
Title number five
1947 - We clinched our fifth League title when Stoke City lost 2-1 at Sheffield United. We therefore finished one point ahead of Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and two ahead of the Potters. The news came through on the day that we clinched the Liverpool Senior Cup by beating Everton 2-1, thanks to goals from Jack Balmer and William Watkinson. The match was actually halted five minutes from time so that director George Richards could address the crowd by loudspeaker with the news.
RIP Gordon Hodgson
1951 - Legendary forward Gordon Hodgson died of cancer in Burslem. He had bagged a club record seventeen hat-tricks amongst his 241 goals in 377 games after signing from Transvaal in November 1925. He could not claim a club medal in his time at Anfield, moving on to Aston Villa in January 1936 for £3,000.
In comes Darwin
2022 - Darwin Núñez signed from SL Benfica for an initial £64.2m. He was on target as he came off the bench to help us claim the FA Community Shield on his debut, bagging a total of 33 goals in 96 outings across his first two campaigns.
Happy birthdays
1857 – The club’s first Manager, William Barclay, was born in the Kilmainham Auxiliary of the South Dublin Workhouse. He worked as a Secretary-c**-Manager for the first four years of the club’s existence, having previously been Vice Chairman of Everton.
1878 – Outside-right Arthur Goddard was born in Heaton Norris, Stockport. He signed from Glossop for £460 in February 1902 and grabbed 77 goals in 414 reds games, helping us to Second Division and League championships. He was nominated into the club’s official Hall Of Fame, for the 1910-20 era.
Scott’s record
2007 - Scott Carson equalled the record number of England Under-21’s caps by claiming his 27th, to move level with both Jamie Carragher and Gareth Barry. England were held to a 2-2 draw by Italy in a European Championships Finals group game in the Netherlands, with future red Alberto Aquilani on target and Newcastle United’s James Milner also in action. Carson went on to win 29 caps at this level in total, although the record is now Milner’s on 46.
Nando’s treble
2009 – Fernando Torres bagged a hat-trick as Spain beat New Zealand 5-0 in a Confederations Cup group game in South Africa. Xabi Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa and Albert Riera all also played.
More Spaniards on target
2006 - Xabi Alonso grabbed his first senior international goal while winning his 27th cap in Spain’s 4-0 thumping of the Ukraine in a World Cup Finals group game in Leipzig, with future red Fernando Torres also on the scoresheet. Luis García and future red Andriy Voronin also featured.
2008 – Torres netted again as Spain beat Sweden 2-1 in Innsbruck, with David Villa’s late winner ensuring they reached the Quarter-finals of the European Championships as group winners with a game to spare. Meanwhile, future red Sotirios Kyrgiakos played as Greece lost 1-0 to Russia in Salzburg.
2012 – Ex-red Torres bagged a brace as Spain thumped the Republic of Ireland 4-0 in a Euro 2012 group game in Gdansk. Ex-reds Xabi Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa and Robbie Keane all also featured, with future red Mario Balotelli also playing that day.
On target at the World Cup
2010 – Dirk Kuyt struck as the Netherlands beat Denmark 2-0 in a group game in Johannesburg, with Daniel Agger putting through his own net and future reds coach John Heitinga also in action. Future red Christian Poulsen played his 75th senior international in this game. Future red Joël Matip played for Cameroon as they lost a friendly 1-0 tio Japan in South Africa on the same day.
2014 – Daniel Sturridge and future red Mario Balotelli both scored as Roy Hodgson’s England lost 2-1 to Italy in a group game in Manaus, with the latter bagging his last strike while with AC Milan. Steven Gerrard skippered a team that also included Jordan Henderson, Glen Johnson, Raheem Sterling and future red Adam Lallana, while ex-red Gabriel Paletta was on the winning side.
Also at the World Cup
2002 - Abel Xavier appeared as a substitute in Portugal’s 1-0 defeat by South Korea in Incheon, winning his twentieth and final cap. Meanwhile, Brad Friedel saved a penalty from Poland’s Maciej Żurawski, his second spot-kick save in consecutive games, as the USA lost 3-1 in Daejeon. Jerzy Dudek did not play. These results ensured that neither Portugal nor Poland qualified for the knock-out stages.
1974 – Future red Kenny Dalglish played his first game at the World Cup Finals as Scotland beat Zaire 2-0 in the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.
Czech mates at Anfield
1996 - The Czech Republic beat Italy 2-1 in a Euro ‘96 group match at Anfield, with Pavel Nedvěd bagging his first senior international goal. Patrik Berger started the game, later being replaced by Vladimír Šmicer. It was the first time either of them had played in L4. Berger arrived at Anfield only two months later, while his compatriot joined him in another three years. Enrico Chiesa was on the scoresheet for Italy, dad to future red Federico.
2004 – Future red Christian Poulsen featured in a European Championships Finals group game as Denmark held Italy to a goalless draw in Guimarães.
2016 – Ex-red Krisztián Németh played as Hungary beat Austria 2-0 in a group game in Bordeaux.
Final caps
2015 – Right-back Nathaniel Clyne won his last England cap before moving to Anfield, with Raheem Sterling playing for the last time as a red as Roy Hodgson’s side beat Slovenia 3-2 in a European Championships qualifier in Ljubljana. Xherdan Shaqiri played for Switzerland for the final time as an Internazionale player, scoring in their 2-1 qualifying win in Lithuania. Mohamed Salah won his last cap while on loan at Fiorentina, netting his only goal while with La Viola, as Egypt beat Tanzania 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Alexandria. Marko Grujić played for Serbia Under-20’s for the seventh and last time, scoring in a penalty shoot-out as they beat the USA to reach the Semi-final of the World Championships Finals in New Zealand. Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Martin Škrtel and future reds Roberto Firmino, Ragnar Klavan and Kostas Tsimikas also represented their countries that day.
2022 - Takumi Minamino won his last cap before leaving Anfield as Japan lost 3-0 to Tunisia in the Kirin Cup Soccer Final in Suita. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling appeared for England for the final time while with Manchester City in their 4-0 thumping by Hungary in a UEFA Nations League group game at Molineux, with ex-red Ozan Kabak representing Türkiye for the last time as a Schalke 04 player in their 2-0 defeat of Lithuania in the same competition in Izmir. Future red Cody Gakpo netted as the Netherlands beat Wales 3-2 in Rotterdam, with Owen Beck, Caoimhín Kelleher, future reds Wataru Endō and Dominik Szoboszlai, and ex-reds Simon Mignolet and Harry Wilson all playing for their countries, as Steve Clarke took charge of Scotland.
Moving on
2023 – Ex-reds midfielder James Milner agreed to sign for Brighton & Hove Albion on 1st July. He failed to score in twenty appearances in his debut season with the Seagulls, then signing on for another year. On the same day, young keeper Harvey Davies joined Crewe Alexandra on loan, playing 32 senior games.
2013 – Centre-half Dejan Lovren joined Southampton from Olympique Lyonnais for £8.5m after three goals in 102 games since signing from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2010 for an initial €8m.
2007 – Reserves centre-half Danny O’Donnell left Anfield to join Crewe Alexandra for a nominal fee after a successful season-long loan. He had moved up to Melwood from the Academy full-time in the summer of 2005, having skippered the Under-18’s during 2004/05.
1928 – Scottish right-half Jock McNab left the reds to join Queens Park Rangers. He had signed from Bellshill Athletic in November 1919 and helped us to two League titles in the 1920’s, netting six times in 222 reds games. On the same day, forward Jimmy Walsh moved on to Hull City. He had signed from his hometown club Stockport County in May 1922 and netted a brace on his reds bow, bagging a total of 27 goals in his 77 reds games.
2016 – It was confirmed that Portuguese midfielder João Teixeira would sign for SL Benfica on 1st July, with the reds getting a compensation fee of £240,000. He had netted once in eight games since arriving from Sporting Clube de Portugal for £830,000 in January 2012.
2019 – Ex-reds scout Jonathan Woodgate was appointed Head Coach of Middlesbrough, with Robbie Keane joining him as part of the coaching staff.
A red is born
1869 - Inside-forward Edgar Chadwick was born in Blackburn. He had won the League with Everton in 1891, and joined Burnley aged thirty. He top-scored with ten goals as they were relegated to the Second Division, before moving on to Southampton in the Southern League. As Burnley still held his Football League registration, the reds had to pay the Clarets £35 in May 1902. However, he only managed 45 reds appearances, netting seven times, and later had a successful career as a coach in Germany and the Netherlands, including guiding the Dutch national side to bronze medals in the 1908 and 1912 Olympics.
Redmen held by Boys
1953 - Billy Liddell was on the scoresheet as we drew 1-1 with Swiss side BSC Young Boys at the Yankee Stadium in New York City. Our cause was probably not helped by having played in Toronto the day before.
Tony on a run
1969 - Ex-red Tony Hateley scored in the fifth of all seven games of an FA Tour, grabbing four as England thumped Singapore 9-0. He netted a total of seventeen goals on the tour.
Youngsters on the world stage
2005 - Future reds Gabriel Paletta and Nabil El Zhar were both on the winning side in group stage games in the Under-20 World Championship Finals in the Netherlands. Argentina beat Egypt 2-0 in Enschede, while Morocco thumped Honduras 5-0 in Doetinchem.
International firsts and last
1989 – Glenn Hysén skippered Sweden while winning his first cap as a reds player in their 6-0 thumping by Denmark in the Dansk Boldspil Union 100th Anniversary Tournament in Copenhagen.
2023 - Naby Keïta captained Guinea while playing his first game since joining SV Werder Bremen as they lost an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 2-1 to Egypt in Morocco, with Mohamed Salah skippering the victors. On the same day, Sepp van den Berg won his eighth and last cap for the Dutch Under-21’s as they share a goalless draw with Japan Under-22’s in Austria. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk, future red Ryan Gravenberch and ex-red Gini Wijnaldum all also featured in internationals.
More internationals on target
2008 – Harry Kewell struck while captaining Australia to a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win in Qatar. Nabil El Zhar, future reds Luis Suárez and Kolo Touré, and ex-red Rigobert Song all also featured in qualifiers that day.
2003 - El-Hadji Diouf converted from the spot as Senegal beat Lesotho 3-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Salif Diao also featured in the match in Dakar.
2019 – Ex-red Philippe Coutinho struck twice, including once from the spot as Brazil beat Bolivia 3-0 in a Copa América group game in São Paulo, with Alisson Becker and Roberto Firmino both also featuring.
On the move
2001 - Karl-Heinz Riedle was released by Fulham. He had struck just six times in 35 games for the Cottagers since arriving from Anfield in September 1999.
2013 – Ex-reserves forward David Amoo signed for Carlisle United on a free transfer from Tranmere Rovers. He had struck just once in eleven outings for the Prenton Park outfit.
2017 – Midfielder Darren Potter joined Rotherham United from MK Dons on a free transfer, after twelve goals in 263 outings.
2018 – Midfielder Jordan Williams signed for Rochdale, after a successful loan spell. He had only played one senior reds game.
2021 - Spanish keeper Adrián signed a new contract, although he only played one senior game in his third campaign, to add to the 24 appearances he had already made.
Also in international action
2021 – Andy Robertson captained Steve Clarke’s Scotland as they lost 2-0 to the Czech Republic in a European Championship Finals group game at Hampden Park, with Thiago Alcântara playing in Spain’s goalless draw with Sweden in Seville.
1997 – Future red Mauricio Pellegrino featured for Argentina in their 2-0 defeat of Chile in the Copa América in Bolivia.
1987 – Future reds goalkeeping coach Cláudio Taffarel played for Brazil Unfer-20’s as they beat the USSR Under-21’s 1-0 in Toulon.
1978 – Future reds Joe Corrigan and Alan Kennedy both played for England B as they beat New Zealand 4-0 in Auckland.
1973 – Emlyn Hughes played for England in their 2-0 friendly defeat by Italy in Turin.
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