#2 Merseyside Derby
The Merseyside derby – otherwise known as the “friendly derby” due to the number of families with both Liverpool and Everton supporters – might not be a bitter rivalry from a fan’s perspective, but it’s certainly one of the most competitive games of the season every time it rolls around. With the clubs situated just 400m apart, it’s certainly one of the closest local derbies, too.
It’s not surprising that Liverpool lead Everton in the win/loss stakes – after all, they were England’s most successful club throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s despite Everton having a very strong side themselves in the 80’s. And in the 90’s, while Liverpool fell behind the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, Everton fell even further behind and were often involved in relegation scraps.
The current stats are 91 wins for Liverpool and 66 for Everton, with 72 draws. The huge number of competitive matches between the two, however – 228 compared to Manchester’s 174 – shows how consistent both sides have been over the years in terms of staying in the top division.
Notable recent games? 2012 saw an FA Cup semi-final between the two, won by Liverpool 2-1 following an Andy Carroll header; and both 2014 and 2016 saw Liverpool beat Everton 4-0 at Anfield – 2014’s win being the biggest there since 1972. You have to go back to 2010 to find the last Everton win – they beat the Reds 2-0 at Goodison Park thanks to goals from Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill.
With all of Ronald Koeman’s spending this summer – as well as the return of Wayne Rooney to the fold – you can bet that Everton will be gunning to change that statistic in 2017/18.
