27th January

Striking legends arrive
1987 - John Aldridge signed from Oxford United for £750,000. He helped us to win the League title in 1988 and the FA Cup the following season, bagging 63 goals in 104 games before moving to Spain to join Real Sociedad for £1.1m in September 1989, becoming their first non-Basque player.
2006 - Robbie Fowler re-signed on a free transfer from Manchester City after three years with the Blues. He grabbed twelve goals in 39 outings in this second spell, but was released after two seasons, signing on with Cardiff City in July 2007.

1920 – Centre-forward Dick Johnson joined the reds. He struck thirty times in 82 outings, including two hat-tricks, helping us to the League title in 1923 before leaving for Stoke in February 1925. He was noted for his overhead bicycle kicks.

Mixed cup fortunes against the Latics
1962 – We beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 at Boundary Park in an FA Cup Fourth Round tie, with Ian St. John bagging a brace as centre-half Dick White played his 217th and last reds game.
2013 – We lost 3-2 there at the same stage as Luis Suárez skippered the side for the first time while left-back Jack Robinson played his eleventh and last reds game. Matt Smith opened the scoring for the League One outfit before Suárez equalised and then had a goal ruled out for offside. The Latics went 3-1 up with goals either side of half-time by Smith and Reece Wabara, to become the first side outside the top two divisions to score three FA Cup goals against the reds since Sc***horpe United in January 1956. Joe Allen pulled one back with his first reds strike and Steven Gerrard struck the crossbar in the final minute, but it was not enough.

On the way to Cardiff
2001 - We won our FA Cup Fourth Round game 2-0 at Leeds United, with late goals from substitutes Nick Barmby and Emile Heskey. This was Barmby’s eighth and final reds goal.

VAR the star
2018 – We lost an FA Cup Fourth Round tie 3-2 at Anfield to West Bromwich Albion, in a game with video technology at its heart. Jay Rodriguez bagged two of his four goals past us to date either side of a Roberto Firmino goal, with all three goals scored inside the first quarter of an hour. The Baggies had a goal disallowed by VAR, before Firmino missed a penalty that was awarded by the same technology, the first time a referee in an English game had used a touchline monitor to make a final decision. Joël Matip scored an own goal in first-half stoppage time, with Mohamed Salah on target after the break.

Missing out on Wembley
2015 – We lost 1-0 at Chelsea after extra time in the second leg of our Capital One Cup Semi-final, to lose out 2-1 on aggregate as Branislav Ivanović headed in the winner.

He’s scouse, he’s sound
2002 - We had another FA Cup Fourth Round tie, losing 1-0 at Arsenal with three players sent off. Martin Keown was the first to walk, for a challenge on Michael Owen. Goalscorer Dennis Bergkamp was red-carded for a tackle on Jamie Carragher, who was then himself dismissed for the infamous coin-throwing incident.

George’s farewell
1951 – George Kay took charge of his final game as Manager as we lost 1-0 at Charlton Athletic, as he was then forced to retire due to illness, with Billy Kiernan netting the first of his five goals against the reds. He had led us to our first League title in 24 years in 1947, and the FA Cup Final three years later as we won only 142 of his 357 games in charge. Amongst the players who joined the club during his tenure were the great Billy Liddell and Bob Paisley. Right-winger Jimmy Payne reached a century of reds appearances that day.

Off goes Double Trigger
1999 - Jason McAteer was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £4m. He had bagged six goals in 139 reds games after arriving from Bolton Wanderers for £4.5m in September 1995.

Happy birthday Mike
1965 - Ex-reserves forward Mike Newell was born in Liverpool. He never managed to break through to our first team, going on to enjoy a chequered career at clubs such as Everton, Leicester City, Luton Town, Birmingham City and Aberdeen.
1915 – Scottish left-half John Browning was born in Alexandria. He signed from Dunoon Athletic in March 1934, making just nineteen appearances before moving on to Southern League side Gillingham in August 1939.

FA Cup firsts
1894 - We played our first ever game in the FA Cup proper, a 3-0 First Round win over Grimsby Town at Anfield. The Mariners received half the gate money and £100 as the game was switched from their Abbey Park stadium. Sam Widdowson of Nottingham refereed, who had invented shin guards twenty years earlier! Harry Bradshaw bagged a brace with Joe McQue also on target. We only got as far as the Third Round that year.

1934 - We hosted Tranmere Rovers in the Fourth Round, in a game that was originally due to be played at Prenton Park. 61,036 saw the game, our then record attendance. This was our first ever official meeting with Rovers, and we won 3-1 thanks to a brace from Sam English and a Berry Nieuwenhuys goal, but were knocked out by Bolton Wanderers at the next hurdle. Unfortunately, inside-left Syd Roberts was seriously injured in this match, not featuring for the first team for another eleven months.
1968 – Roger Hunt played his 400th reds game as we were held to a goalless draw by Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in an FA Cup Third Round tie at Dean Court. We won the replay, eventually bowing out to West Bromwich Albion in the Sixth Round.

Double-Barrowed departure
1999 - Two ex-reds were released by Barrow. Mike Marsh had spent six months at Holker Street, and remained out of football until joining up with Jan Mølby at fellow Conference side Kidderminster Harriers ten months later. Mark Seagraves retired from playing on his departure from Barrow.

A rare League win
We have only won one of our six League matches on this day.
1923 - Harry Chambers and Dick Johnson netted in a 2-0 top-flight win over Middlesbrough at Anfield, a week after they had both also scored on Teesside.
1973 - Our most recent League match was a 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Kevin Keegan on target. Emlyn Hughes put through his own net, with John Richards grabbing one of his five goals against the reds as Bill Shankly took charge of the reds for the 700th time.

Half a century for Avi
1988 - Ex-red Avi Cohen won his fiftieth official senior cap for Israel in their 1-1 friendly draw with France in Tel-Aviv. Future red Ronnie Rosenthal also played.

Alexis on target
2020 – Future red Alexis Mac Allister scored for Argentina Under-23’s as they beat Ecuador 1-0 in an Olympics qualifier in Colombia.

Bowyer’s last
1912 - Forward Sam Bowyer made the last of his 48 reds appearances as we lost 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion in a top-flight encounter.

Banging them in
1979 – We visited Bangor City for a friendly, due to the postponement of our FA Cup Third Round meeting with Blackburn Rovers. We won 4-1, despite two inches of snow on the pitch, thanks to a brace from Kenny Dalglish, David Fairclough goal and Terry McDermott penalty, all inside the first half.

Moving on loan
1998 - Mark Kennedy joined fellow Premier League side Queens Park Rangers on loan. He netted twice in eight games while at Loftus Road, before returning to fight for a first-team berth at Anfield.
2008 - Milan Baroš joined Portsmouth on loan from Olympique Lyonnais, failing to score in sixteen outings but helping them to claim the FA Cup.
2009 – Centre-half Ragnar Klavan joined AZ Alkmaar on loan from Heracles Almelo, helping them to their first League title since 1981 before making the move permanent in the summer. He struck three times in 104 outings before moving on to Augsburg in July 2012.

2011 – Ex-reds reserves centre-half Danny O’Donnell joined Stockport County on loan from Shrewsbury Town. He played seven times before signing on permanently at the end of the season.
2014 - Forward David N’Gog joined Swansea City on loan from Bolton Wanderers, failing to score in three appearances. Ex-Academy forward Marvin Pourié joined Zulte Waregem from F.C. København, scoring once in six League outings.
2017 – Midfielder Cameron Brannagan joined Fleetwood Town on a temporary basis, playing fourteen times for the Cod Army. On the same day, defender Joe Gomez signed a new contract with the reds.

Youngsters in action
2009 – Emiliano Insúa skippered Argentina as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Ecuador in their final Sudamericano Sub-20 “Juventud de América” group game in Venezuela, as they reached the final phase.
2004 - Zak Whitbread played his first game for the USA Under-23’s as they drew 2-2 with Mexican club side Tecos in an unofficial international. Zak gave away a penalty for the first Tecos goal.
2001 – Future red Alberto Aquilani won the first of his two caps for Italy Under-17’s in their 1-0 victory over Cameroon.
1988 – Ex-red Avi Cohen won his fiftieth cap for Israel, with future red Ronnie Rosenthal also featuring as they drew 1-1 with France in Tel-Aviv.

Other reds games
1998 – We beat Middlesbrough 2-1 in the first leg of our League Cup Semi-final at Anfield, despite falling behind to one of Paul Merson’s seven goals past us. Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Fowler scored our goals.
1985 – Ian Rush nabbed the only goal of Tottenham Hotspur’s FA Cup Fourth Round visit to L4 that was broadcast live on TV in the UK.
1932 – Leicester City held us to a 3-3 draw at home with Ernie Hine nabbing the last two of his ten goals against the reds, with Hugh Adcock bagging one of his five. Gordon Hodgson, Danny McRorie and Gordon Gunson scored our goals.
1906 – We lost 1-0 at Birmingham City’s old Coventry Road ground with Arthur Mounteney scoring the first of his five goals past us.

On the move
2005 - Jari Litmanen signed for Hansa Rostock on a free transfer from Finnish side Lahti. He struck once in thirteen games but could not prevent them from being relegated from the Bundesliga top flight.
2022 – Keeper Vítězslav Jaroš moved to Notts County from the reds for the rest of the season, playing fifteen times as they failed to make it through the National League Play-offs. Forward Joe Hardy joined Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan from Accrington Stanley, netting once in eighteen outings.
2023 – Ex-reds defender Ki-Jana Hoever joined Stoke City on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, netting four times in seventeen games in his first spell with the Potters. On the same day, future reds Assistant Coach John Heitinga was appointed Head Coach of Ajax. He led them to fourteen wins in his 22 games in charge, before leaving after five months.

Internationals in action
2022 – Ex-red Luis Suárez struck the only goal of Uruguay’s World Cup qualifier in Paraguay, with Takumi Minamino and future red Darwin Núñez also featuring in qualifiers. On the same day, Alisson Becker twice had red cards overturned by VAR as Brazil drew a qualifier 1-1 in Ecuador, with Philippe Coutinho winning his first cap while on loan from Barcelona at Aston Villa.
2008 – Ex-red El-Hadji Diouf skippered his country as Senegal lost 3-1 to Algeria in an Africa Cup of Nations group game in Ghana.
2006 – Diouf also played in a group game as Senegal lost 1-0 to Ghana in Egypt.

2015 – Ex-red Carl Medjani featured in Algeria’s 2-0 defeat of Senegal in a group game in Equatorial Guinea.
2003 – Medjani also played for France Under-17’s in their 1-1 draw in Egypt in the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup, with David Raven and Mark Smyth playing for England in their 1-1 draw with Mali in the same tournament that day.