19th December

Shanks starts out
1959 - Bill Shankly’s first game in charge ended in a convincing 4-0 defeat at home by Cardiff City, who were promoted ahead of us that year. A crowd of 27,291 watched the floodlit game which resulted in our eighth League defeat of the season and remained our most recent meeting with the Bluebirds until our Carling Cup tie in October 2007. Full-back Allan Jones played the first of his five reds games, with outside-right Fred Morris appearing for the 48th and last time. Derek Tapscott struck the last two of his six goals against the reds, with Johnny Watkins nabbing the final one of his four past us, and Joe Bonson one of his five.

Merry Christmas Everton
2016 – Sadio Mané bagged an injury-time winner, the only goal of our game at Goodison Park.

Happy birthdays
1986 - Ryan Babel was born in Amsterdam. He signed from Ajax for £11.5m in July 2007, proving a very useful asset in his first season, especially from the bench, as he equalled Djibril Cissé’s club record of seven strikes in a season as a substitute. However, subsequent campaigns were far less productive, and he struck a total of 22 times in 146 appearances before being sold to German side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for £6m in January 2011.
1916 – Left-winger George Paterson was born in Aberdeen. He struck once in three outings after arriving from the Hall Russell’s works team in May 1937, moving on to Swindon Town for their record fee in October 1946. He later returned to Anfield in a coaching role under Bill Shankly.

1896 – Inside-forward Harry Lewis was born in Birkenhead. He scored 57 goals in 101 wartime games for the reds before netting twelve times in seventy outings. He helped us to claim the League title in 1922, moving on to Hull City in October 1923.
1865 – Scottish inside-right Jock Smith was born in Kilmarnock. He signed from Sunderland in May 1892, bagging five goals in eleven outings, moving on to The Wednesday in August 1893. Sadly, he committed suicide in January 1911 after the death of one of his children two days before.

Mo again
2020 – Mohamed Salah scored in his fifth consecutive game, netting twice as we trounced Crystal Palace 7-0 behind closed doors at Selhurst Park to extend our lead at the top of the table to five points. Roberto Firmino also bagged a brace, with Takumi Minamino, Sadio Mané and Jordan Henderson also on target.

Yee-haw! A new keeper
1997 - American keeper Brad Friedel signed from US side Columbus Crew for £1m. He went on to appear 31 times between our sticks before joining Blackburn Rovers in November 2000 on a free transfer.

Disappointing debuts
1953 - Left-half Geoff Twentyman and keeper Dave Underwood both made their reds bows as we were thumped 5-1 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on our way down to the Second Division with Louis Bimpson grabbing our consolation. Left-back Eddie Spicer broke his leg for the second time in his career in a collision with our debutant custodian in what was to be his 168th and final reds game. In fact, he suffered nineteen fractures and was in and out of hospital for a year, having it set and reset before he was able to walk again. Tommy Taylor bagged a treble for United, the last of his four goals past us, with Jackie Blanchflower and Dennis Viollet also on target.

A milestone at Leeds Road
1936 - We played our 1,500th League game, although we were thumped 4-0 at Huddersfield Town. Jimmy Richardson struck the last two of his eight goals past the reds, with Len Butt and Willie McFadyen also on the scoresheet.
1970 - We returned to Leeds Road for another top-flight fixture, this time being held to a goalless draw.

Premiership records
1992 - We suffered our worst ever Premier League defeat in Graeme Souness’s hundredth game in charge, going down 5-1 at Coventry City, with Jamie Redknapp becoming our first dismissal in the newly renamed League, after scoring our goal. Stig Inge Bjørnebye made his reds debut in this game, just a day after signing for the club. Brian Borrows bagged a brace, including a penalty, with Mick Quinn also netting twice and Kevin Gallacher scoring on target.

Recent dismissals
2021 – Andy Robertson saw red in our 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Kane struck one of his nine goals past us to date before Diogo Jota equalised. Robertson headed us in front before Heung-min Son scored one of his six goals against us. Robertson was then dismissed.
2009 – Javier Mascherano was dismissed in our woeful 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth, with Jamie Carragher playing his 600th game for the club and Andrea Dossena making his 31st and last reds appearance.
2007 - Peter Crouch was sent off as we lost 2-0 at Chelsea in a League Cup Fifth Round tie, our seventeenth meeting with the Blues under Rafael Benítez. Momo Sissoko played his 87th and final reds game as the deadlock was broken by a deflected Frank Lampard effort, one of his eight goals past us to date, before Andriy Shevchenko rounded off the scoring at the death. Jack Hobbs also made his last senior outing for us, only his fifth.

2004 - Lee Bowyer was sent off as we beat Newcastle United 3-1 at Anfield. Patrick Kluivert opened the scoring despite being yards offside but we levelled the scores through a Titus Bramble own goal, with Neil Mellor putting us ahead before the break with his sixth and final reds strike. Milan Baroš completed the scoring.

Anfield debutants
1931 - Right-back Willie Steel made the first of his 128 reds appearances in our 1-1 draw with Derby County, when Gordon Hodgson nabbed our goal and Peter Ramage netting one of his five goals against the reds.
1896 - We also faced the Rams, when Robert Neill struck the first of his three reds goals with Bill Michael also netting as we lost 3-2 at the Baseball Ground, with Harry Bradshaw playing his hundredth reds game. Steve Bloomer struck the first of his fourteen goals past us, with John Miller and Jimmy Stevenson also on target.

1914 - Wilf Bartrop made his reds bow as we lost 2-1 to Oldham Athletic, with Fred Pagnam grabbing our goal.

European disappointment
1978 - We beat European Cup Winners’ Cup holders Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht 2-1 in thick fog at Anfield in the second leg of our UEFA Super Cup tie, which meant that we lost out 4-3 on aggregate. Emlyn Hughes scored his 49th and last reds goal, with David Fairclough also striking on the night. Steve Ogrizovic played instead of Ray Clemence, who was on the bench, missing his first European fixture for the reds since November 1969, a run of 67 consecutive appearances in continental competition. François van der Elst netted for the visitors, having already struck in the first leg.

200 for Gerry
1964 - Gerry Byrne played his 200th reds game as we beat Blackburn Rovers 3-2 at home, thanks to a Tommy Smith goal and brace from Roger Hunt. Andy McEvoy struck the last of his four goals against the reds, with future Wales boss Mike England also on target.

Five for Dickie
1942 - Dickie Dorsett scored five goals, including a penalty, as we beat Tranmere Rovers 6-1 in a Wartime League game at Anfield. Cyril Done struck our other goal.

Starting out
1968 - Phil Neal signed professionally for Northampton Town, who were relegated to the Fourth Division that season. He often played in midfield for the Cobblers, but was versatile enough to fill a number of other positions before being signed by Bob Paisley for £66,000 in October 1974.
1925 – Gordon Hodgson made his reds bow, in a 1-0 reserves defeat at Manchester City, a few days after signing from Transvaal.

Mixed fortunes against the Blades
We have twice faced Sheffield United in the First Division on this day in history.
1908 - Ronald Orr netted a brace as we won 2-1 at Anfield.
1925 - Dick Forshaw struck our consolation as we lost 3-1 at Bramall Lane. Elisha Scott saved a penalty from Fred Tunstall, who also struck one of his eight goals against the reds. Harry Johnson nabbed one of his seven past us, with Bert Menlove also on target. Centre-forward Danny Shone featured for the 81st and final time.

Beating the Owls
We have twice defeated Sheffield Wednesday in the top flight at Anfield on this day.
1987 - Gary Gillespie grabbed the only goal of the game as we reached nineteen League games unbeaten, equalling the club record from the start of a season.
1998 - Patrik Berger and Michael Owen struck as we won 2-0.

Shaken but not stirred
We have twice been held to draws by Bury on this day in history.
1903 – Jack Cox bagged a brace in a top-flight encounter with the Shakers at Gigg Lane. Charles Sagar netted the last two of his four goals against the reds.
1898 – George Allan converted a first-minute penalty in a Lancashire Senior Cup game at Anfield.

Ronnie for Israel
1984 - Future red Ronnie Rosenthal made his senior international debut as a substitute in Israel’s 2-0 friendly defeat of Luxembourg in Petah Tikva. Ex-red Avi Cohen played too.
1978 – Cohen was also in international action, as Israel were held to a 1-1 draw by Romania in a friendly in Jaffa.

Future reds on target
1990 - Karl-Heinz Riedle struck his first goal as a S.S. Lazio player in what was Germany’s first match since reunification. They beat Switzerland 4-0 in a friendly in Stuttgart.
1997 – Future red Harry Kewell struck the goal that took Australia through to the Final of the Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia as they beat Uruguay 1-0 courtesy of a golden goal. On the same day, future red Vladimír Šmicer was on the losing side as Brazil also reached the Final, winning 2-0.

Other reds game
1973 – John Richards bagged the only goal of our League Cup Fifth Round trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, one of his five goals against the reds.

Mac the Terrier
2008 - Terry McDermott was appointed Assistant Manager of Huddersfield Town. They finished ninth in League One at the end of that season and he stayed with the Terriers until being sacked in February 2012 after Lee Clark was dismissed as Manager.

Czechs bouncing
2002 - Milan Baroš and Vladimír Šmicer were named among the top ten Czech footballers in the country’s annual Player of the Year poll. Baroš came fourth in the Golden Ball awards while Šmicer was placed tenth. Borussia Dortmund’s Tomáš Rosický was the overall winner.

New challenge for Newell
1996 - Former reserves forward Mike Newell joined West Ham United on loan from Birmingham City. He made seven appearances for the Hammers, including a goalless League draw at Anfield, without registering.
1997 - Defender Barry Jones joined York City on loan from Wrexham. He went on to play 134 times for them after signing permanently a month later.

Also in international action
1979 – Kenny Dalglish and future red John Wark both played as Scotland lost a European Championships qualifier 3-1 to Belgium at Hampden Park.
2013 – Future red Marko Grujić featured as Serbia Under-18’s drew 1-1 with Germany.
2016 – Fulham’s Fábio Carvalho played for England Under-15’s as they lost 3-1 to Turkey at St. George’s Park.