8th December

Last gasp drama on the road to Turkey
2004 - We reached the knock-out stage of the Champions League as we came from behind to beat Olympiacos 3-1 at Anfield in our final group game. Rivaldo was on target in the first half for the visitors, but Florent Sinama-Pongolle came on at half time to change the game, bagging an equaliser straight after the break, our 200th goal in Europe’s premier club competition. Neil Mellor put us one goal away from progress with ten minutes to go before Steven Gerrard struck the spectacular, decisive third.

Births and death
1951 - Terry McDermott was born in Kirkby. He struck 81 times in 329 reds games after signing from Newcastle United for £175,000 in November 1974, helping us to three European Cups, four League titles, two League Cups, UEFA Super Cup and two FA Charity Shields. In 1980, he became the first player to win both the PFA and Football Writers’ Player Of The Year Awards in the same season. He netted on his 28th birthday as we won 3-1 at Aston Villa, with Ray Kennedy and Alan Hansen also on the scoresheet, with Brian Little bagging the home side’s consolation.
1994 – Raheem Sterling was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He signed from Queens Park Rangers for £0.5m in February 2010, notching 23 goals in 129 reds games before joining Manchester City for an initial £44m in July 2015.

1995 – Jordon Ibe was born in Bermondsey. He arrived from Wycombe Wanderers for a reported £750,000 in December 2011, notching four times in 58 reds games before moving to Bournemouth for a reported £15m in July 2016.
1923 - Scottish right-back Tom Robertson died. He signed from Stoke for £400 and 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.
1946 – Forward Jack Whitham was born in Burnley. He signed from Sheffield Wednesday for £57,000 in April 1970, bagging seven goals in eighteen outings before having his contract terminated by mutual consent in 1974. He then played for Cardiff City and Reading.

Razor sheathed
1981 - Ray Kennedy played his 342nd and final domestic reds game as we beat Arsenal 3-0 in a League Cup Fourth Round replay at Anfield, with all three goals coming in extra time. Craig Johnston bagged his first reds goal on his 21st birthday before fellow birthday boy Terry McDermott converted a penalty, with Kenny Dalglish also on target.
1928 – Defender Bert Shears played his sixteenth and final reds game as we lost 2-1 at Sunderland, with Robert Done bagging our consolation and Gordon Hodgson reaching a century of reds games. Dave Halliday struck one of his thirteen goals against the reds, with Bob McKay also on target.

Mo’s treble
2018 – Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick as we thumped Bournemouth 4-0 at their Vitality Stadium, with skipper James Milner playing the 500th Premier League game of his career as we also benefited from a Steve Cook own goal.

Stevie’s half century
2007 - Steven Gerrard scored his fiftieth Premiership goal as we lost 3-1 at Reading, our first League defeat of the season, with young centre-back Jack Hobbs making his only ever League start. The home side’s first goal from Stephen Hunt was the hundredth we had conceded in the League under the charge of Rafael Benítez. Kevin Doyle and James Harper also got on the scoresheet.

Solitary strikes
1973 - Mick Lyons had a goal for the Blues ruled offside before Alan Waddle grabbed his only reds strike to hand us a 1-0 derby win at Goodison Park against an Everton side who were unbeaten in the League that season. We won despite the absence of John Toshack and Steve Heighway, with Kevin Keegan also having to go off injured.
1951 - Centre-half Laurie Hughes scored his only goal in 326 reds games as we drew 2-2 with Preston North End at Anfield. We had fallen 2-0 behind, through a Ray Lambert own goal and the first of Charlie Wayman’s six strikes past us, before Billy Liddell pulled a goal back. Hughes had gone up front after injuring his thigh and tapped in the equaliser after Preston’s keeper Jimmy Gooch had let a Bill Jones strike slip through his legs.

Four for Chelsea
1934 - Dickie Spence scored all four Chelsea goals in their 4-1 defeat of the reds at Stamford Bridge, the first of his six goals against the reds. Forward Dave Wright netted our consolation, while right-back Tommy Cooper made his reds bow.

In and out
1996 - Centre-half John Scales was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £2.6m. He had struck four times in 94 appearances after being signed by Roy Evans from Wimbledon for £3.5m in September 1994, before his career was affected by injury.
1899 – Inside-forward Charlie Satterthwaite signed from Burton Swifts. He bagged thirteen goals in 45 outings before moving to New Brompton in 1902 after helping us to claim the League title the year before.

Two rangers off track
1993 - Queens Park Rangers had both Simon Barker and Les Ferdinand sent off in our 3-2 win at Anfield. John Barnes and Ian Rush added to Jan Mølby’s penalty. Ferdinand had netted one of his six goals against the reds, with Barker also on target for the visitors.

Defeat in Europe
1998 - We lost 1-0 to Celta de Vigo at Anfield to bow out at the Third Round stage of the UEFA Cup 4-1 on aggregate.

Mixed fortunes against the steel city boys
We have twice faced Sheffield United on this day in history, without winning, although we have beaten their neighbours Wednesday, with all these games coming in the First Division.
1894 - We drew 2-2 on our first ever trip to Bramall Lane, with Tom Bradshaw bagging a brace and Harry Hammond netting twice for the home side.
1923 - United left Anfield with all the points, when Harry Chambers and Dick Forshaw netted in our 3-2 defeat. Harry Johnson and Billy Gillespie each struck one of their seven goals against the reds, with Fred Tunstall bagging one of his eight past us.
1962 - Kevin Lewis and Roger Hunt struck as we won 2-0 at Hillsborough.

Bennett yet again
1917 - Thomas Bennett scored all five goals as we thumped Rochdale 5-1 in a Wartime League match at Anfield. Amazingly, this was the fifteenth consecutive game in which he had scored for the reds!

A new management role
1998 - 1950’s reds wing-half Keith Burkinshaw was put in temporary charge of Aberdeen after Roy Aitken was sacked. He was unbeaten in four games but returned to a Director of Football role in the New Year, when Paul Hegarty was appointed.

Deano moves into the sun
1998 - Dean Saunders joined SL Benfica from Sheffield United for £500,000. He spent one season at the Estádio da Luz, bagging five goals in seventeen League outings, before returning to England to join Bradford City.

Sir Roger for England
1965 - Roger Hunt struck as England beat Spain 2-0 in a friendly in Madrid.

Other reds games
2001 – Michael Owen and Patrik Berger netted as we beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at Anfield.
1956 – We lost a Second Division fixture 1-0 at Nottingham Forest.
1906 – Bobby Robinson was on target in our 3-1 defeat at Bristol City, but had to miss the second half due to concussion. Andy Burton struck the first two of his four goals against the reds after the break, with future red Sam Gilligan bagging the first of his five past us.
1900 – We beat Manchester City by the odd goal in seven at their old Hyde Road ground. Jack Cox, Andy McGuigan, Sam Raybould and Tommy Robertson were all on the scoresheet.

Going through
2003 - Zak Whitbread featured as the USA Under-20’s reached the Quarter-finals of the World Championship Finals in the United Arab Emirates by defeating the Ivory Coast 2-0. On the same day, future red Javier Mascherano featured as Argentina beat Egypt 2-1 after extra time at the same stage of the competition.

Ellison’s bow
2006 - Academy youngster James Ellison made his debut for England Under-16’s, playing alongside clubmate Sean Highdale in their 2-1 defeat of Scotland to clinch the Victory Shield in Sc***horpe.
2016 – Future reds reserves keeper Vítězslav Jaroš played for the Czech Republic Under-16’s as they lost 3-2 to the Netherlands.
2019 – Isaac Mabaya represented England at the same level, winning his fifth and last cap as they drew 3-3 with Spain in Alicante.

Good riddance
2010 – Reserves keeper Charles Itandje was released. The Frenchman signed from Racing Club de Lens in August 2007, playing seven largely unconvincing games in his first season, being released from his contract in December 2010.