With the 231st Merseyside Derby approaching this weekend we take a look back at some of Everton’s greatest and most memorable wins over the team from the other side of Stanley Park. Let’s hope these fine Blues performances can inspire the current side this Saturday.
First off we start with a few big Everton wins from the mists of times past.
April 1904: Everton 5-2 Liverpool, First Division
The Football League had been founded in 1888 and was now firmly established in the country’s sporting calendar.
The Blues had become the second club to win the league championship when they took the title in 1891, playing at Anfield, before Liverpool FC was even founded.
This First Division match was played on April Fool’s Day in front of 40,000 spectators at Goodison Park in the days when Everton were very much the senior club on Merseyside.
In fact Liverpool had only been in existence for just over a decade when this match was played.
At this time Everton were led by a celebrated Scottish international centre forward called Sandy Young and he scored a remarkable four goals as the Blues romped to a comprehensive win.
April 1909: Everton 5-0 Liverpool, First Division
Another season, another April derby and another 5 goals scored by Everton as they bettered the result from five years earlier with a thrashing of the Reds.
An even bigger crowd flocked into Goodison Park to watch this match as 45,000 made their way to the Grand Old Lady (although she was still a sprightly youngster at this time!).
Everton’s side contained several internationals including half-back Harry Makepeace who played both football and cricket for England.
October 1914: Liverpool 0-5 Everton, First Division
Our last match from this era is Everton’s biggest ever league victory at Anfield. Once more the Blues notched five goals against their neighbours, again without reply.
Harry Makepeace was still a fixture in the team and Everton had another Scottish centre-forward who starred for the team. This time it was Bobby Parker, who scored a hat-trick.
With the First World War just a few months old, this was the last league season before the competition was suspended for the duration of the conflict. Everton went on to claim the title, the club’s second.
August 1966: Everton 3-1 Liverpool, First Division
This derby game was the first of a new season in which Everton were the FA Cup winners and Liverpool League Champions from the season before.
Both teams were filled with talent, as you would expect from two of the leading sides in the country.
The Blues had England stars like Brian Labone, Ray Wilson and Alan Ball in their side. The last two had played in England’s World Cup winning side just a month earlier.
They also had legendary Scottish forward Alex Young, known to adoring Evertonians as ‘The Golden Vision’.
Liverpool had plenty of internationals too such as the Anglo-Scottish strike duo of Roger Hunt (another World Cup winner) and Ian St John.
Almost 65,000 somehow squeezed into Goodison Park on this day. Imagine a derby crowd of that size today!
The Toffees won with goals from Alan Ball and substitute Sandy Brown. At the end of this campaign Liverpool and Everton finished fifth and sixth respectively.
October 1978: Everton 1-0 Liverpool, First Division
Although this was not a great match and the Blues won by a single goal, it’s included because it was Everton’s first league derby win over their neighbours since 1971.
And the Toffees beat a Liverpool side that was dominating English and European football at the time.
These were dark days though for the blue half of Merseyside. Everton were a struggling mid-table team while Liverpool had just won a second straight European Cup and two of the last three league titles.
The Liverpool side that lined up for that match was filled with top quality British talent especially the three Scots, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish.
In contrast Everton’s team didn’t possess players of this calibre but despite this the Blues turned in a determined performance and a fine Andy King goal secured the points.
Unfortunately though the Reds went on to win the league title again that season while the Toffees could only finish fourth.
August 1984: Everton 1-0 Liverpool, FA Charity Shield
Moving on eight years we come to a match that marked the beginning of Everton’s greatest ever era of sustained success.
After so long in Liverpool’s shadow, the Blues were finally assembling a team that could compete with them. Having won the FA Cup in May Everton came into this game with their best chance of beating Liverpool in years.
This match was the second Wembley meeting of the two Merseyside clubs, but not the last in the eighties.
These occasions were a great opportunity for the people of the city to come together and celebrate football success in a decade of great hardship on Merseyside.
It was Everton who won a tightly contested match through an own-goal from Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar and showed they could beat the Reds in a big game.
October 1984: Liverpool 0-1 Everton, First Division
The Toffees went into this league derby at Anfield on the back of a resounding 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Goodison.
But they had not beaten Liverpool away since 1970 and the Reds were defending three-time straight league champions and European Cup holders.
If Everton were to be considered genuine title contenders then there was no better way than to beat the champions at Anfield.
And that’s exactly what they did thanks to a brilliant strike from Graeme Sharp who volleyed the winner from way outside the box. The goal even inspired a chant – ‘Graeme Sharp, superstar, shoots from miles past Grobelaar!’
This was a defining victory in a season that still ranks as the best in the club’s history. The Blues also beat Liverpool in the return fixture at Goodison Park (it’s still the last time they’ve done the league double) as they went on to win a first league title since 1970.
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March 1988: Everton 1-0 Liverpool, First Division
Just like ten years’ earlier this was not a memorable match for the quality of football, certainly not from the home team who were actually thoroughly out-played.
However the Toffees managed a one goal win over a Liverpool team that was about to break a long-standing record. The Reds had just equalled Leeds United’s record for going unbeaten for the first 29 league games in a season.
They came to Goodison Park seemingly unbeatable and in confident mood with forwards John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge running riot as they dominated the season.
The Blues though were defending league champions and were just as resolved to prevent their great rivals from breaking this record.
An early Wayne Clarke goal proved to be enough as Everton defended for their lives and ended Liverpool’s hopes of a new league record.
September 1999: Liverpool 0-1 Everton, Premiership
When the Blues came to Anfield for this league derby they were a struggling side that had only just avoided relegation the season before. Not many people including most Evertonians thought they would win this game.
But Kevin Campbell scored early and in a bad-tempered match that saw three red cards, (something that was to become a theme at this time), Everton held on for what is still the last league win at Anfield.
September 2006: Everton 3-0 Liverpool, Premiership
Our final derby memory is from a game played in 2006. At this time the Blues were a truly competitive team in the Premiership and Liverpool arrived at Goodison knowing they were in for a real test.
Manager David Moyes had a well-drilled and very hard-working side but also a team that could play some excellent football.
Next: More details on Blues new ground
Everton produced a fine display with Andy Johnson grabbing two goals including one when Pepe Reina spilled the ball into his path, to win 3-0 against their rivals and claim all three points.