Join us at Sportsbreaks.com as we dive into one of the most highly anticipated derbies in English football.
We’ll explore the history of the Merseyside derby and the iconic home of Everton FC where this fixture has taken place for over 129 years.
The history of the Merseyside Derby
With the team’s only being a stone’s throw away from each other across Stanley Park, it is the closest rivalries in football. Its origins date back to 1894 when the first game was played between the local rivals.
In that game it was Everton who came out victorious, winning the match 3-0. Following that the two clubs continued to compete in various different leagues and eventually in 1962 they faced each other in the first division and the Merseyside Derby became one of the biggest rivalries in English football.
Often coined ‘The Friendly Derby’, the Merseyside Derby historically didn’t segregate fans from one another in the stadiums during these derby games and for the most place, violence didn’t seem commonplace, and as a result it came to be known as ‘The Friendly Derby.’ In many households across the city, you can still find families divided between the two clubs.
Now we’re used to seeing much more intense rivalries between these two clubs with the match-up holding the record for the greatest number of red cards.
The home of Everton FC, Goodison Park
Everton played their first few games at their competitors Anfield stadium, but after rent disputes the blue side of the Mersey ventured to find a new home. The landed on the other side of Stanley Park, less than a mile from their old home and named their site after the road that ran alongside it.
Goodison Park became the new home Everton and embarked on an ambitious project that eventually saw England’s first ever modern stadium, purpose-built for football. After further developments to the ground in 1938 it also became the first stadium with four sides of two-tier stands to home their growing and dedicated fanbase.
This historic ground has also made a name for itself in the record books for hosting more top-flight football games than any other stadium in England. Notable top matches hosted there include the 1894 FA Cup Final and the 1910 FA Cup final replay and the World Cup semi-final in 1966.
Despite such history, the iconic stadium only has one more year of glory before the blue side of Liverpool move to their new home, the Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Everton vs. Liverpool – historic clashes
First Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park as part of the Premier League
The very first Merseyside Derby under the new Premier League banner was hosted at Goodison Park in December of 1992, and was a notable battle. Mark Wright put Liverpool up after 62 minutes, but within a minute Everton found an equaliser and then went on to find a winner through Peter Beardsley who scored with just six minutes left, taking the lead 3-1.
Everton’s biggest home win over Liverpool since 1964
9th September 2006 saw Everton come out firing on all cylinders for their home Merseyside Derby fixture. The team won with a convincing 3-0 victory with goals from Tim Cahill and Andrew Johnson. It was their biggest victory against their rivals in more than 40 years, and they have not won by a 3-goal margin against Liverpool since.
A game of tennis
In a thrilling derby clash at Goodison Park on 23rd November 2013 saw the two teams end on a 3-3 draw thanks to some late drama. Both teams scored early, but Liverpool had the edge going into halftime with two goals to Everton’s one. Then came James McCarthy in the 72nd minute to score Everton’s equaliser, 10-minutes later Lukaku scored again for Everton to put them in the lead. With one minute of regular time left, Daniel Sturridge scored for Liverpool to claw back a point for the Reds.
Everton’s recent rise
Liverpool have dominated the Merseyside derby in recent years, but the latest match-up at Goodison Park saw the home side hold their own and take points from The Reds. April 2024 saw Everton take a 2-0 win against their cross-town rivals with goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
What’s to come
It’s not too late to get your tickets for this year’s Merseyside Derby at Anfield, you can register your interest in tickets on our Everton FC ticket page.
Join us for more stories, updates, and fan experiences at SportsBreaks.com, where the game never ends and every match is more than just a game.
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