25th April

Red endings
1978 - Tommy Smith played his 638th and final reds game as we beat Arsenal at Anfield in the League. David Fairclough grabbed the only goal of the game as we secured the points to ensure our sixteenth consecutive season of European football.
1928 - Left-winger George Pither played his twelfth and final reds game as we were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield by Leicester City. Tommy Reid netted our goal, with Arthur Chandler bagging one of his six past us.

1998 - Rob Jones made the last of his 243 reds appearances in our 4-1 defeat at Chelsea. Karlheinz Riedle nabbed our consolation that day. Mark Hughes bagged the last two of his nine goals past us, with future reds coach Steve Clarke and Tore André Flo also netting.
1959 – Keeper Tommy Younger played his 127th and last reds game as we drew 3-3 in a Second Division match at Swansea Town to finish the season in third. Alan A’Court scored after just a minute with Len Allchurch netting one of his five goals against the reds With Ray Daniel on target twice as we were 3-1 down at half time. Jimmy Melia scored twice after the break to level the scores.
1953 - We also faced the Blues in the top flight, with Rob’s grandfather Bill Jones and Louis Bimpson on target in our 2-0 home win. This was our last game of the season, as we finished in seventeenth position.

First FA Cup Final
1914 - We played in our first FA Cup Final, but lost to Burnley in the last one ever to be staged at Crystal Palace. Tom Miller had a strike disallowed for offside for the reds before ex-Evertonian Bertie Freeman volleyed the only goal of the game, one of his nine against us. King George V that day became the first reigning monarch to attend an FA Cup Final.

Reaching European finals
1973 - We suffered our first ever defeat in the UEFA Cup, 2-1 at holders Tottenham Hotspur in our sixth meeting of the season. However, Steve Heighway’s strike took us through to the Final on the away goals rule despite Martin Peters’ brace, two of his fourteen strikes against the reds.
1984 - An Ian Rush brace booked our place in a fourth European Cup Final, as we won 2-1 at Dinamo Bucureşti, to go through 3-1 on aggregate. Rush reached forty goals for the season in a match played in a fiery atmosphere after Graeme Souness had broken Lica Movilă’s jaw in the first leg at Anfield.

Maxi off the mark
2010 – Maxi Rodríguez bagged his first reds goal as we won 4-0 at Burnley, following seven away fixtures without victory. Steven Gerrard bagged a brace early in the second half to open the scoring, with David N’Gog also netting in injury time.

Edging towards Athens
2007 – Future red Joe Cole bagged the only goal of our Champions League Semi-final first leg defeat at Chelsea, as the Blues were unable to get past Pepe Reina a second time, despite an under-par reds performance. Jamie Carragher played his 89th European game, equalling Ian Callaghan’s club record. This was the first time we had faced the same team in European competition three consecutive seasons, as well as being the third round in a row in which Bolo Zenden had come up against a former employer, following ties with Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven.

Dirk’s ton up
2009 – Dirk Kuyt played his hundredth League game for the reds as we won at Hull City. Xabi Alonso bagged his nineteenth and final reds goal to open the scoring just before the break, pouncing on his own rebounded free kick. Caleb Folan was sent off for the home side before Kuyt headed in. Geovanni pulled one back with Kuyt then making it 3-1.

Happy dot birthday
2001 - The official club website liverpoolfc.tv was launched. It remains the most popular football club website in the world.

Howard’s way
1981 - Winger Howard Gayle scored his only reds goal, on his full debut, as we held Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane, with Glenn Hoddle netting one of his four goals past us for the home side.

Another trophy
1931 – We won the Lancashire Senior Cup for the fourth time after beating Manchester United 4-0 at Anfield, with Dave Wright bagging a brace and Gordon Hodgson and Archie McPherson also netting.
1938 – We lost 3-1 at Old Trafford in the same competition, with goalscorer Ted Harston having to go off injured, leaving us down to ten men for more than seventy minutes.

Kop farewell
1994 - Ashley Neal struck from the penalty spot in our 3-2 reserves defeat by Nottingham Forest at Anfield. This was the final reds goal scored in front of the standing Kop, two weeks after Julian Dicks’ famed spot-kick at the same end of the ground, and six days before Jeremy Goss’s historic strike.

A derby win
1987 - Blues old boy Steve McMahon put us ahead against Everton at Anfield. Kevin Sheedy equalised with a free-kick past Mike Hooper, before flicking the V’s to the Kop. Ian Rush added two more to equal Dixie Dean’s derby scoring record of nineteen, as we won 3-1. However, our neighbours still went on to reclaim the League title.

The Storer ends
1908 - Ex-reds keeper Harry Storer died of consumption aged just 37. He signed from Woolwich Arsenal in December 1895 for £75, taking over from the versatile Matt McQueen between our sticks. He made a total of 121 reds appearances before retiring in 1901.

Signing on
1900 – Scottish right-back Tom Robertson signed from Stoke for £400. He played 47 times without notching, helping us to claim our first League title in 1901 before joining Southampton in May 1902, with whom he won the Southern League in two successive years.

First and last caps
1970 - Peter Thompson won his sixteenth and final cap as England held Scotland to a goalless draw in the British International Championships at Hampden Park. Clubmate Emlyn Hughes also played.
1964 - Roy Evans won his first cap for England Schoolboys, playing in their 1-1 draw with West Germany at Wembley Stadium.

Boing boing boing
We have faced West Bromwich Albion three times on this day.
1896 - We beat them 2-0 in a Test Match at Anfield, thanks to goals from George Bradshaw and George Allan, helping to take us back into the top flight. Half-back Barney Battles made his fifth and final appearance in his first spell at Anfield in this game.
1964 - Roger Hunt struck twice as we drew at The Hawthorns in a First Division fixture. John Kaye scores the first of his four goals against the reds, with Clive Clark netting the first of his seven past us.
2015 - Fabio Borini made his 38th and last reds appearance as we were held to a goalless draw at The Hawthorns.

All-star reds
2019 – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mané, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and ex-red Raheem Sterling were al named in the PFA Team of the Year, with van Dijk going on to be named the Player of the Year the following day.
2004 - Steven Gerrard was named in the PFA Team of the Year, coming third in the Player Of The Year vote behind eventual winner Thierry Henry after a terrific season for the reds.
2010 – Future red James Milner was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year after scoring twelve times in 49 games for Aston Villa that season. He was also named in the Team of the Year.

Milan for the Czechs
2001 - Future red Milan Baroš made his senior international debut, scoring in their 1-1 friendly draw with Belgium in Prague. Patrik Berger also played, while Igor Bišcan, future reds Jerzy Dudek, Alex Manninger and Bolo Zenden, and ex-red Øyvind Leonhardsen all also played for their countries that day. Meanwhile, Abel Xavier won his final cap as an Everton player, and seventeenth to date, as Portugal were thumped 4-0 by France in a friendly at the Stade de France.

Gary Mac for Scotland
1990 - Future red Gary McAllister made his debut for Scotland as they lost 1-0 to East Germany in a friendly at Hampden Park. Gary Gillespie also featured. On the same day, Dean Saunders struck twice for Wales as they lost 4-2 to Glen Hysén’s Sweden in Stockholm. These were his first goals as a Derby County player. Meanwhile, Steve McMahon and future red Mark Wright both came off the bench in England’s 4-2 defeat of Czechoslovakia in another friendly at Wembley.
2012 – Ex-red Gary Mackay-Steven scored his first goal for Scotland Under-21’s as they lost 4-1 to Italy in a friendly at Easter Road, with Danny Wilson also featuring. Future red Mohamed Salah turned out for Egypt Under-23’s on the same day, with Krisztián Adorján and future red Ádám Hajdú both playing for Hungary Under-19’s.

Stan for the Irish
1990 - Steve Staunton scored the only goal of the Republic of Ireland’s friendly encounter with the USSR at Lansdowne Road. It was his first goal for his country, and the only one in his first spell as a red. Ex-reds reserve Kevin Sheedy also played.
2001 - Staunton won his 87th cap, and first one in his second spell as an Aston Villa player, as the Irish beat Andorra 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier at the same venue. Mark Kennedy was winning his last cap as a Manchester City player, while future red Steve Finnan also featured.

Also on the mark
2018 - Future red Harvey Elliott netted as England Under-15’s lost 4-3 to Japan in a tournament game in Italy.
2013 – Ex-reds winger Mark González scored as Chile held Brazil to a 2-2 friendly draw in Belo Horizonte.
2001 – Future red Florent Sinama-Pongolle grabbed a hat-trick, including a penalty, as France Under-16’s beat Croatia 3-0 in a European Championships Finals group game in Harrogate. Future red John Arne Riise netted as Norway Under-21’s drew 2-2 with Portugal.
1995 - Ex-red Ronnie Rosenthal struck as Israel lost 4-3 to Poland in a World Cup qualifier in Zabrze. Future red Fernando Morientes was also in international action that day.

Honoured
1921 - Long-serving keeper Elisha Scott captained a Central League eleven in their 2-0 win over a Football Combination side.
2013 – Midfielder Jay Spearing was named Player of the Season by the Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Association, after a successful loan campaign with the Trotters following which he made the move permanent.

Other reds games
1951 – Aston Villa held us to a goalless draw at Anfield.
1936 – We drew 0-0 at Sheffield Wednesday.
1925 – We lost 2-0 at Bolton Wanderers. David Jack struck one of his nine goals past us with Joe Smith bagging one of his twelve.
1903 – Sam Raybould netted twice as we beat Bury 2-0 in L4.

Babb starts out
1989 - Phil Babb signed as a professional for Millwall. He never made a senior appearance for his first club, moving on to Bradford City in August 1990 on a free transfer.

Thomas the skipper
1989 - Future red Michael Thomas captained England Under-21’s as they beat Albania 2-0 in a European Championships qualifier at Portman Road. David Burrows also played.

Also in international action
1981 – Bruce Grobbelaar played for Zimbabwe as they lost an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 2-0 in Zambia.
1995 – Future red Fernando Morientes appeared for Spain Under-20’s as they lost 3-0 to Argentina in their World Championships Semi-final in Qatar.
2000 – Richie Partridge and future red Milan Baroš both played in Under-21’s internationals.

2002 – Future red Alberto Aquilani played for Italy Under-18’s in their 3-1 win in Croatia.
2006 - Future reds Michael Collins and Shane O'Connor both featured as the Republic of Ireland Under-16’s lost 1-0 to Croatia in a tournament game in Italy.
2022 – Carter Pinnington captained England Under-15’s as they thumped Chile 5-0 in a friendly in Italy.