Merseyside derby

Merseyside derby
The derby on 25 March 2006
Other namesThe friendly derby
LocationLiverpool
TeamsEverton
Liverpool
First meeting13 October 1894
First Division
Everton 3–0 Liverpool[1]
Latest meeting24 April 2024
Premier League
Everton 2–0 Liverpool[2]
Next meeting7 December 2024
Premier League
Everton v Liverpool
StadiumsAnfield (Liverpool)
Goodison Park (Everton)
Statistics
Meetings total244
Most winsLiverpool (99)
Most player appearancesNeville Southall (41)
Top scorerIan Rush (25)
All-time seriesLiverpool: 99
Drawn: 77
Everton: 68
Largest victoryLiverpool 6–0 Everton (1935)[3]

The Merseyside derby is the name given to association football matches between Everton and Liverpool, two clubs based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is the longest running top-flight derby in England, with its first official match being played on 13 October 1894. The derby has been played continuously since the 1962–63 season. Part of the rivalry is due to the close proximity of the two clubs' home grounds, being less than a mile apart and within sight of each other across Stanley Park. Everton play their home matches at Goodison Park, while Liverpool play theirs at Anfield.[4][5]

The Merseyside derby was traditionally referred to as the "friendly derby" because of the large number of families in the city with both Everton and Liverpool supporters,[6] and it was one of the few that did not enforce total fan segregation.[7] The 1984 Football League Cup final at Wembley was nicknamed the "friendly final" due to almost all sections of the ground being mixed and supporters of both teams banding together to chant "Merseyside". The 1986 FA Cup final witnessed similar scenes of solidarity.[8] Since the mid-1980s, the rivalry has intensified on and off the field, and has seen more red cards given than any other game since the creation of the Premier League.[9]

  1. ^ "THE STORY OF THE BLUES: FIRST-EVER MERSEYSIDE DERBY". Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Everton 2-0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Liverpool 6–0 Everton". Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Class telling in FA Cup". The Times. 31 January 1955.
  5. ^ "Liverpool v Everton: The changing face of the Merseyside derby". BBC Sport. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  6. ^ The Merseyside derby Archived 2 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine, footballderbies.com. Retrieved 11 February 2007
  7. ^ "Fans segregation enforced for Everton v Liverpool derby". BBC News. 7 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Have we lost the Merseyside derby spirit?". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Liverpool Echo. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  9. ^ Smith, Rory (7 February 2010). "Liverpool 1 Everton 0: match report". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Toxic in the stands, brutal on the pitch. The Merseyside derby.. to those involved it remains a battle of all or nothing proportions