One of the fiercest cross-town rivalries resumes on Monday evening when Liverpool make the short trip to the Goodison Park to take on the Toffees for the 205th Merseyside derby. The derby that splits families across the city of Liverpool has been an entertaining affair over the years and promises to be a sizzling affair yet again as the Reds are back in their marauding form, while Everton come into the game on the back of a resounding victory over the high-flying Arsenal.
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The game is definitely the talking point for millions of fans worldwide this weekend and in this segment, we recount some of the brilliant individual performances put in the players since the inception of the Premier League.
#1 Gary McAllister (2000-01)
The Scot’s arrival at Anfield raised quite a few eyebrows and the reaction was justified. The then 35-year-old had been plying his trade with Coventry City, who were primarily a bottom half club and while he brought him with him the requisite experience, the move to sign him seemed like a desperate roll of the dice by manager Gerard Houllier. However, the former Leicester, Leeds United, and Motherwell midfielder soon became a fan favourite at Anfield owing to his impressive performance in the middle of the park for the Reds.
The midfielder’s greatest moment in a Red shirt came in the Merseyside derby game in April 2001. After Duncan Ferguson and David Unsworth had equalised for Everton after Liverpool led via goals from Emile Heskey and Marcus Babbel, the game seemed to be heading towards a draw, thus piling on more pressure on the Reds, who were losing the plot in their chase of Champions League qualification.
Liverpool were handed a free-kick late in the injury time of the second half of the second half from 40 yards and it looked like a lost cause just trying to score from the distance. Cometh the moment, cometh the man. McAllister took the decisive kick and etched himself in the folklore of the Merseyside derby as he scored a wonderful free-kick to earn Liverpool the decisive three points.
#2 Andy Johnson (2005-06)
Some would argue that the loss experienced by Liverpool was a result of their own defensive inadequacies rather than the quality in the Everton attack, this is a game that Everton fans love to remind the Reds about.
Everton had been on fire coming into the game and looked like the better of the two sides in the opening minutes and were duly rewarded when Tim Cahill punished the Liverpool defence in the 23rd minute after the ball fell loose to him in the Liverpool box.
Andy Johnson, who had already exposed Liverpool’s defence with his pace took the centre-stage thereafter and made the game his own with certain sections of the media even going on to dub it the “Andy Johnson Derby”. Jamie Carragher failed to deal perfectly with a Lee Carsley ball and the Englishman was on hand to find the back of the net and double Everton’s lead in the 35th minute.
While Liverpool dominated thereafter and came close on numerous occasions, they could not find a way back into the game and Johnson could have found the back of the net from close range with Pepe Reina caught out of position. However, the Englishman was at the right place at the right time late in the game to make amends for his earlier miss and punish Pepe Reina for his error to score Everton’s third and final goal of the evening to record their greatest ever victory over Liverpool in 42 years.
#3 Steven Gerrard (2012-13)
The game marked 10 years of David Moyes being at the helm of affairs at the Goodison Park. However, what unfolded was a complete Reds domination and a game to remember for the Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
The English midfielder opened the scoring for the Reds from the edge of the area in the 34th minute with his left-foot after the ball had fallen loose to leave the Liverpool fans ecstatic. The Liverpool captained doubled his side’s lead in the 51st minute when he let fly after Luis Suarez had tormented the Everton defence.
The Reds were dominant through the game and the icing on the cake came late in the injury time when the duo of Suarez and Gerrard combined again to score Liverpool’s final and third goal of the evening at the Kop end to ensure the game went down as a Steven Gerrard special.
Gerrard, who had already etched himself into the glorious memoirs of Liverpool also ensured that a few more records were added to his name on the evening. His hat trick was the first scored in a Merseyside derby since 1982 and he also became the first Liverpool player to score a hat-trick at Anfield since 1935 and was also Liverpool’s 300th goal against Everton in all competitions.
#4 Daniel Sturridge (2013-14)
Liverpool had one of the best seasons of recent times in 2013-14 and they took the world by storm, coming very close to winning their first Premier League title and one combination was on fire through the season, the SAS. The Suarez and Sturridge combination was the most dreaded one in the League and they possessed the ability to tear apart defences at will and they did so with aplomb against Everton at home.
It was Everton’s nemesis Steven Gerrard, who opened the proceedings, finding the back of the net via a Suarez corner in the 23rd minute and thereafter, it was all about Liverpool. The Uruguayan was on hand to find his strike partner in an advantageous situation and the Englishman chipped the ball over the onrushing Tim Howard in the 33rd minute.
Sturridge did not have to wait for very long to double his goals tally in the game as he was sent running by a Kolo Toure through ball from the top and the Englishman obliged by lobbing the ball over Tim Howard to score his second and Liverpool’s third.
Liverpool went on to score one more goal via Suarez to complete a comprehensive victory over Everton and leave the Kop singing “Are you Moysey in disguise?” to the visiting manager Roberto Martinez. While Luis Suarez was the architect of the victory, it was Sturridge who showed an incredible ability as a striker to help his side beat Everton and record one of his best games in a Reds shirt.
#5 Phil Jagielka (2014-15)
After a blistering 2013-14 season, when the SAS took the Premier League by the storm, the Reds were brought back to earth post the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona. However, like any other Merseyside derby, a lot was expected of both the teams from the game and it surely did not disappoint.
It was Liverpool’s talisman Steven Gerrard, who opened the scoring in the 65th minute via a trademark free kick. The Reds maintained their tempo and the game looked done and dusted as it entered the injury time in the second half.
However, Everton’s captain on the evening, Phil Jagielka had other plans as he thundered home a half-volley with just over a minute left to send the travelling Everton fans into a frenzy and ensure that the points were split between the two sides. Roberto Martinez was in awe of the goal scored by his captain and described it in the best possible manner by claiming that it was “the best live goal I’ve ever seen” and few could not agree with him.
What made the goal even more special for the travellers was that Jagielka scored the goal in front of the Kop end to truly rub salt into the wounds of the Reds and the strike will definitely be remembered for a long time to come.
