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The Merseyside Derby – A Tale Of Two Brothers

They Merseyside derby is contested between Liverpool and Everton. It is the longest currently running top-flight derby in England, having been played at that level every season since 1962–63. This is a tale of two brother separated by footballing ideals , but together in a disaster. The  Hillsborough disaster till date brings every scouse together to pay homage to the lives lost no matter who they pledge their allegiance to. It has been given a “friendly derby” tag by some, but surely by whatever happens on the pitch, it doesn’t seem friendly in the slightest bit. Since the mid-1980s, the rivalry has intensified on and off the field, and since the inception of the Premier League the Merseyside derby has had more red cards than any other game, thus has been referred to as “The most ill-disciplined and explosive fixture in the Premier League

Competition Played Liverpool Draw Everton Liverpool
Goals
Everton
Goals
Football League Division One 146 55 43 48 203 181
Premier League 41 18 14 9 53 39
FA Cup 23 10 6 7 37 27
League Cup 4 2 1 1 2 1
Charity Shield 3 1 1 1 2 2
Screen Sport Super Cup 2 2 0 0 7 2
Totals 219 88 65 66 305 252

Up to and including 28 October 2012.statistics obtained from Soccerbase

It is surely a treat for any Liverpool or Everton fan when this fixture comes along, a feeling of anxiety and anticipation runs through them like it would for any fan of any club before their respective derbies, but this particular derby has become so fierce that one gets to see such beautiful and competitive football, that every “football” fan wants to watch it. It is clear that Liverpool had their time of supremacy and so did Everton. The match gives such football which is not seen in many matches, pure hard tackling football, where players play for their club and the crest than just for themselves. Even foreign players who have graced the tie, and most recently like Liverpool’s talisman – Luis Suarez claim to understand the history of the club and what it means to be a Liverpool player mostly because of the intensity this particular fixture provides.

Picture of the 1962 Merseyside derby when captains Ron Yeats and Roy Vernon lead their teams out
Picture of the 1962 Merseyside derby when captains Ron Yeats and Roy Vernon lead their teams out

Everton enjoyed most of the success during the 1960s with Liverpool gaining the upper hand during the 1970s and 1980s. Liverpool and Everton have since then gone on to have their wins and losses against each other, with Everton mostly finishing below Liverpool in the League table and something Liverpool fans always gloat about to their Everton counterparts, but in the season of 2004-05, Everton claimed a top 4 finish and Liverpool managed just a 5th place, the first time since Everton’s title winning season of 1987. Slowly but surely, the neighbours were catching up to Liverpool and David Moyes was the mastermind behind it. This followed grueling fixtures shrouded by controversy and debatable decisions for the next few seasons especially in the 2007-08 season when Mark Clattenburg sent off Hibbert when a caution could have been enough and then denied Everton two ‘clear’ penalties in the dying embers of the game. Steven Gerrard in 2011-12 season scored a hat trick against Everton, the first one to do so after Ian Rush in 1982.

Both the clubs were doing their best to out muscle each other for the Merseyside supremacy, and when they meet, Liverpool have mostly come out on top recently no matter the form or league position they’re in but Everton have been going from strength to strength and are aiming for European places and pushing for a top 4 place defeating the likes of Manchester United on the opening day of the 2012-13 season.They finished above Liverpool again in the 2011-12 season and currently sit above Liverpool again with 48 points as compared to Liverpool’s 45. The last fixture ended in a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park where Suarez may have been denied a winning goal. Nonetheless, one can only wait to see what the season holds for them.

 

League Titles:  Liverpool 18

                             Everton    9