12th March

Uncle Joe emerges
1921 - Joe Fagan was born in Walton Hospital, Liverpool. He joined the Anfield coaching staff in 1958, becoming Assistant Manager to Bob Paisley in 1974, before moving into the hot seat himself nine years later. In his first season as boss, he led the club to a unique treble of League, European Cup and League Cup, retiring just a year later after 71 victories in 131 games in all competitions.

Welcome to Brucie
1981 - Bruce Grobbelaar signed for £250,000 from Vancouver Whitecaps. Our eccentric keeper played 628 times for the reds, helping us to six League titles, one European Cup, three FA Cups, three League Cups, three FA Charity Shields and Screen Sport Super Cup.

Other reds birthdays
1902 – Scottish centre-forward Jimmy Smith was born in Old Kilpatrick. He still holds the British seasonal scoring record, netting 66 for Ayr United in 1927/28. He signed for the reds from Ayr for £5,500 in September 1929, going on to bag 38 goals in 62 reds games including two on his debut against Manchester United. He moved into amateur football with Tunbridge Wells Rangers in June 1932.
1897 - John Miller was born in Motherwell. He only played eight times while at Anfield before moving on to Aberdeen in June 1921. He was Tom’s brother, who was caught up in the 1915 match fixing scandal.

1922 – Full-back Frank Lock was born in London. He signed from Charlton Athletic for £7,500 on Christmas Day 1953, playing 42 times before moving on to Watford in June 1955.
1926 – Centre-forward Les Shannon was born in Liverpool. He signed professional terms in November 1944, but had to wait until April 1948 to make his reds bow. He bagged just one goal in eleven games, as well as six in fifteen wartime appearances, moving on to Burnley in November 1949. He is the father of recent Under-16’s coach Dave Shannon.
1931 - Inside-forward Eric Anderson was born in Manchester. He signed pro terms in December 1951 and netted 22 times in 76 games before joining Barnsley in July 1957.

Naby’s century
2022 - Naby Keïta played his hundredth reds game in our 2-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion. Luis Díaz bravely headed in the opener as he was flattened by Seagulls’ keeper Robert Sánchez, with Mohamed Salah converting a second-half penalty.
2017 - We beat Burnley 2-1, with Ashley Barnes putting the visitors in front before goals from Gini Wijnaldum and Emre Can.

Double capture
1930 - Outside-left Gordon Gunson and forward Dave Wright both signed from Sunderland for a combined £4,800. Gunson made 87 appearances, scoring an impressive 26 times in his injury-affected time at Anfield before moving on to Swindon Town in June 1934. Wright bagged 35 goals in exactly a century of reds games, remaining at Anfield until July 1934, when he joined Hull City for £1,000.

1951 – Centre-forward Jack Smith arrived from Bromborough Pool. He netted fourteen times in 59 reds games, moving on to Torquay United in May 1954.

Farewell to Highbury
2006 - Xabi Alonso was laughably sent off as we lost our 84th and final competitive game at Highbury, going down 2-1 in a League meeting with Arsenal. Luis García equalised before Steven Gerrard gifted the ball to Thierry Henry who struck his second goal of the game to secure victory, two of his nine past us.

Other farewells
1949 - Scottish international centre-half Alex Raisbeck died in Liverpool. He scored nineteen goals in 341 games after signing from Hibernian for £350 in May 1898. He was our first skipper to lift the League championship in 1901 and won a further League title five years later, as well as a Second Division championship before returning to Scotland in August 1909 to sign for Partick Thistle. He later had a spell as a scout for the reds.
1954 – Left-half Jim Bradley died. He had signed from Stoke in September 1905, helping us to claim the League title at the end of his first campaign. He struck eight times in 186 reds games, including one in goal, moving on to Reading in June 1911.

1924 - Forward Billy Lacey played his 260th and last reds game as we lost 4-1 at Bolton Wanderers with Jimmy Walsh nabbing our consolation. Joe Smith scored two of his twelve goals past us, with David Jack netting one of his nine and John Smith one of his seven as centre-half Walter Wadsworth made his 200th reds appearance.
1892 - Reds club founder John Houlding was voted off the Everton board, paving the way for him to form Liverpool Football Club.

Four for Evans
1955 - Striker John Evans scored all four reds goals in our 4-3 Second Division win over Bury at Gigg Lane. Keeper Charlie Ashcroft played his 89th and last reds game in this match, while centre-half Fred Tomley made his reds bow. Stan Pearson netted the last two of his eleven goals against the reds, with Doug Fletcher also on target.

More reds debutants
1898 - Outside-left Jack Cox scored on his reds debut in our 2-0 defeat of Notts County at Anfield, our first ever game on this day in history. Frank Becton grabbed the other goal.
1949 - Utility player Bryan Williams made his reds bow as we beat Birmingham City 1-0 at Anfield, with Cyril Done netting. Williams became renowned for his long throws.

More red centuries
1910 – Defender Tom Chorlton played his hundredth League game for the reds as we lost 1-0 to Bristol City in a top-flight fixture. Future red Sam Gilligan struck the last of his five goals past us.
1923 – Right-back Ephraim Longworth made his 300th appearance for the club as we lost 1-0 at Blackburn Rovers.
1983 – Mark Lawrenson reached a century of reds games as we beat West Ham United 3-0 at Anfield. Sammy Lee and Ian Rush netted after Geoff Pike put through his own net after the break.

Knocking out the holders
1968 - We beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in an Anfield FA Cup Fifth Round replay, with Tommy Smith netting the winner from the spot at the second attempt, after Spurs had twelve men on the pitch for his first try, which was saved by Pat Jennings. Roger Hunt was also on target, while Cliff Jones netted his fifth and final goal past us.
1966 - We also beat Spurs in L4, when Ted Clayton put through his own net in this top-flight encounter.

Twice against the Blades and Boro
We have twice beaten Sheffield United at Anfield in First Division matches on this day in history.
1904 – Joe Hewitt struck the first of his 74 reds goals as we won 3-0, with Arthur Goddard and Robbie Robinson also netting, while full-back Joseph Hoare played his seventh and last reds game.
1932 - Gordon Hodgson converted a penalty with Gordon Gunson also on target in a 2-1 win as Fred Tunstall bagged the last of his eight goals past us.

We have also twice faced Middlesbrough in the top-flight on this day.
1977 - Emlyn Hughes netted the only goal of the game at Ayresome Park.
1921 - Our Anfield meeting ended goalless, with William Cunningham playing the first of his three reds games.

Thumping the Wearsiders
1938 - Jack Balmer bagged a brace with Berry Nieuwenhuys and Phil Taylor also on the scoresheet as we trounced Sunderland 4-0 at Anfield in a top-flight meeting.

Young reds strikers for England
1986 - Future red Nigel Clough and ex-red Mike Newell both made their England Under-21’s debuts in a 1-0 European Championships Quarter-final win in Denmark. Future red Barry Venison also featured.

Red against red
1904 - Ex-reds inside-right Johnny Walker won his first cap as a Rangers player, and fourth in total, as Scotland drew 1-1 with Wales in the British International Championships in Dundee. Reds inside-left Richard Morris played for the Welsh.
1956 - Reds reserves keeper Doug Rudham appeared for an Anglo-South African XI as they lost 2-1 to Scotland at Ibrox in an unofficial international in aid of the British Olympic Games Appeal Fund. Future red Tommy Younger played in goal for the Scots.

Other reds games
1960 – We lost 2-1 in a Second Division meeting at Portsmouth with Jimmy Harrower putting us in front.
1927 – We lost 3-2 in a top-flight encounter at Leicester City with Tommy Reid nabbing a brace. Arthur Chandler struck one of his six goals past us, with ex-red Harold Wadsworth scoring before Ernie Hine netted the first of his ten against the reds.

Jones comes to Anfield
1992 - Forward Lee Jones signed from Wrexham for £300,000. He only played four senior games before joining Tranmere Rovers in May 1997.

Also on the move
1987 - Two future reds were transferred. Dean Saunders joined Oxford United from Brighton & Hove Albion for £60,000. He struck 23 times in 73 games, before moving to Derby County in October 1988. Jimmy Carter signed for Millwall from Queens Park Rangers for £15,000 on the same day. He played 130 times in his first spell at The Den, moving to Anfield in October 1991.
2010 – Reserves keeper David Martin joined Derby County on loan. He only played twice for the Rams and left Anfield to re-join MK Dons permanently in July 2010.

2015 – Centre-half Lloyd Jones joined Accrington Stanley on loan, netting once in eleven games.
2017 – Momo Sissoko terminated his contract with Italian club Ternana, after just 25 days with the club.
2018 – Ex-reds centre-half and coach Mauricio Pellegrino was sacked as Southampton boss after just eight wins in 34 games in charge since taking over in June 2017.

Also in international action
1910 – Sam Hardy kept goal for England as they drew 1-1 with Ireland in the British International Championships in Belfast.
1975 – Ray Clemence and Kevin Keegan both featured as England beat West Germany 2-0 in a friendly at Wembley.
1994 – Future red Brad Friedel played as the USA drew 1-1 with South Korea in California.
1997 – Future red Vladimír Šmicer played for the Czech Republic in their 2-1 defeat of Poland in Ostrava, with ex-red Ronnie Rosenthal in action for Israel as they lost 1-0 to Sweden in Tel-Aviv.
2017 - Rafael Camacho scored his last two Under-17's goals as Portugal drew 3-3 with Poland in a European Championships qualifier.