Merseyside Derby

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Lore & Background

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, and it was one of the few that did not enforce total fan segregation. 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. 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. In the 2010s, the derby was dominated by Liverpool, arguably becoming the most one-sided in the English top-flight. Despite this, it has become more competitive in recent years.

In Their Own Story

The 1980s marked a dramatic shift from Liverpool's dominance to Everton's challenge. After Howard Kendall took over in 1981–82, Everton emerged as serious threats. The 1984–85 season saw Everton win the league while Liverpool languished near relegation early on, eventually finishing second. The climax came in 1986 when both clubs contested the first all-Merseyside FA Cup final at Wembley; despite an early Gary Lineker goal for Everton, Ian Rush scored twice and Craig Johnston added another to secure the double for Liverpool. The rivalry remained fierce into 1987–88, with Everton winning the title after a 3–1 Anfield victory in April 1987. Tragedy touched the fixture in 1989 when Everton became Liverpool's first opponents after the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April; the league game ended goalless, followed by another all-Merseyside FA Cup final where Liverpool won 3–2 in extra time with goals from Rush and Aldridge.

Reader's Guide

Everton Football Club were founded in 1878 and from 1884 played their home matches at Anfield, which was owned by club chairman John Houlding. Several board members of Everton were members of the Liberal Party, who were associated with the National Temperance Federation, whilst Houlding was a Conservative Party member and a brewer whose business interests were diametrically opposed to the temperance movement. Politics and disputes over money meant that Houlding was increasingly at odds with other members of the Everton board. Friction arose between the retention of an autocratic ownership structure versus the creation of a more democratic one which closely mapped the sociopolitical divide. The result was that the Everton directors vacated Anfield in 1892 and purchased a new ground at Goodison Park on the other side of Stanley Park. Houlding responded by creating a new club, Liverpool Football Club, to use Anfield. During the 1960s, Liverpool and Everton were regular winners of domestic trophies, but while Liverpool went from strength to strength in the 1970s and 1980s, Everton went through a relatively barren spell after their 1970 title triumph and did not win a major trophy for the next 14 years.

Did You Know?

• The first official Merseyside derby was played on 13 October 1894.
• The 1984 Football League Cup final was nicknamed the 'friendly final' due to mixed sections of supporters chanting 'Merseyside'.
• The Merseyside derby has seen more red cards than any other game since the creation of the Premier League.
• Everton did not win a major trophy for 14 years after their 1970 title triumph.