12th December

Happy birthdays
1984 – Danish centre-back Daniel Agger was born in Hvidovre. He joined the reds from Brøndby IF for £5.8m in January 2006, notching fourteen times in 232 games before returning to his old club in Denmark in August 2014 for a reported £3m, having helped us to claim the League Cup in 2012.

1981 - Stephen Warnock was born in Ormskirk. He played 67 reds games, notching once, before moving to Blackburn Rovers in January 2007 for £1.5m, although he moved on to Aston Villa in August 2009.
1990 – Winger Victor Moses was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He signed on loan from Chelsea in September 2013, netting twice in 22 outings before returning to his parent club at the end of the season.

Team of the year
1978 - We were voted the best team in the world at the International Sports Writers’ Association awards ceremony, with the trophy being presented to Vice Chairman Sidney Reakes. We also pipped the Davis Cup team to the British Team of the Year award at the Cunard Hotel in London.

Another European win
2002 - Michael Owen nabbed the only goal of the game at Anfield as we progressed past Vitesse Arnhem in the UEFA Cup Third Round by 2-0 on aggregate. On the same day, he was voted into joint thirteenth in the Ballon d'Or award, with El-Hadji Diouf coming equal 21st as the Brazilian Ronaldo won for the second time.
2016 – Ex-red Luis Suárez came fourth in that year’s Ballon d’Or as Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the trophy for the fourth time.

Red centurions
1925 - Cardiff City won for the third consecutive League season at Anfield, this time by 2-0. Len Davies netted one of his seven strikes against the reds, with Hugh Ferguson also on target as left-back Donald McKinlay reached 300 League appearances for the reds.
1914 – Half-back Harry Lowe played his hundredth League game for the club as we lost 1-0 at Bradford Park Avenue.

Mixed fortunes against Bury
1896 - We beat Bury 3-1 at Anfield thanks to a George Allan brace and a goal from Malcolm McVean.
1908 - Joe Hewitt netted as we lost 2-1 at Gigg Lane, with Billy Hibbert scoring two of his thirteen goals against the reds.

Pompey despair
We have twice lost at Portsmouth on this day in history.
1953 - Sammy Smyth grabbed our consolation as we were thumped 5-1. Peter Harris struck a hat-trick, the last of his eight goals against the reds, with Charlie Vaughan bagging the final goal of his four past us and Johnny Gordon also netting.
1931 - We lost 2-0 in another First Division meeting when Jimmy Easson netted two of his eight goals past us.

Thumping the Black Cats
1936 - Alf Hanson struck twice as we beat Sunderland 4-0 at Anfield, with Berry Nieuwenhuys and Jack Balmer also on the scoresheet as left-half Jimmy McDougall played his 300th League game for the reds.

The cup in December
1999 - We played our earliest FA Cup tie since 1892 when the Third Round was staged in December. Dominic Matteo netted his second and final reds goal as we won 2-0 at Huddersfield Town after Titi Camara had opened the scoring as Michael Owen reached a century of reds appearances.

Signing on
2000 - Djimi Traoré signed a new four-year contract. He struck once in 141 reds appearances before joining Charlton Athletic for £2m in August 2006, having helped us to claim the Champions League in 2005.
1947 – Left-winger Doug McAvoy signed from his hometown club Kilmarnock for £7,000. He only made two senior reds appearances, moving back to Scotland to join Queen Of The South in September 1949.
1935 – Left-half John Shield signed from Bishop Auckland. He made just one senior appearance before returning to his former club in October 1936.

On the move
1979 - 1950’s wing-half Bobby Campbell was sacked as Manager of Bristol Rovers. He had led them to just eleven wins in 46 games in charge, as they struggled in the old Second Division.
1997 - Mike Marsh was released by Southend United after just over two years at Roots Hall. He had struck thirteen times in 97 games for the Shrimpers.
2011 - Nicolas Anelka signed for Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua, netting three times in 23 outings before joining West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer in July 2013.
2017 – Former reds First Team Coach Paco Herrera was sacked as Manager of Real Sporting de Gijón after just six months in charge.

A saintly century
1977 - We played St. Mirren at Love Street to commemorate their centenary. The game ended 1-1, with Kenny Dalglish on target for the reds, before we won a penalty shoot-out 5-4. Phil Neal, Emlyn Hughes, Terry McDermott, Ray Kennedy and David Johnson converted spot-kicks with Ray Clemence saving from future red Frank McGarvey.

Nice one Cyril
1942 - Cyril Done bagged a treble as we trounced Burnley 9-2 in a Wartime League fixture at Anfield. Dicky Dorsett and Willie Fagan both netted braces, with Michael Hulligan and Fred Haycock also on target.

Off the mark
1970 – Forward Jack Whitham bagged his first reds goal with Phil Boersma also scoring as we won 2-1 at West Ham United, with Jimmy Greaves netting the last of his twelve goals against the reds.

Other reds games
2001 – Fulham held us to a goalless draw at Anfield as Steven Gerrard twice struck the woodwork.
1987 – John Barnes bagged a brace as we drew 2-2 at Southampton.

1964 – Tommy Smith sent a penalty over the crossbar as we shared a goalless draw with Arsenal at Highbury.
1959 – Jimmy Melia struck twice as we won a Second Division fixture 2-0 at Bristol Rovers.
1903 – Wolverhampton Wanderers won 2-1 in L4, with Jack Parkinson on the scoresheet. Billy Wooldridge netted one of his five goals past us, with Jackery Jones also on target.

Newell for England
1989 - Ex-reds reserves striker Mike Newell, then playing across the park, netted for England B as they beat Yugoslavia 2-0 at The Den.
1995 – Steve McManaman, ex-red Peter Beardsley and future red Nick Barmby all played in England’s 1-1 friendly draw with Portugal at Wembley.
2002 – Future reds Glen Johnson, Andy Lonergan and Gary O’Neil all featured as England Under-20’s lost 2-0 to Switzerland at Upton Park.

Mixed fortunes for the youngsters
2003 - Zak Whitbread faced future red Javier Mascherano as Argentina Under-20’s beat the USA 2-1 on a golden goal in the Quarter-finals of the World Championship Finals in the United Arab Emirates, with Mascherano grabbing the injury time equaliser.

Daniele’s debut
2006 - Future reds loanee keeper Daniele Padelli won his first cap for Italy Under-21’s as they beat Luxembourg 2-0 in Vibo Valentia. He was then on loan at Crotone from Sampdoria.