The Merseyside Derby between Liverpool and Everton is the longest running top-flight derby in English Football, having been played continuously since 1962. The Merseyside is also the most played derby in English football history with 222 matches. Liverpool claims 89, Everton 66, and the Merseyside Derby has seen 67 draws. The first competitive match between Liverpool and Everton was in 1894. (The 8 there is not a typo–that’s 130 years ago.) It’s hardly a surprise they’ve been playing so long, of course–both clubs are in Liverpool.
On Saturday Everton travel to Anfield, the home of Liverpool F.C since the club was founded in 1892, but the story goes back even farther! Everton F.C. was founded in 1878 and started playing their home matches at the same Anfield (that now belongs to Liverpool) in 1884. But soon after Everton’s founding a dispute among the owners led to a change. The dispute was over money for sure, but most notably it concerned politics and the Temperance movement. Hard to believe either side’s fans are associated with the concept these days–or even back then, with the Anfield owner being a brewer. But in 1892 the Everton directors associated with the temperance movement moved the club less than a mile across Stanley Park in northeast Liverpool to Goodison Park–and the directors left behind with their beers founded a new club to call Anfield home, Liverpool F.C.. This weekend temperance will unlikely be a factor but tempers may, with the rivalry producing more red cards than any other since the inception of the Premier League. Saturday 7:45 am
