinced they had secured a last gasp victory in the F A cup semi final over their rivals when Brian Hamilton scored with three minutes remaining. The referee, Clive Thomas disallowed the goal, caliming that he thought Hamilton must have used a hand to guide the ball into the net while admitting that he had not actually seen such an offence. It transpired that Hamilton had actually used his hip. The match therefore ended 2-2 with Liverpool winning the replay.

In the 1984 League cup final at Wembley a goalbound Everton shot was cleared off the line by Liverpool defender Alan Hansen. The Everton player instantly appealed for a penalty, claiming Hansan had used his hand to keep the ball out. The referee disagreed and play continued. TV replays confirmed that Hansen had indeed used his hand and under the rules should have been sent from the field and a penalty awarded. The match ended 0-0 with Liverpool again winning the replay.

In the 1989 F A cup final Liverpool led through an early goal and had looked reasonably comfortable as the game moved into its final seconds. Everton launched one final effort to score a last gasp equaliser. Liverpool players however rightly claimed that an Everton player, Tony Cottee was in an offside position, standing on the goal line and jumping over the ball as it entered the net. The referee decided that he wasn't interfearing with play and the match went to extra time. Liverpool recovered to win 3-2.

[edit] Liverpool

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

[edit] Wembley Games

Year	Competition	Winner	Goals	Score	Goals	Runner-up
1989	FA Cup	Liverpool	John Aldridge 4', Rush 94', 104'	3 - 2 aet	Stuart McCall 89', 102'	Everton
1986	Charity Shield	Everton	Heath 80'	1 - 1 Title shared	Rush 88'	Liverpool
1986	FA Cup	Liverpool	Rush 57' 84', Johnston 63'	3 - 1	Lineker 28'	Everton
1984	Charity Shield	Everton	Grobbelaar (o.g)	1 - 0		Liverpool

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

^ Played for Ipswich Town in between.
^ Played for Aston Villa in between.
^ Played for Blackburn Rovers 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.