20 Classic Merseyside Derby Moments
Everton and Liverpool will lock horns for the 221st Merseyside derby on Saturday in the latest installment of one of English football's most special rivalries.
Since the first meeting of the pair on 13 October 1894 (two years after Liverpool broke away from Everton to form their own club), there have been countless memorable moments across 119 years of competition.
But what are the best?
Here we count down the top 20 moments and matches that make the Merseyside rivalry so special, starting with the day that a Liverpool legend first really announced himself to his fans.
20. Introducing: Steven Gerrard
1 of 20
In early April 1999, a topsy-turvy Anfield derby stood at 2-1 to Liverpool when a teenager by the name of Steven Gerrard took to the field 19 minutes from time, with further goals from Patrik Berger and Francis Jeffers quickly taking the score to 3-2 to the Reds.
Everton were pressing for an equaliser, and it was up to Gerrard to help defend Liverpool's lead.
With home goalkeeper David James looking nervy, it was left to right-back Gerrard, in just his eighth Premier League appearance, to produce two dramatic goal-line clearances to preserve the lead for Gerard Houllier's side.
A star was born.
19. Don Hutchison Is Denied
2 of 20
The Good Friday meeting at Goodison Park in April 2000 hadn't been a classic, but as ever with this fixture, an element of controversy wasn't far away.
With the game goalless in the closing stages, Reds goalkeeper Sander Westerveld struck a free-kick against the back of Blues midfielder Don Hutchison, with the ball bouncing back over the Dutchman's head and dropping into the net.
However, whilst the ball was in the air controversial referee Graham Poll had decided to blow his full-time whistle, ensuring that the goal didn't stand.
Poll later admitted to the official Everton website that he'd made a mistake and should have awarded the goal, not that that helped the Blues at all.
18. Gerrard Goes from Hero to Zero (Eight)
3 of 20
With Liverpool having recently been awarded the status of European Capital of Culture for 2008, the March 2006 meeting at Anfield was seen as the perfect chance to promote the city.
Steven Gerrard and Everton's James Beattie took to the field sporting '08' on their backs instead of their usual No. 8 shirts, but Beattie was ineffectual on the day, and for Gerrard it was even worse.
Two wild challenges from the Liverpool skipper in the opening 18 minutes led to referee Phil Dowd giving him the second Merseyside derby red card of his career, with the Everton fans in the Anfield Road end erupting with joy when he was sent off.
Liverpool made light of losing their captain so early on, though, and still won the game 3-1.
17. "Big Dunc" Batters Reds to Give Royle a Regal Start
4 of 20
Everton were on the floor when Liverpool visited in November 1994, but they were picked up by two men who are considered among their greatest-ever forwards.
A run of just one win in 16 matches had left the Blues at rock bottom of the Premier League and led to the appointment of Joe Royle as manager, with the former Blues forward getting off to the perfect start when Duncan Ferguson scored a trademark header to give his side the lead.
Paul Rideout added a second goal late on to give Everton a much-needed 2-0 victory, a fine win in a season in which they'd go on to lift the FA Cup.
16. Juggling Reina Is Beaten by Johnson
5 of 20
Following Champions League and FA Cup Final victories in successive seasons, Liverpool were supposed to be on the verge of greatness at the beginning of 2006/07, but Everton dragged them back down to earth.
The Blues won an early-season derby 3-0 at Goodison Park, with their highlight coming when Reds goalkeeper Pepe Reina inexplicably juggled Mikel Arteta's long-range shot late on, with Andy Johnson taking full advantage for his second goal of the game.
15. Dixie Dean's Two Anfield Trebles
6 of 20
Everton goalscoring legend William Ralph "Dixie" Dean scored an astonishing 37 hat-tricks for the club, 30 more than anyone else ever managed.
Two of those trebles came at Anfield, with the forward punishing Liverpool with clinical displays of striking in both 1928 and 1931 in front of a combined attendance of over 100,000.
The first of those matches ended in a 3-3 draw, with Everton winning the second 3-1.
14. Barmby Writes His Own Script
7 of 20
Sport doesn't usually happen like this away from the silver screen.
Nick Barmby had made an acrimonious switch from Everton to Liverpool in the summer of 2000, and within 12 minutes of his first appearance against them in red, he found the net.
The midfielder headed home a fierce Christian Ziege cross right in front of the Blues fans who used to idolise him in the Anfield Road end, with Emile Heskey and Patrik Berger adding the other goals in Liverpool's 3-1 win.
13. Suarez and Carroll Double Up at Wembley
8 of 20
In what had been dubbed the biggest derby for years, Liverpool and Everton converged on Wembley in April 2012 with a place in the FA Cup Final at stake.
For a long time it looked as though Everton were going to get it, as Nikica Jelavic profited from slack Reds defending to put Everton ahead.
The roles were reversed in the second period when a calamitous backpass from Sylvain Distin allowed Luis Suarez in to equalise, with Liverpool then sealing victory in the closing minutes when Andy Carroll headed in Craig Bellamy's free-kick.
The Geordie may have cost Liverpool a lot, but this winner was priceless.
12. The Clive Thomas Incident
9 of 20
They are two words which still send shivers down the spine of many Evertonians of a certain age: Clive Thomas.
The Welsh World Cup referee surprisingly disallowed what would have been a late winning goal for Everton's Bryan Hamilton in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Manchester City's Maine Road (pictured) in April 1977, a shock decision which surprised even the Reds fans.
Amazingly Thomas had controversially disallowed a Hamilton goal when he was playing for Ipswich against West Ham in the FA Cup semi-final two years earlier, but Everton fans took this later one more seriously.
To make matters worse for them, Liverpool held on to draw 2-2 and then won the replay 3-0 four days later.
11. Sandy Brown Becomes a Legend, for the Wrong Reasons
10 of 20
In Sunday League football up and down Merseyside, you still often hear of players "doing a Sandy Brown."
The origins of the reference come from December 1969, when Liverpool won 3-0 at Goodison Park with the help of a comical own goal from the Everton defender.
In attempting to clear a cross, Brown only succeeded in planting a header into his own net, much to the joy of the away fans from the other side of Stanley Park.
10. Stevie Three
11 of 20
A forthcoming FA Cup quarter-final was on David Moyes' mind when he made several changes for a midweek Anfield derby in March 2012, but Liverpool wouldn't change Steven Gerrard for anybody.
The captain scored a hat-trick in Liverpool's 3-0 win, with the pick of goals coming with a terrific chipped finish over Tim Howard after the American had initially blocked Martin Kelly's effort.
Luis Suarez set up Gerrard for two more strikes to complete his hat-trick in front of the Kop, the kind of achievement he'd have dreamed about as a youngster.
9. Suarez Takes a Tumble in Front of Moyes, and so Does Neville
12 of 20
Then Everton boss David Moyes had sought to ramp up the pressure ahead of last year's Goodison derby by claiming that Luis Suarez was a diver, and he was proved right.
When Suarez's fierce drive flashed across the goalmouth and was turned in by Everton's Leighton Baines, the Uruguayan reacted by sprinting towards Moyes and doing a comedy fall right in front of the Scot.
Suarez then scored to put Liverpool 2-0 up, only for Leon Osman and Steven Naismith to draw Everton level, with Blues skipper Phil Neville then embarrassingly booked for a dive over a Daniel Agger challenge, something that Moyes wouldn't have seen coming.
8. Dan Gosling Turns Liverpool's Lights out
13 of 20
The FA Cup fourth-round replay tie at Goodison in February 2009 hadn't been a classic, and with the game goalless, TV viewers were waiting for a penalty shootout in the match's closing stages.
Those viewers saw Liverpool, who had had Lucas Leiva sent off, defending an Everton attack late in extra-time when British broadcaster ITV suddenly lost their pictures.
In many regions, when the footage returned it was to images of youngster Dan Gosling celebrating what proved to be the winner, a fine finish that more people deserved to see.
7. Robbie Fowler "Eats the Grass"
14 of 20
False drug rumours about Robbie Fowler were infamous in Liverpool throughout the forward's Reds career, with many believing that Everton fans were behind them.
Fowler chose to hit back in the Anfield derby of April 1999, when he celebrated one of his two goals by pretending to snort the touchline a la cocaine right in front of the Blues supporters.
Following Liverpool's 3-2 win manager Gerard Houllier sensed that Fowler could be in hot water with the FA, and gave the farcical explanation that his star forward was miming a grass eating celebration apparently taught to him by Cameroonian teammate Rigobert Song.
Needless to say the attempt fell on deaf ears and Fowler, who was already in trouble following an earlier incident with Chelsea's Graeme Le Saux, was banned for six matches and fined £32,000.
6. The First All-Merseyside FA Cup Final
15 of 20
Liverpool and Everton were undoubtedly the two best teams in the country in the mid-1980s, with the Reds pipping the Blues to the league title by two points thanks to a winning goal from player-manager Kenny Dalglish on the final day of the season at Chelsea.
A week later, Merseyside converged on Wembley for the 1986 FA Cup final, the first ever between the close rivals.
Gary Lineker outpaced his future Match of the Day colleagues Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson to give Everton the lead, an advantage which they kept until half-time.
Liverpool came roaring back in the second half, though, with two goals from frequent Everton-slayer Ian Rush and a Craig Johnston strike ensuring victory for the Reds and a glorious league and cup double.
5. McAllister's Magical Moment
16 of 20
Liverpool were fighting on three fronts at the tail end of the 2000/01 season, and veteran midfielder Gary McAllister was proving their inspiration.
Having already won the League Cup, Gerard Houllier's side would go on to lift the FA and UEFA Cups as well as qualify for the Champions League, with that latter cause dramatically helped here.
A chaotic Merseyside derby at Goodison Park had seen four goals, a missed penalty for Robbie Fowler, a red card for Igor Biscan and a dubious penalty given against Sami Hyypia when McAllister lined up a free-kick from over 40 yards out deep into stoppage time.
Whilst everyone waited for the Scot to swing in a cross towards the likes of Hyypia and Emile Heskey, he cleverly spotted that home goalkeeper Paul Gerrard had ventured too far away from his right hand post, and McAllister curled a brilliant effort into the corner of the net to spark delirious scenes among the visitors, and desolation for the hosts.
4. "Rush Scored One, Rush Scored Two..."
17 of 20
This is a game that they still sing about on the Kop today, as Ian Rush's four goals at Goodison Park flattened Everton in November 1982.
Liverpool were on their way to another league title, and they turned in a sumptuous performance as Rush helped himself to four strikes past his Wales international teammate Neville Southall.
Mark Lawrenson scored the Reds' other goal in a commanding 5-0 win, a result which still equals the highest margin of victory in this fixture for 78 years.
3. Dalglish Resigns Following Eight-Goal FA Cup Thriller
18 of 20
An epic FA Cup fifth round replay at Goodison Park in February 1991 surely remains as the most entertaining meeting between the two teams, with Everton pegging Liverpool back to equalise four times.
The clash ended 3-3 after normal time and then 4-4 after an extra half hour, with all who watched transfixed by a stunning contest.
The match took its toll on Reds manager Kenny Dalglish, though, and with various other pressures surrounding him at the time, he sensationally resigned as boss just two days later.
2. Wembley Falls Silent
19 of 20
In April 2012 the wider facts about the Hillsborough disaster 23 years earlier were beginning to become known to those who had previously disregarded them, and a strong visual message was sent out to the public in the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Everton (the match that is No. 13 on our list).
The Blues have always stood shoulder to shoulder with the Reds throughout efforts to find out just how 96 people lost their lives on April 15th 1989, and they did so again here.
Captains Steven Gerrard and Phil Neville carried flowers onto the pitch, and supporters held an impeccable minute's silence to respect both the dead and their families.
It wasn't for the first time.
1. The 1989 FA Cup Final: Merseyside United
20 of 20
In the immediate aftermath of Hillsborough, Everton offered all the support that they could to Liverpool.
It was fitting that, after the Reds had won the rearranged 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, they would meet the Blues in the final for the second all-Merseyside showpiece in four years.
Just as they had four years earlier, supporters headed south in their droves, but there was a different atmosphere about the final this time around, with a huge amount of respect shown for 96 people who had died just over a month prior.
When it came to the football, the two teams played out a match that was a fitting marker to the fallen.
John Aldridge's early goal gave Liverpool the lead, before Everton substitute Stuart McCall equalised for the Blues with just a minute remaining.
Liverpool sub Ian Rush then scored at the start of extra-time, and after McCall grabbed his second the Welshman struck again to give Liverpool a 3-2 win on an unforgettable afternoon, for many reasons.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
