16th April

Happy birthday Rafa
1960 – Former reds boss Rafael Benítez was born in Madrid. He arrived from Valencia in June 2004 and took charge of the reds on 350 occasions, winning 194 times and leading us to the European Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FA Community Shield as well as three other finals. He left the club “by mutual consent” in June 2010.

Clinching the title
1906 – We secured our second League title despite losing 3-2 on Easter Monday at Bolton Wanderers, as nearest challengers Preston North End also lost and so could not catch the reds. We therefore became the first team to win the Second and First Division championships in consecutive seasons. Jack Parkinson bagged a brace in our defeat at Burnden Park, with Albert Shepherd striking two of his twelve goals against the reds and Marshall McEwan also scoring.

A derby classic
2001 - An amazing Easter Monday game ended in a 3-2 win, our first at Goodison for eleven years. Emile Heskey opened the scoring straight after an unsuccessful Blues penalty appeal. Duncan Ferguson then pounced on a defensive mix-up to equalise with his fifth and last goal past the reds before Markus Babbel netted a classic breakaway goal. Robbie Fowler missed a penalty that would have made it 3-1, before referee Jeff Winter changed the odds by first giving Igor Bišcan a second booking, and then awarding a dubious penalty, which David Unsworth converted, the hundredth League goal we had conceded under Gérard Houllier’s sole charge. Finally, Gary McAllister won the game with a supremely dramatic 44-yard free-kick late into stoppage time. This was Gary Mac’s hundredth career League goal.

The birth of the hat-trick king
1904 - Forward Gordon Hodgson was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He signed from Transvaal in November 1925 and bagged a club record seventeen hat-tricks amongst his 241 goals in 377 games, but could not claim a club medal in his time at Anfield before joining Aston Villa for £3,000 in January 1936.

A new man in charge
1991 - Graeme Souness took over as Liverpool Manager. He led us to the FA Cup in his first full season, his only trophy in three years in charge. He won 65 of his 157 games as boss.

Ibou again
2022 - Centre-half Ibrahima Konaté scored in his third consecutive game, nodding in the opener as we raced into a three-goal lead over Manchester City in our FA Cup Semi-final at Wembley with Sadio Mané netting a brace before the break. Jack Grealish scored one of his four goals past us straight after time, with Bernardo Silva netting in stoppage time.

Pepe clean again
2006 - Pepe Reina kept his thirtieth clean sheet in his fiftieth game for the club, as Robbie Fowler grabbed the only goal of the game at Blackburn Rovers with Djibril Cissé controversially ruled inactive while in an offside position.

Debuting in 4-0 home League wins
1960 - Ian Callaghan played the first of his 857 reds games in our Second Division win over Bristol Rovers, replacing the legendary Billy Liddell. Wing-half Bobby Campbell bagged his second and final reds goal, with Jimmy Melia, Alan A’Court and Roger Hunt also netting. The People named Cally as man of the match, saying he “put up a fantastic show that even old favourite Billy Liddell couldn’t have bettered”.

1898 - Romany right-half Rab Howell made his reds bow in our defeat of Aston Villa, with inside-forward Frank Becton scoring his 42nd reds goal in his 86th and final reds game, and our final fixture of the season. Inside-left Hugh Morgan struck the first of his seventeen goals for the club with Tommy Robertson and inside-right Johnny Walker also on target.
1979 - We also faced the Villains, losing 3-1 at Villa Park, with David Johnson nabbing our consolation and Phil Thompson putting through his own net, and John Deehan bagging two of his five strikes past us. We only conceded sixteen goals in the whole of that League campaign.

1974 - Our third 4-0 victory on this day came when Manchester City were beaten at Anfield. Brian Hall struck twice, with Phil Boersma and Kevin Keegan also on target.

Winning on the plastic
1986 - We played our first ever game on Luton Town’s controversial new plastic pitch, with Craig Johnston bagging the only goal of the game. This was our third of seven straight League victories as we ended the season with eleven wins and one draw in our final twelve League outings to clinch our sixteenth title.

Also recently
2017 – Roberto Firmino headed in the only goal of the game at West Bromwich Albion on the stroke of half time.

SteG misses
2005 - Steven Gerrard missed a penalty as we were held to a 2-2 draw at Anfield by Tottenham Hotspur. It was game of stunning strikes, with Erik Edman giving the visitors the lead with a 35-yard effort before Luis García equalised. Spurs went in front again through a deflected Robbie Keane header, one of his five past us, but Sami Hyypiä lashed in from eighteen yards to secure a point.

In and out
2002 - Jamie Redknapp signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer after 41 goals in 308 reds games. He was injured for much of his time at White Hart Lane, playing just 49 times for the Lilywhites and bagging four goals, before joining his father at Southampton.
1904 – Inside-forward Fred Buck left the reds for Plymouth Argyle after one goal in thirteen outings since arriving from West Bromwich Albion in May 1903.
1903 – Amateur forward Sydney Smith signed for the reds. He struck once in just two senior games, moving on to Southport Central in the Lancashire Combination in April 1904.

Other eventful Goodison derbies
1996 - Wayne Rooney was the Everton mascot before a game that ended 1-1, with Robbie Fowler netting late on after Andrei Kanchelskis had opened the scoring with one of his five goals against the reds.
1997 - Fowler and Everton’s David Unsworth were sent off towards the end of another 1-1 draw, after Duncan Ferguson had equalised Jamie Redknapp’s opener.

A century in south London
2000 - Emile Heskey grabbed a brace as we reached a hundred League goals under Gérard Houllier's sole charge, beating Wimbledon 2-1 at Selhurst Park, with Martin Andresen on target for the Dons.

A big day for the Bionic Carrot
1980 - David Fairclough netted as we drew our FA Cup Semi-final replay with Arsenal 1-1 after extra time at Villa Park, with Alan Sunderland equalising with a goal that TV replays proved was offside, one of his six goals past us. We eventually succumbed in a fourth game nearly three weeks later at Highfield Road.
1977 - We also faced the Gunners, when Phil Neal and Kevin Keegan netted as we won a top-flight fixture 2-0 at Anfield. Ray Clemence was making his 300th League appearance for the reds.

1983 - Fairclough played his 154th and final reds game as we lost 3-2 at Southampton, with Kenny Dalglish and Craig Johnston on the scoresheet. Nick Holmes struck a brace, with Steve Moran converting a penalty for the home side.

New chairman
2010 – The club announced that Martin Broughton had been appointed as Chairman. He was brought in to find a buyer for the club from George Gillett and Tom Hicks, which he succeeded in finding in New England Sports Ventures six months later, following a series of legal battles. He left his role in November 2010 and was knighted for his services to business the following month.

A poor club record
1904 - Our 3-0 First Division defeat of Bury in our final home game of the season took us to just 24 League goals at Anfield, a club record low for a season. Alf West struck his first reds goal from the spot, with Jack Cox also netting and left-half George Fleming bagging his sixth and final reds goal.
1927 - We also entertained the Shakers, when birthday boy Gordon Hodgson netted a brace in a 2-2 draw.

Doing the Boro
We have twice won at Ayresome Park 1-0 in the First Division on this day in history.
1949 - Jack Balmer struck the only goal of the game against Middlesbrough.
1954 - Sammy Smyth was on target.

Mixed fortunes against the Geordies and Rams
1910 - We won 3-1 at Newcastle United, thanks to two goals from Arthur Goddard, including a penalty, and a Jimmy Stewart strike. Jock Rutherford netted one of his six goals against the reds.
1994 - We lost another top-flight encounter 2-0 at Anfield. Rob Lee opened the scoring before Andy Cole equalled the Geordies’ club record of 29 strikes in a season, one of his eleven strikes past us.
1921 - We were held to a 1-1 draw by Derby County at Anfield in a First Division fixture, with Harry Chambers on the scoresheet as winger Jackie Sheldon played his 147th and last reds game.
1938 - We were beaten 4-1 at the Baseball Ground, with outside-left Alf Hanson grabbing our early consolation, his 52nd and last reds strike, and fiftieth in the League. Jack Nicholas and Ronnie Dix each netted the last of their four goals past us, with Sammy Crooks and Dai Astley both scoring one of their six goals against us.

On the move
2010 – Reserves keeper Péter Gulácsi joined Tranmere Rovers on loan. He played five times, returning for a second temporary spell five months later.
2013 – Ex-reds winger Sebastián Leto signed for Italian side Calcio Catania, having been released by Panathinaikos three months earlier.

Tosh for the Taffs
1969 – Future red John Toshack struck his first senior goal in his second game for Wales as they lost 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in East Germany.
1975 - He also netted as they won a European Championships qualifier 2-1 in Hungary.

2010 – Future red Thiago Alcântara netted for Spain Under-19’s in their 3-2 friendly win in Turkey.

Stevie honoured again
2007 - Steven Gerrard was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive season, although he eventually lost his crown to Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jocky, Ted and Tommy for the Scots
1975 - Partick Thistle’s Alan Hansen made his Scotland Under-23’s debut as they beat Sweden 2-1 in Gothenburg. Ex-reds reserves forward Ted MacDougall, then at Norwich City, netted on his senior Scotland debut on the same day as they drew 1-1 with the Swedes in a friendly, played in the same city. Future reds Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness both also played, with Kevin Keegan also playing for his country.

1969 - Tommy Lawrence won his second cap, nearly six years after his first, in a 1-1 draw with West Germany in a World Cup qualifier at Hampden Park. He went on to win three caps in total, with Alun Evans playing for England Under-23’s on the same day.

First and last caps
2002 - Stephen Wright won his tenth and final England Under-21’s cap as Portugal won a friendly 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium. Peter Crouch won his first cap as an Aston Villa player in the same game, and his second of six in total while Chris Kirkland and future reds Paul Konchesky and Jermaine Pennant also played. On the same day, Pepe Reina won his last Under-21’s cap as a Barcelona player as Spain beat FR Yugoslavia 2-1 in a friendly in Ceuta, with fellow future reds Xabi Alonso and Djibril Cissé also in action at this level.
2015 - Future red Bobby Adekanye won his eighth and last Under-16’s cap for the Netherlands in their 2-1 friendly defeat of Italy.

Other reds games
1966 – Geoff Strong and Ian St. John struck as we beat Stoke City 2-0 at Anfield, leaving us needing just one more point to clinch the League title. Calvin Palmer was sent off for the visitors as right-half Gordon Milne played his 200th League game for the reds.
1965 – We lost 4-0 at Chelsea on Good Friday. Bobby Tambling bagged one of his eight goals against the reds, with Marvin Hinton also on target before the break. Bert Murray netted twice in the second half.
1955 – We drew 2-2 with Leeds United in a Second Division encounter in L4. Jimmy Payne and Tony Rowley both scored.
1932 – We lost 3-1 at Birmingham City with Gordon Gunson scoring from the spot. John Bradford netted the final two of his fifteen goals past us with Tom Grosvenor also on target.

Dirk signs on
2011 – Dirk Kuyt agreed a new contract until 2013. He bagged 71 goals in 285 reds games since signing from Feyenoord for £9m in August 2006, moving on to Fenerbahçe SK for €1m in June 2012.

A centenary celebration
1988 - We took part in the Mercantile Credit Football League Centenary Festival, but only survived one 40-minute morning match at Wembley Stadium that ended in a goalless draw with Newcastle United before the Geordies won a sudden-death penalty shoot-out 1-0 after Gary Kelly saved Steve McMahon’s spot-kick. Unfortunately, John Barnes suffered an injury in this game that ruled him out of our next League fixture.

Also in international action
1989 – Future red Ronnie Rosenthal played for Israel in their 1-1 draw with Australia in a World Cup qualifier in Sydney.
1994 – Future red Brad Friedel featured for the USA as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Moldova in Florida.