29th August

Happy birthdays
1938 - Defender Gerry Byrne was born in Liverpool. He was the hero of our first FA Cup triumph in 1965 when he played for 117 minutes of the final against Leeds United at Wembley with a broken collar bone sustained in an early challenge by Bobby Collins. He also won two League titles and the FA Charity Shield in his eleven years at Anfield, making a total of 333 reds appearances and scoring four times.
1963 – Former First-team coach Steve Clarke was born in Saltcoats, Scotland. He was appointed in January 2011 following Kenny Dalglish’s return to the hot seat, signing a new three-year contract four months later. However, he left the club in June 2012 following Dalglish’s sacking.

Triple debutants
1981 - Bruce Grobbelaar, Craig Johnston and new record signing Mark Lawrenson all made their official reds debuts in our 1-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as we kicked off another season. Midfielder Mike Matthews bagged the only goal of the game.

Debuting against the Trotters
2009 - Sotirios Kyrgiakos played his first reds game as we came from behind twice to win 3-2 at Bolton Wanderers. Glen Johnson drew us level first after Sean Davis netted before Fernando Torres scored in his third consecutive game to make the scores 2-2 shortly after Tamir Cohen scored and Davis was sent off for the home side. Steven Gerrard netted the winner.
2004 - Xabi Alonso and Luis García both made their reds bows as we lost at the Reebok Stadium, our first League defeat under Rafael Benítez. Kevin Davies struck the only goal of the game in the first half, one of his four against the reds.

1945 - We drew a Wartime League match at Anfield 2-2, with Phil Taylor and Peter Kippax on target.
1953 - We lost a First Division game 2-0 at Burnden Park as Willie Moir bagged one of his five goals past the reds, with Harry Webster also on the scoresheet. Don Welsh reached a century of games in charge of the reds.

Danny’s bow
2015 – We were beaten 3-0 at home by West Ham United, their biggest ever win at Anfield, with Philippe Coutinho sent off shortly after the break before Danny Ings made his reds bow from the bench. Mark Noble bagged the most recent of his three goals past us but was then dismissed for the visitors, a decision that was later rescinded. Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho were also on target.

Missing out at Wembley
2020 – Takumi Minamino scored his first reds goal after Pierre Aubameyang had put Arsenal in front in the FA Community Shield behind closed doors at Wembley. The game ended 1-1 after ninety minutes, with Arsenal winning the subsequent shoot-out 5-4. Rhian Brewster hit the bar with his penalty on what was his last game for the club, the only player to fail to score.

In and out
2010 – Midfielder Raul Meireles signed from his hometown club Porto for £11.5m. He bagged five goals in 44 matches, with all these strikes coming in a six-game spell following Kenny Dalglish’s return as Manager. He left for Chelsea in a £12m deal a year after arriving in L4.

2014 – Winger Jordon Ibe joined Derby County on loan, bagging five goals in 24 games before being recalled the following January.
1904 – Left-back David Murray joined the reds from Everton on a free transfer. He helped us to clinch the Second Division title, playing fifteen senior games before moving to Leeds City for £130 in December 1905.

Up against the Baggies
2010 - Fernando Torres scored his fiftieth goal at Anfield, the only game of our League encounter with West Bromwich Albion, who later had James Morrison sent off. This was our 2,000th victory in the top flight.
1970 – Steve Heighway debuted from the bench as we drew 1-1 at The Hawthorns, with Alun Evans on target in this top-flight meeting. Jeff Astle was on target for the Baggies with the last of his seven goals against the reds.

Off the mark
1987 - Peter Beardsley scored his first reds goal in a 4-1 win at Coventry City. John Aldridge converted a penalty, with Steve Nicol adding a brace. Cyrille Regis struck the home side’s late consolation, one of his four goals past us.
1959 – We fell 2-0 behind to Hull City at Anfield in a Second Division fixture, thanks to a John Coady brace, before eventually triumphing 5-3. Jimmy Harrower scored from distance with Jimmy Melia heading in to draw us level, before Ronnie Moran struck for the first time, from a free-kick to put us in front. Alan A’Court and Billy Liddell also got on the scoresheet, with all our goals coming at the Kop end in the second half after new Scottish keeper Bert Slater had endured a torrid early period to the game. Vic Metcalfe bagged the last of his six strikes against us late on in this game, with John Coady bagging a brace.

Another debut
1936 - Keeper Alf Hobson made his reds bow as goals from Alf Hanson and Berry Nieuwenhuys secured a 2-1 defeat of Stoke City at Anfield in our opening fixture of the season. This was Manager George Kay’s first game in charge of the reds, while left-half Jimmy McDougall made his 300th appearance for the club.

Bagging a treble
1923 - Harry ‘Smiler’ Chambers netted a hat-trick in our 6-2 trouncing of Birmingham City at Anfield. Centre-forward Jimmy Walsh bagged a brace on his reds debut, with Dick Forshaw also on target. John Bradford struck the first two of his fifteen goals against the reds.

Defenders in and out
2003 - Grégory Vignal joined Stade Rennais on loan. He only stayed there for three months, playing five League games before joining Spanish side R.C.D. Espanyol later that season.
1911 – Scottish left-back Bob Pursell signed from Queen’s Park for £360, with the reds initially making an illegal approach. He was then involved in the 1915 match-fixing scandal with Manchester United. He played 113 reds games without scoring, including the 1914 FA Cup Final, moving on to Port Vale in May 1920.
1902 - Centre-half Andrew Raisbeck signed from Queens Park Rangers. He never made our first team in his two years at Anfield.

A big day for Phil
1962 - Left-back Phil Ferns made his reds bow in our 4-1 defeat of Manchester City at Anfield, our first win back in the top flight, with our goals coming from Ian St. John, Alan A’Court and a Roger Hunt brace. Peter Dobing bagged one of his eight goals past us.
1964 - He netted his only reds goal in our 3-2 defeat at Blackburn Rovers, with Tommy Smith scoring for the club for the first time. Andy McEvoy scored one of his four goals past us, with John Byrom and Mike Harrison also on target.
1934 - We also entertained City, when Gordon Hodgson struck in the second minute as we lost 3-1. Centre-half Tom ‘Tiny’ Bradshaw pit through his own net, with Eric Brook netting one his nine goals against us and Bobby Marshall scoring the last of his five.

Jimmy passes on
2006 - Inside-forward Jimmy Harrower died of cancer in Stirling Royal Infirmary. He had bagged 22 goals in 105 reds games after signing from Hibernian for £11,000 in January 1958. He moved on to Newcastle United in March 1961.

A great credit
1988 - We beat Nottingham Forest 4-1 in our opening fixture of the Mercantile Credit Centenary Trophy, competed for by the previous season’s top eight sides. Barry Venison bagged his first reds goal as Ray Houghton, John Barnes and Jan Mølby, with a penalty, also scored. Neil Webb scored Forest’s late consolation, one of his five goals against us.

Two-ton Jimmy
1932 – Right-back Jimmy ‘Parson’ Jackson played his 200th League game for the reds as we lost 6-2 at Sheffield United, with Gordon Gunson and Ted Crawford on target. Jimmy Dunne netted two of his eleven goals past us, with Bobby Barclay bagging two of his five. Jack Pickering struck one of his five goals against the reds, with Bert Oswald also on target.

Starting out
We have twice more begun our season on this day in history.
1925 - We lost 3-1 at Leicester City with Donald McKinlay grabbing our late consolation. Arthur Chandler nabbed the first two of his six goals against us, with Hugh Adcock netting the first of his five.
1931 - Gordon Hodgson struck the only goal of the game as we won at Newcastle United.

Young champions
2010 - England won The FA International U17 Tournament by beating Portugal 3-1 in Sc***horpe, with Adam Morgan, Matty Regan and Raheem Sterling all featuring.

Macca starts out
1979 - Steve McMahon signed as a professional for Everton. He struck fourteen times in 120 appearances for the Toffees before joining Aston Villa for £175,000 in May 1983.

On the move
2023 – French centre-half Billy Koumetio joined Union Sportive du Littoral de Dunkerque on loan, playing nine times before being recalled by the reds the following January.
2019 – Forward Darwin Núñez joined Unión Deportiva Almería from Club Atlético Peñarol for a reported club record $4.5m. He struck sixteen times in 32 games before moving to SL Benfica in September 2020.
2014 - Xabi Alonso joined Bayern München from Real Madrid after six goals in 236 games for the Spanish side, helping them to claim the League, the Copa del Rey twice and Supercopa de España.
2008 - James Milner signed for Aston Villa from Newcastle United for £12m after a previous successful loan spell.

2002 - David Thompson signed for Blackburn Rovers from Coventry City for £1.5m. He had scored sixteen goals in 72 appearances in his two years at Highfield Road, and turned out 84 times for Rovers, notching ten times, before moving to Wigan Athletic in January 2006.
1995 - Paul Stewart joined Sunderland on loan from the reds. He only made two appearances in his two months at Roker Park, although they went on to sign him on a free transfer in March 1996.
1987 - Future reds loanee keeper Mark Prudhoe rejoined basement side Hartlepool United on loan from Walsall. He played thirteen times for them in this spell.

Other reds games
1992 – We drew 2-2 at reigning champions Leeds United with future red Gary McAllister putting the home side in front. Ronnie Whelan levelled before the break with Jan Mølby converting a penalty in the second half before Lee Chapman bagged the last of his six goals against the reds late on.
1979 – We were held to a goalless draw at Tranmere Rovers in a League Cup Second Round tie. We won the replay, making it as far as the Semi-final that season.
1956 – Geoff Twentyman bagged a brace as we drew 3-3 with Notts County in a Second Division fixture at Anfield, with Louis Bimpson also on target.
1951 – We beat Burnley 3-1 in L4, with Albert Stubbins, Cyril Done and Billy Liddell all scoring.

International bows
1990 - Karl-Heinz Riedle won his first cap as an S.S. Lazio player as world champions West Germany drew 1-1 with Portugal in a friendly in Lisbon. Fellow future red Jari Litmanen also represented his country that day, as Finland drew 1-1 in a friendly with Czechoslovakia in Kuusankoski.
2012 – Jerome Sinclair made his debut for England Under-17’s as they lost 3-2 to Italy in a friendly in Burton, with Sheyi Ojo also featuring.

Also in international action
2007 - Mamadou Sakho played for France Under-17’s as they beat Tunisia 3-1 in their World Championship Finals Round of 16 tie in South Korea. On the same day, fellow future red Nikola Sarić featured for Denmark Under-17’s in their 2-1 defeat by the Ukraine in the Syrenka Cup in Poland.
1993 – Future reds goalkeeping coach Cláudio Taffarel featured in Brazil’s 6-0 thumping of Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier in Recife.
1985 – Taffarel played as Brazil Under-20’s beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in a World Cup Finals group stage game in the former USSR.