Goodison Park’s Final Derby: 130 Years of Merseyside Rivalry in Numbers ...Middle East

Everton and Liverpool will do battle on the hallowed turf of Goodison Park for one final time on Wednesday. We take a data-packed look at the history of the Merseyside derby in the famous old stadium.

Time is always moving forwards.

That is unless your team is 1-0 up in stoppage time, in which case time doesn’t move at all. But otherwise, time waits for no one.

Things must move on, and that will apply to Everton at the end of this season when Goodison Park closes its doors one last time. The club will be moving to a 52,888-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The stadium nicknamed the ‘Grand Old Lady’ has been Everton’s home since 24 August 1892, where the first game saw the Blues beat Bolton Wanderers 4-2. The club had previously played at Anfield before leaving for Goodison over a rent dispute with John Houlding, who decided to found another team he called Liverpool Football Club to fill his stadium instead.

And so, the Merseyside derby was born.

On 13 October 1894, Goodison Park played host to the first-ever meeting between Everton and Liverpool, which ended in a 3-0 victory for the home side.

Almost exactly 130 years and four months later, Goodison will host its 120th and final Merseyside derby. It would have been sooner but for the winds of Storm Darragh causing the game to be called off in December.

The Merseyside Derby

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Everton vs Liverpool Prediction

Both teams will hope to blow the other away on Wednesday in a game that is hugely important to each side’s season. Everton want more points to pull further away from the relegation zone, while Liverpool will be looking to go nine points clear at the top of the table.

Throw in the potential bragging rights of winning the last ever Goodison derby and the stakes are high.

There have been some classic clashes between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison. The hosts came from behind four times to draw 4-4 in an FA Cup replay in 1991, with Reds boss Kenny Dalglish resigning just two days later – though the Liverpool legend cited the emotional toll after the Hillsborough disaster two years earlier as the main reason for his departure. Everton won the second replay 1-0, which also took place at Goodison.

The Toffees also won the first three derbies of the Premier League era at Goodison, including a 2-0 victory in November 1994 through goals from Duncan Ferguson and Paul Rideout after having won just one of their first 14 league games that season. The momentum saw them finish well clear of relegation having only narrowly survived the previous campaign.

Last season brought another iconic 2-0 success for Everton, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin not only securing a vital three points for Sean Dyche’s men, but dealing a huge blow to Liverpool’s already faltering title challenge. It was Everton’s first derby win at home since October 2010.

Back in the old First Division, the Reds came out on top in 1982 in a game so iconic it’s still referenced in fan chants today, when Ian Rush scored four times in a 5-0 win for Liverpool, still their biggest ever win at Goodison. Everton’s largest margin of victory at home in the fixture is also 5-0, achieved in the 1908-09 season.

Liverpool’s derby record in the Premier League years was initially poor, though. They didn’t win any derbies at Goodison in the competition in their first eight attempts (D4 L4), but when they did finally get a victory there in April 2001, they did so dramatically. Everton had come from behind twice to level, but with the score at 2-2 in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Gary McAllister bent in an optimistic free-kick from all of 40 yards to win it for the Reds.

They enjoyed another late victory in December 2016 when Daniel Sturridge’s shot hit the post, before Sadio Mané pounced on the rebound to tap in the only goal of the game in the 94th minute.

However, the main theme of derbies on the blue side of Stanley Park has been cancelling one another out, especially in recent years. In total, 37 of the 119 Merseyside derbies at Goodison have been draws, including nine of the last 12 Premier League meetings there.

Perhaps a more significant number that points to how even things have been at Goodison is that both teams have won the same number of games against the other, with 41 apiece. Should either team be victorious on Wednesday they will forever hold a 42-41 advantage over the other.

In fact, across their 119 meetings there are only six goals between the two teams, with Everton having scored 141 goals and Liverpool 147.

There have been 32 Merseyside derbies at Goodison Park in the Premier League, with a draw the most frequent outcome (13). Everton have won eight times while Liverpool have left with three points on 11 occasions. The Reds lead 38-33 in terms of goals scored.

Recent seasons have seen a lot of goalless stalemates in this fixture, with five of their last 10 meetings at Goodison Park ending 0-0.

It is also synonymous with red cards. Games between Everton and Liverpool have seen more dismissals than any other fixture in Premier League history (23). Of those, 12 have come at Goodison Park, the most of any exact fixture, while Everton’s 10 red cards in home games against Liverpool is the most by any team against an opponent at any single stadium in the competition.

They will likely need to keep 11 men on the pitch if they hope to take the three points on Wednesday. Should they do so, Everton will have won successive home league matches against Liverpool for the first time since November 1994 (a run of three).

Liverpool’s only win at their neighbour’s home since their victory in December 2016 was a 4-1 win almost exactly five years later (December 2021), which is the only time either team has scored more than three goals in a single Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in the Premier League era.

They will need to overcome David Moyes’ buoyant Blues this time, although Everton were brought down to earth a tad with their 2-0 loss at home to Bournemouth in what was the last FA Cup fixture to be played at Goodison on Saturday.

There has been some new/old manager bounce since Moyes replaced Dyche in January. Everton have won their last three Premier League games, including home victories over Tottenham and Leicester City.

However, Moyes doesn’t have the best record against Liverpool. He has won just six of 42 games managed against the Reds (D10 L26), though four of those came in his first spell as Everton boss (D8 L13) and all were at Goodison (D1 L7).

Incidentally, Liverpool could also record their 100th derby win overall. They have won 99 games against Everton in all competitions (D77 L68), home and away. Should Arne Slot’s men win on Wednesday, it will be the fifth time an English league side has beaten another 100 times since the formation of the Football League in 1888 (Arsenal 111 vs Everton, Manchester United 106 vs Aston Villa, Liverpool 103 vs Aston Villa, Arsenal 100 vs Manchester City).

Everton’s move to a new stadium is a necessary step into the future, but we’ll all shed a tear when the final whistle goes in their last game at Goodison Park against Southampton in May.

They will be hoping to make some final memories with ‘the Grand Old Lady’ in the meantime, starting with securing local bragging rights on Wednesday.

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