2nd September

Birth of the legend
1913 - Bill Shankly was born in Glenbuck, Ayrshire. He was the ninth of ten children, and the youngest of five boys. Words cannot fully explain his importance to the history of Liverpool Football Club. However, his honours as reds boss between December 1959 and July 1974 included three League titles, two FA Cups, UEFA Cup and the Second Division championship.

1936 - Centre-half John Nicholson was born in Liverpool. He signed as a professional in January 1957, but only made one senior appearance before joining Port Vale in August 1961, playing over 200 games for them.
2001 – Midfielder Jake Cain was born in Wigan. He signed as a professional in September 2019, making his only senior appearance in our FA Cup Fourth Round replay against Shrewsbury Town in February 2020. He moved on to Swindon Town in January 2023.

Spurs stuffed
1978 - Tottenham Hotspur suffered their worst ever Anfield defeat, despite including their new World Cup winners, Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricky Villa. Kenny Dalglish and substitute David Johnson both grabbed a brace, added to by Ray Kennedy and a twice-taken Phil Neal penalty, before Terry McDermott rounded off a brilliant team move to make it 7-0.

Into the League
1893 - We played our first ever game in the Football League, winning 2-0 at Middlesbrough Ironopolis. Forward Malcolm McVean scored our first ever League goal after an hour, with centre-half Joe McQue nabbing the other. James Henderson played his only senior reds game, while winger Patrick Gordon and forward Jimmy Stott also made their debuts in this game. This was also the first ever League game staged at the Paradise Ground.

A busy day
2013 – A whole host of transfers took place on deadline day, with forward Fabio Borini joining Sunderland on loan, while ex-reds left-back Andrea Dossena also signed for the Black Cats on a free transfer from Rafael Benítez’s SSC Napoli. Two centre-halves arrived at Anfield, with Mamadou Sakho arriving from Paris Saint-Germain for £15m and Tiago Ilori signing from Sporting Clube de Portugal for £7m. On the same day, winger Victor Moses arrived on loan from Chelsea with Dani Pacheco leaving the reds to sign for Spanish side AD Alcorcón. Meanwhile, Momo Sissoko had his contract with Paris Saint-Germain terminated.

More red ins and outs
1959 – Forward Bobby Murdoch left the reds to join Barrow. He struck seven times in nineteen reds games after signing as a professional in May 1957, as we struggled in the Second Division.
1994 - John Scales signed from Wimbledon for £3.5m. He struck four times in 94 games in his two years at Anfield, before joining Tottenham Hotspur for £2.6m in December 1996. On the same day, Paul Stewart joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan. He scored twice in ten appearances for Wolves, and later joined Burnley and Sunderland on loan, having slipped out of the first team picture at Anfield.

2014- Cameroon-born centre-back Stephen Sama left the reds to sign for VfB Stuttgart having failed to make a senior appearance since arriving from Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund in July 2009.
2015 – The capture of Brazilian midfielder Allan Rodrigues de Souza from Internacional for a reported £500,000 was announced, with his loan departure to Finnish club Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho also revealed on the same day.
2019 – Winger Ryan Kent was sold to Rangers for £7m after a successful loan spell in which he had struck six times in 43 appearances. On the same day, keeper Shamal George joined Marine on loan and forward Bobby Duncan was sold to Fiorentina for €2m. Meanwhile, Martin Škrtel was released after less than a month with Atalanta and signed for İstanbul Başakşehir on the same day.

Nice one Cyril
1939 - Cyril Done scored the only goal of the game on his reds debut at home to Chelsea, the day after Germany invaded Poland, and the day before Britain declared war, which resulted in the cancellation of the football season, so he had to wait until October 1946 to make his official reds bow. Full-back Jim Harley was sent off.

Out-gunned
We have faced Arsenal four times in top-flight matches on this day in history, without securing victory.
1905 - We lost 3-1 at Woolwich Arsenal with Bobby Robinson bagging our consolation, and Sam Raybould missing a penalty in our first game of the season. Jack Parkinson broke his wrist in this match, keeping him out of the side for six months. We finished the game with nine men after Billy Dunlop twisted his knee. Tim Coleman netted the first of his nine goals against the reds, with ex-red CharlIe Satterthwaite and Jimmy Blair also on the scoresheet.
1911 - We returned to the Manor Ground for another season opener, when John McConnell scored his only reds goal with Samual Gilligan also netting as we left with a 2-2 draw.

1922 - We lost 1-0 to Arsenal at Highbury, thanks to an Arthur Hutchins penalty.
2012 – Loanee Nuri Şahin made his reds bow as the Gunners comfortably won 2-0 at Anfield, with Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla bagging the goals.

Beating the Trotters
We have entertained Bolton Wanderers three times on this day in history, winning twice and drawing on the other occasion.
1914 - Billy Lacey, Arthur Metcalf, Jimmy Nicholl and Jackie Sheldon all struck as we won our opening First Division fixture 4-3. Evan Jones scored, with Joe Smith grabbing two of his twelve goals against us.
1916 - Fred Pagnam, Arthur Goddard and Jack Bamber netted as we won a Wartime League match 3-1.
1931 - Dave Wright bagged a brace in a 2-2 top-flight draw as George Gibson scored the final goal of his five past us, with Ray Westwood netting the first of his nine.

Red centurions
1950 - Jack Balmer struck his hundredth reds goal as we drew 1-1 at Aston Villa.
1925 – Matt McQueen reached a century of League games in charge as we beat Notts County 2-0 at Anfield. Billy Flint put through his own net, with Dick Forshaw also scoring inside the opening half hour.

Debutants on the mark
1899 – Inside-forward John ‘Sailor’ Hunter scored on his reds bow, as we lost 3-2 at Stoke in our season opener, with skipper Alex Raisbeck also on target and forward Peter Kyle also making his reds bow. Billy Maxwell bagged two of his six goals against the reds, with Jack Kennedy also scoring.
1907 - Charlie Hewitt also netted on his debut, as we started another season with a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest. Enoch West struck the first of his eight goals against the reds, with Harry Green and Ted Hughes also on target.

Double debutants
1972 - Keeper Frank Lane played the first of his two senior reds games, unfortunately conceding an own goal, often attributed to Alan Hinton, as we lost 2-1 at League champions Derby County, despite John Toshack putting us in front. Midfielder Peter Cormack also made his reds bow in this match. John O’Hare scored the last of his six goals past us for the home side.

Ged’s double century
2002 - We were held at home by Newcastle United to a 2-2 draw in the 200th match since Gérard Houllier took sole charge. Ex-United player Dietmar Hamann struck before Michael Owen converted a penalty. However, late goals from Gary Speed and one of Alan Shearer’s eight past us levelled the match.
1953 - We also faced the Geordies, leaving St. James’ Park on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline, with the legendary Jackie Milburn and Vic Keeble adding to the last two of Robert Mitchell’s eight strikes against the reds.

Syd’s last
1936 – We were trounced 6-2 at Portsmouth with Alf Hanson and Berry Nieuwenhuys netting our goals as inside-left Syd Roberts played his 62nd and final reds game. Fred Worrall scored one of his four goals against the reds, Jack Weddle struck the last of his five, Cliff Parker bagged two of his five and Billy Bagley also scored twice.

Starting out with a point
1901 - We kicked off our season with a goalless draw at Small Heath, who were later to become known as Birmingham City.

Michael on the mark again
2000 - Michael Owen scored England’s equaliser against World Champions France in their friendly encounter at the Stade de France, having come on as a substitute. Kevin Keegan was in charge of a side that also featured ex-red Steve McManaman, while Nick Barmby was winning his first cap as a reds player. Future red Nicolas Anelka appeared for the home side.

The same day, Sami Hyypiä won his 34th cap in Finland’s 2-1 home defeat of Albania in a World Cup qualifier, with future red Jari Litmanen on the scoresheet. Don Hutchison won his first cap as a Sunderland player as Scotland won their qualifier in Latvia 1-0. Robbie Keane bagged his only goal while with Internazionale as ex-red Jason McAteer also struck in the Republic of Ireland’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Amsterdam, with Steve Staunton also featuring. Craig Bellamy was sent off while winning his first cap as a Coventry City player as Wales lost 2-1 in Belarus. Also in international action that day were Stéphane Henchoz, Vladimír Šmicer, future reds Igor Bišcan, Jerzy Dudek and Paul Jones, and ex-reds Øyvind Leonhardsen, Jim Magilton and Gareth Roberts.

Crouchie at the double
2006 - Peter Crouch bagged a brace with Steven Gerrard also on target as England thumped Andorra 5-0 in their Euro 2008 qualifier at Old Trafford, with future red Stewart Downing also in action. Luis García and future red Fernando Torres both netted for Spain in their 4-0 defeat of Liechtenstein, with Xabi Alonso also in the side. Future red Martin Škrtel struck his first goal for his country on the same day, as Slovakia thumped Cyprus 6-1 in another qualifier in Bratislava.

Dirk Kuyt won his first cap as a red, playing alongside future reds Ryan Babel and John Heitinga as the Netherlands won 1-0 in Luxembourg. Meanwhile, ex-red Jari Litmanen knocked a brace past Jerzy Dudek, including a penalty, as Roy Hodgson’s Finland beat Poland 3-1 in what was the keeper’s final international as a red. Also in international action were Craig Bellamy, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypiä, future reds Yossi Benayoun, Philipp Degen, Robbie Keane, Ragnar Klavan and Sotirios Kyrgiakos, and ex-reds Paul Jones, El-Hadji Diouf and Rigobert Song. Also representing their countries that day were managers John Toshack and Steve Staunton, who was dismissed as the Republic of Ireland lost 1-0 in Germany.

2017 – Ben Woodburn netted on his senior international debut as Wales beat Austria 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Cardiff. Sadio Mané played for Senegal as they shared a goalless draw with Burkina Faso in another qualifier in Dakar on the same day, with Abel Xavier taking charge of Mozambique.
2021 – Ex-red Raheem Sterling scored as England thumped Hungary 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Budapest, with Dominik Szoboszlai winning his first cap as a RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. player and Jordan Henderson and ex-red Péter Gulácsi also featuring. Federico Chiesa struck his last goal for Italy before making his loan move to Juventus permanent as they were held to a 1-1 qualifying draw by Bulgaria in Florence. James Balagizi debuted for England Under-19’s as they beat Italy 2-0 at St. George’s Park, while future red Ben Doak netted while debuting for Scotland Under-17’s in their 1-1 draw with Wales in Stirling. Future reds Luis Díaz and Wataru Endō and ex-red Christian Benteke also played for their countries that day.

International bows
2016 – Future red Kostas Tsimikas debuted for Greece Under-21’s as they drew 1-1 with Albania in a European Championships qualifier in Athens. On the same day, Marko Grujić won his first cap for Serbia Under-21’s as a reds player in their 1-1 draw in another qualifier in Italy, while Diogo Jota appeared for Portugal at the same level for the first time while playing for Club Atlético de Madrid in their goalless draw with Israel. Harry Wilson also represented his country that day.
2011 – Stewart Downing won his first cap as a reds player as England won a Euro 2012 qualifier 3-0 in Bulgaria, with Raul Meireles playing for Portugal for the first time since moving to Chelsea as Portugal won 4-0 in Cyprus. Craig Bellamy featured for Wales as they beat Montenegro 2-1 in Cardiff, the first time since his return to Anfield. Sebastián Coates won his first cap as a red as Uruguay beat Ukraine 3-2 in Karkov, while future red Dejan Lovren struck his first goal for Croatia in their 3-1 qualifying win in Malta.

Robbie Keane won his first cap as an LA Galaxy player as the Republic of Ireland shared a goalless draw with Slovakia in Dublin, with Yossi Benayoun playing for Israel for the first time while on loan at Arsenal in their 1-0 defeat by Greece in Tel-Aviv. Alou Diarra won his first cap as an Olympique de Marseille player as France won 2-1 in Albania.

Dirk Kuyt scored as the Netherlands trounced San Marino 11-0 in Eindhoven, with future red Gini Wijnaldum netting on his debut and future reds coach John Heitinga bagging his seventh and final goal for his country, while Pepe Reina, Martin Škrtel, Luis Suárez, future reds Ragnar Klavan, Simon Mignolet and James Milner, and ex-reds Xabi Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa, Milan Jovanović, Javier Mascherano, Nikolay Mihaylov, Daniel Sjölund, Fernando Torres and John Toshack all also represented their countries.

More first caps
2010 – Michael Ngoo and Jonjo Shelvey both netted on their debuts for England Under-19’s as they beat Slovakia 2-0 in a friendly at Gresty Road, while Andre Wisdom also made his debut at this level, skippering the side for a time. Meanwhile, future red Thiago Alcântara made his bow for Spain Under-21’s as they beat the Netherlands 2-1 in a European Championships qualifier in Alicante. Captain Yossi Benayoun scored a treble, including a penalty, as he won his first cap as a Chelsea player in Israel’s 3-1 defeat of Malta in a European Championships qualifier in Tel-Aviv on the same day.

Alberto in action
2002 – Future red Alberto Aquilani played for Italy Under-19’s as they lost 1-0 to Turkey.
2005 – He featured for the Under-21’s in their European Championships qualifier against Scotland in Motherwell that ended 2-2 with three players sent off in total. The match was forfeited by the home side and recorded as a 3-0 victory to Italy. Also in international action that day were Scott Carson, Michael Nardiello, John Welsh and future reds Glen Johnson, Nikolay Mihaylov and James Milner.
2011 – Aquilani won his first cap while on loan with AC Milan as Italy won a Euro 2012 qualifier 1-0 in the Faroe Islands, with future red Mario Balotelli also in action.
2012 – Sheyi Ojo and Jerome Sinclair played for England Under-17’s as they lost a friendly 1-0 to Portugal in Burton.

Also on the move
1938 – Scottish centre-half Tom ‘Tiny’ Bradshaw signed for South Liverpool after four goals in 291 appearances since signing from Bury for £8,000 in January 1930. He was only with South Liverpool for three days while the reds negotiated his £600 transfer to Third Lanark.
1955 – Future reds centre-forward Dave Hickson signed for Aston Villa from Everton for £17,500, netting just once in twelve games before moving to Huddersfield Town for £16,000 two months later.
2011 – Ex-reds defender Stephen Wright signed for Hartlepool United, featuring eleven times for the Monkey Hangers.
2023 – Gini Wijnaldum signed for Al-Ettifaq. He struck seven times in 31 games in his first campaign in Saudi Arabia.

Other reds games
1980 – We thumped Bradford City 4-0 in a League Cup Second Round second leg at Anfield on our way to claiming the trophy for the first time. Kenny Dalglish struck twice, with Ray Kennedy and David Johnson also scoring.
1967 – Tony Hateley and Roger Hunt struck as we won 2-0 at West Bromwich Albion.
1964 – We came from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1 in L4. Peter Thompson and Tommy Smith were both on the scoresheet.
1933 – We beat Sheffield United 3-2 at Anfield. Sam English added to a Gordon Hodgson brace after Peter Spooner had given the Blades an early lead. Jimmy Dunne bagged one of his eleven goals past us late on after Mick Killourhy had sent a spot-kick wide.

Also in international action
1995 – Robbie Fowler played for England Under-21’s as they lost a European Championships qualifier 2-0 in Portugal.
1998 – Future reds Markus Babbel and Stéphane Henchoz both played in senior international friendlies, with Switzerland drawing 1-1 with FR Yugoslavia in Nis and Germany winning 2-1 in Malta.