13th August

Barney Rubble signs on
1978 – Left-back Alan Kennedy signed from Newcastle United for £330,000. He is best remembered for his winning strikes in two European Cup Finals, but also won five League titles, four League Cups and three FA Charity Shields, making 359 appearances and notching twenty times before joining his hometown club Sunderland for £100,000 in September 1985.

Fourteen not out
2006 - We won our fourteenth consecutive match, a club record, as we beat a poorly-supported Chelsea 2-1 at Cardiff to claim the FA Community Shield for the tenth time outright. John Arne Riise opened the scoring having run almost the full length of the pitch with the ball, with Peter Crouch heading in the winner from a Craig Bellamy cross after Andriy Shevchenko had equalised. Fábio Aurélio made his reds bow as a second-half substitute, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle appearing for the 66th and final time. Unfortunately, we drew our next game, 1-1 at Sheffield United.

Charity begins away from home
1966 - We claimed our first outright FA Charity Shield, defeating Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park thanks to a 25-yard strike from Roger Hunt. Hunt and Everton’s Ray Wilson had paraded the World Cup trophy round the pitch before the match.
1977 - Kenny Dalglish made his reds debut as we played out a goalless draw with Manchester United at Wembley. The trophy was shared between the two clubs.

Debutants galore
2011 – Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, José Enrique and Jordan Henderson all made their reds bows as we were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield by Sunderland in our season opener. Luis Suárez missed a penalty before then heading in, with Stewart Downing rattling the crossbar before the break. However, Sebastian Larsson equalised in the second half.
2023 – Midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai both debuted as we drew 1-1 at Chelsea. Luis Díaz opened the scoring, but Alex Disasi levelled before the break.

Wingers in and out
1997 - John Barnes left Anfield for Newcastle United on a free transfer. He won two League titles, an FA Cup, League Cup and two FA Charity Shields in his ten years with the reds but went on to play just 41 times for the Toon, netting seven times, before moving on again to Charlton Athletic.
2013 - Stewart Downing was sold to West Ham United for £6m after seven goals in 91 outings since arriving from Aston Villa for £18.5m in July 2011. His finest hour came as we claimed the Carling Cup at Wembley in February 2012, scoring in the shoot-out.
1900 – Welsh international right-half Maurice Parry signed from Brighton United, scoring four times in 221 reds games, moving on to Partick Thistle in May 1909, later spending time coaching back at Anfield.

Double debutants
2008 – We held Standard de Liège to a goalless Champions League qualifying draw in their Stade Maurice Dufrasne, with Pepe Reina saving a penalty as we struggled in our first game of the season. Left-back Andrea Dossena and forward Robbie Keane both made their reds bows as future Blue Marouane Fellaini struck the inside of a post before Reina clawed it away.

Starting out
2005 - We kicked off our League campaign with a goalless draw at Middlesbrough. Ugo Ehiogu was sent off for the home side, the first of fifteen opposition players to be dismissed against the reds that season.

Parma pummelled
2000 - We thumped Italian side Parma 5-0 in a pre-season friendly at Anfield. Michael Owen grabbed a brace, including a penalty, with Dietmar Hamann, Nick Barmby and Gary McAllister also netting.

A poor start
1997 - We lost 2-1 to Leicester City at Anfield with Paul Ince grabbing a late consolation, his first reds goal. This meant that we had only secured one point from our first two League fixtures of the season.
2002 - We were beaten 1-0 at Chester City in a humiliating reverse just before the start of the new season. Salif Diao made his first reds appearance in a game played to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Deva Stadium, against a Chester side managed by ex-red Mark Wright, and featuring Steve Harkness.

Billy for Britain
1955 - Billy Liddell played for a Great Britain side as they lost 4-1 to a Rest of Europe eleven at Windsor Park in a game staged to celebrate the Irish FA’s 75th anniversary.

Signing on
2021 – Dutch centre-half Virgil van Dijk signed a new contract, having arrived from Southampton for a club record £75m in January 2018, a world record fee for a defender. He netted 23 goals in 270 outings across his first seven seasons, helping us to claim the Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, two League Cups and the FA Community Shield.
2009 - Fernando Torres signed a new improved contract to keep him at Anfield until 2013. He notched an impressive 81 goals in 142 reds games after signing from Club Atlético de Madrid for a club record £20.2m in July 2007, moving on to Chelsea for £50m in January 2011.
2014 – Reserve Team Head Coach Alex Inglethorpe was announced as the club’s new Academy Director, a role he still holds.

Olympian reds
2008 – Javier Mascherano skippered Argentina as they beat Serbia 2-0 in an Olympics Finals group game in Beijing. Meanwhile, Lucas Leiva featured as Brazil beat China 3-0 in Qinhuangdao and Ryan Babel played for the Netherlands in their 1-0 defeat of Japan in Shenyang.

Births and deaths
1991 – Left-winger Alexander Kačaniklić was born in Sweden. He signed from Helsingborgs IF in the summer of 2007 and scored in the FA Youth Cup Final in 2009, establishing himself as a regular in the reserves before moving to Fulham in August 2010 as part of the Paul Konchesky deal. On the same day, South African keeper Doug Rudham died. He played 66 times for the reds after signing from Johannesburg Rangers in August 1954. He returned to his native city to turn out for Johannesburg Ramblers in May 1960.
1941 – Scottish winger Tommy Robertson died. He had signed alongside inside-right Johnny Walker for a combined £175 from Heart Of Midlothian in March 1898. He had helped us to claim our first League title in 1901, scoring 35 times in 141 reds games.

1914 – Bob Glassey was born in Chester-le-Street. He signed from Horden Colliery Welfare in March 1934 and netted four goals in nine outings before moving to Stoke City in November 1936.
1890 - Jimmy Dawson was born in Edinburgh. He was snapped up from junior football for the 1912/13 season and struck three goals in fourteen reds games, as well as a further two strikes in eleven wartime fixtures. He moved to amateur club Edinburgh Emmett back in his hometown in 1916.

On the move
1999 - Former reserves defender Gareth Roberts returned to Merseyside, joining Tranmere Rovers on loan from Panionos. He made fifteen appearances in his loan spell before signing on permanently later that year.
2001 - Barry Jones left York City to join non-League Southport on a free transfer, for whom he struck three times in 81 senior matches.
2009 – Ex-reds left-back Grégory Vignal signed for Birmingham City, having been released by Racing Club de Lens. He appeared just nine times for the Blues and was not kept on at the end of the season.
2012 - John Toshack left as Manager of FYR Macedonia, having refused to relocate to the country.
2019 – Future reds midfielder Wataru Endō joined VfB Stuttgart on loan from Koninklijke Sint-Truidense Voetbalvereniging, making the move permanent the following April. He scored fifteen times in 133 games for Die Roten in total before joining the reds for a reported €19m in August 2023.

Youngsters off the mark
2013 – Jonjo Shelvey scored while winning his first cap for England Under-21’s as a Swansea City player as Roy Hodgson took charge of a side that was skippered by Andre Wisdom. Jack Robinson played for the first time while on loan at Blackpool, with Raheem Sterling also finding the back of the net in a 6-0 thumping of Scotland at Bramall Lane. On the same day, future red Emre Can captained Germany Under-21’s in their goalless draw with France in a friendly in Freiburg.

International farewells
2010 – Greek centre-half Sotirios Kyrgiakos announced his retirement from international football, having won sixty caps for his country.
1998 – Future red John Arne Riise won his third and final cap for Norway Under-18’s in their 3-1 defeat by Sweden in a friendly in Dokka.

Swiss reds
1981 - We held Neuchâtel Xamax to a goalless draw at their La Maladière stadium in a pre-season friendly.

Also in international action
1989 – Future reds goalkeeping coach Cláudio Taffarel played for Brazil as they held Chile to a 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifier in Santiago.
2009 – Alexander Kačaniklić played for Sweden Under-19’s on his eighteenth birthday as they lost a friendly 1-0 to Finland.