15th December

Martin born
1984 - Centre-back Martin Škrtel was born in Handlová. The tough Slovakian signed from Zenit St. Petersburg for £6.5m in January 2008 to become our most expensive defender to date. He notched eighteen goals in 320 games in total, including one in our Carling Cup win at Wembley in February 2012, moving on to Fenerbahçe SK for £5.5m in July 2016. Unfortunately, he also put through his own net a joint club record eight times.

2010 - He skippered the side for the first time as we were held to a goalless draw at Anfield by Utrecht in our final UEFA Europa League group game. Dirk Kuyt played his fiftieth European game for the reds as the 37,800 crowd was boosted by free kids’ tickets. Forward Nathan Eccleston played his ninth and last reds game.

Shaggy’s debut
1990 - Steve McManaman made his reds bow as we beat Sheffield United 2-0 at Anfield, thanks to goals from John Barnes and Ian Rush, who was making his 300th appearance for the reds. He went on to make a total of 364 reds appearances, netting 66 times.

Arnell’s treble
1956 - Alan Arnell bagged a treble as we won 3-0 at Bill Shankly’s Huddersfield Town in a Second Division fixture.

Most recently
2013 – We secured our record win at White Hart Lane as we comprehensively thumped Tottenham Hotspur 5-0, despite being without skipper Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge. Captain for the day Luis Suárez bagged a brace, with Jon Flanagan netting his only reds goal. Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling also struck as Paulinho was sent off for the home side in the second half. The game proved to be André Villas-Boas’ last game in charge of the home side.
2012 – Aston Villa won 3-1 at Anfield, with future red Christian Benteke bagging a brace, the first of his seven goals past us to date, and Andreas Weimann also netting before Steven Gerrard struck a late consolation.

Goalless again
2005 - The reds set a new club record of eleven consecutive clean sheets as we beat the Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa 3-0 in the Semi-final of the FIFA Club World Championship TOYOTA Cup Japan 2005 in Yokohama. Peter Crouch grabbed a brace with Steven Gerrard also on target. Rafael Benítez had heard of the death of his father in the build-up to the match but elected to stay in Japan.

Winning in Belgium
1965 - We beat Standard de Liège 2-1 at their Stade Maurice Dufrasne in the European Cup Winners’ Cup to progress to the Second Round, 5-2 on aggregate. Roger Hunt and Ian St. John netted for the reds as we came from behind to win.

Happy birthday Alf
1881 - Right-back Alf West was born in Nottingham. He struck six times in 141 reds games across two spells at Anfield prior to the First World War, first arriving from Barnsley St. Peter’s in November 1903 for £500. He helped us to the Second Division championship in 1905 and our second League title a year later, joining Reading in June 1909, becoming their club captain but he only stayed for a season before returning to Anfield in May 1910. He only played five times in this second spell before joining Notts County in July 1911.

In comes Wilson
1897 - Wing-half Charlie Wilson signed from Stockport County on a free transfer. He bagged three goals in 91 reds games before becoming a Scout at Anfield in 1905, a role he held until the Second World War.

The light went out
2002 - We suffered our fourth straight League defeat of the season as Milan Baroš’s strike was not enough to save us from a 2-1 defeat by Sunderland at the Stadium Of Light, despite Chris Kirkland’s penalty save from former Blue Gavin McCann, who had already scored, with Michael Proctor also on target.

Big top-flight Anfield wins
1906 - We trounced Notts County 5-1, with Sam Raybould bagging a brace to add to an Alex Raisbeck penalty, and goals from Bill McPherson and Robert Robinson. This was the fourth consecutive home game in which we had notched at least five goals. Jock Montgomery was sent off for the visitors for a bad foul on Raybould.
1934 - Gordon Hodgson struck twice as we beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1, with Berry Nieuwenhuys and Vic Wright also on target. Inside-left Syd Roberts made his comeback from injury, having been out for eleven months.
1979 - Jimmy Case, Kenny Dalglish and Terry McDermott all netted as we beat Crystal Palace 3-0.

Mixed fortunes against the Bluebirds
1923 - We lost 2-0 at home to Cardiff City as they were en route to finishing second in the League, their highest ever position. Left-half Jack Bamber made his eightieth and final reds appearance in this game, with outside-left Fred Hopkin reaching a century of League games for us. Joe Clennell struck the last of his seven goals against the reds, with Jimmy Gill netting one of his six.
1924 - We won 3-1 at Ninian Park, as Dick Forshaw nabbed a brace and Danny Shone also scored, with Jimmy Gill again on target for the Bluebirds. This was actually the eighth consecutive match in which Forshaw had been on target, as he netted a total of ten in this period. Forward Harry ‘Smiler’ Chambers was playing his 200th reds game.

Thumped at Villa Park
1976 - Aston Villa consigned us to our biggest defeat in a decade by winning 5-1 at Villa Park, with all of the goals coming before the break. Andy Gray struck the first two of his four goals past us, with John Deehan nabbing the first two of his five. Brian Little also netted with Ray Kennedy grabbing our consolation. Ian Callaghan made his 600th League appearance.
1984 - We returned to the Midlands, coming home with a goalless draw.

All white
1973 - The reds turned out in all-white at Carrow Road, with Peter Cormack on target as we were held 1-1. This kit was worn despite there being no clash with Norwich City’s usual yellow and green combination, and in spite of the snow on the pitch that made the white shirts harder to spot.

International goalscorers
1982 - A whole host of reds scored for their countries in European Championships qualifiers. Kenny Dalglish bagged a brace as Scotland beat Belgium 3-2 at the Stade du Heysel in Brussels, with one strike later being named as the BBC’s Goal of the Season. Graeme Souness skippered the side, which also included Alan Hansen. On the same day, Phil Neal netted as England thumped Luxembourg 9-0 at Wembley. Sammy Lee won his second cap in this game, with ex-red Ray Clemence in goal. Joey Jones won his first cap as a Chelsea player, and his 48th in total, as Wales drew 4-4 with Yugoslavia in Titograd. He bagged his only international goal in this game, while Ian Rush was also on target, scoring in his fourth straight international.
1994 – Ex-red István Kozma played for Hungary as they lost a friendly 5-1 in Mexico.

Other reds games
1962 – Ian St. John and Roger Hunt netted as we won 2-1 at Blackpool.
1951 – We won 3-1 at Portsmouth with Duggie Reid scoring the last of his six goals against the reds. Billy Liddell struck either side of a Jack Smith goal.
1928 – Gordon Hodgson was on target as Blackburn Rovers held us to a 1-1 draw in L4 after Tommy McLean had bagged one of his five goals past us.
1900 – Jack Cox bagged the only goal of Bury’s visit to Anfield.

Youngsters in action
1976 - David Fairclough won his only Under-21’s cap as England were held to a goalless draw by Wales at Molineux. On the same day, future red Avi Cohen played for Israel in their 3-1 friendly defeat by Austria in Tel-Aviv.
2003 - Future red Javier Mascherano played for Argentina Under-20’s as they lost 1-0 to Brazil in a World Championships Semi-Final in Abu Dhabi.
2019 – Future red Bobby Clark won the first of his two caps for England Under-15’s in their 6-3 defeat by Turkey at St. George’s Park.

On the move
2022 – Midfielder Michael Laffey signed pro terms with the reds, having arrived from Everton as an Under-10’s player.
2020 – It was announced that future reds boss Arne Slot would become Head Coach of Feyenoord the following July. He led them to 98 victories in 150 games in charge, winning the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup before moving to Anfield in June 2024.
2008 – Christian Ziege resigned as Assistant Coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach.

1989 - Former reserves defender Alan Harper joined Manchester City from Sheffield Wednesday for £150,000, scoring twice in 62 games for them before returning to Goodison in August 1991.
2004 - Alan Navarro joined Macclesfield Town on loan from Tranmere Rovers. He struck once in eleven games and then signed on permanently in October 2006.

Also in international action
1997 – Future red Vladimír Šmicer featured as the Czech Republic lost 2-1 to Uruguay in a Confederations Cup group game in Saudi Arabia.
2015 – Future red Ozan Kabak bagged a brace as Turkey Under-16’s beat North Macedonia 4-1 in Side.