The Merseyside-derby is the derby between Liverpool and Everton. The Reds vs. the Blues. These iconic matches have gone on continuously since 1962. We will take a look at how this friendly derby started between these amazing clubs.
The beginning
It all started when Everton made the decision to play at Anfield in 1884. Anfield is now very well known for being the home of Liverpool. During this time this was obviously not the case because Liverpool didn’t even exist until 1892. In the Everton board team there were political differences. They eventually split into a Liberal Party and a Conservative Party. The result was that Everton had to leave Anfield and moved to Goodison Park. The side that was left responded with the foundation of a new club, Liverpool.
The name
The 2 sides became enemies when they took different paths in 1892. So how did this derby get the name ‘The Mersyside-derby’? Which means the ‘friendly derby’. The foundation of this name started during the 1950s and 1960s because of certain players playing for the clubs. The Protestant club Liverpool even refused to sign a Catholic player until 1979. The weird thing was that during these hateful times between the 2 beliefs of the clubs, violence was a rarity. The two clubs did eventually bury the hatchet after the Hillsborough disaster.
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster occurred on the 15th of April 1989 during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forrest. The streets near the stadium were too crowded because of the game so the police opened the doors to the pens (like terraces). This led to the overcrowding of the pens, so people got crushed. That day resulted in 97 deaths and 766 injuries. Everton rallied together with Liverpool in memory of the victims. This has led to numerous events where both clubs helped each other when tragedies occur.