23rd May

Our first European triumph
1973 - We lost 2-0 at Borussia Mönchengladbach with Jupp Heynckes getting both goals inside ten first-half minutes. However, that was enough to secure the UEFA Cup for the first time, as we had won the first leg 3-0 at Anfield two weeks before. We therefore became the first English side to claim the League title and a European trophy in the same season.

Athens despair
2007 - We lost 2-1 to AC Milan in the Champions League Final in Athens thanks to a Pippo Inzaghi brace, with Bolo Zenden playing his 47th and final reds game. Dirk Kuyt headed our late consolation, his first goal in Europe for us.

Keeping on track for a title showdown
1989 - Ray Houghton netted a brace, with John Aldridge, Ian Rush and John Barnes also on target as we beat West Ham United 5-1 at Anfield, our 24th consecutive game without defeat, just three days after our emotional FA Cup Final win, to keep us on course for our second double in four years. The FA Cup was on display on a table on the pitch before the game. However, the League was to be cruelly snatched from our grasp by Arsenal in the very last kick of the season.
1985 - Our only other first-class game on this day saw John Wark miss a penalty as we lost at Everton. Paul Wilkinson bagged the only goal of the game.

Uncle Joe announced
1983 – The appointment of Joe Fagan as Bob Paisley’s replacement as Manager was announced, although he did not take over until 1st July. In his first season as boss, he led the club to a unique treble of League, European Cup and League Cup, retiring just a year later. He remains the only Scouser to date to hold the position on a permanent basis.
2022 – It was revealed that Fábio Carvalho would sign from Fulham for an initial £5m on 1st July.

Births and death
1997 - Centre-half Joe Gomez was born in Catford, south-east London. He signed from Charlton Athletic for £3.5m in June 2015, making 224 senior appearances up to his 27th birthday, without scoring as he helped us to claim the League title, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and League Cup. On the same day, Spanish midfielder Pedro Chirivella was born in Valencia. He signed from his hometown club in July 2013, playing eleven first-team games before moving on to Nantes in July 2020, captaining the side in our League Cup thumping at Aston Villa in December 2019.
1996 - Keeper Ryan Fulton was born in Burnley. He signed pro terms in the summer of 2013, making his first senior appearance in our friendly at Swindon Town in August 2015, moving on to Hamilton Academical in July 2017.

1955 – Outside-right Fred Staniforth died. He signed from Grimsby Town in May 1913, but only made three senior appearances before the war intervened.

Gini’s farewell
2021 – Midfielder Gini Wijnaldum played his 237th and last reds game as we beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Anfield in front of just 10,000 fans due to COVID restrictions. Sadio Mané scored in his eighth consecutive League game against the Eagles, nabbing both our goals. We finished the season in third place, while ex-reds boss Roy Hodgson took charge of Palace for the final time.

An obscure international
1987 - Young reds midfielder Ken de Mange made his senior international debut as a substitute for the Republic of Ireland alongside clubmates John Aldridge and Ronnie Whelan, as they beat Brazil 1-0 in a Rous Cup game at Lansdowne Road. He never made a first team appearance in his two seasons with the reds, before moving on to Leeds United.

On the same day, Peter Beardsley and Mark Wright both played as England were held to a goalless draw by Scotland in the same competition at Hampden Park. It was Beardsley’s last cap as a Newcastle United player, and Wright’s final one while with Southampton.

A treble for Albert
1948 - Albert Stubbins bagged a hat-trick as we beat a Philadelphia Select side 5-2 in a friendly on our post-season tour. Jack Balmer and Billy Liddell also netted.

Rush for his country for the last time
1994 - Ian Rush grabbed his final goal for Wales as they won 2-1 in a friendly in Estonia. He netted 28 goals in his 73 internationals, a Welsh record.
1980 - He also represented his country in their 1-0 British International Championships defeat by Northern Ireland in Cardiff, alongside ex-red Joey Jones.

Nigel’s debut
1989 - Future red Nigel Clough won his first full international cap as England were held to a goalless draw by Chile in a Rous Cup game at Wembley.
2001 – Future reds keeper Brad Jones won his only cap at Under-20’s level as Australia thumped Guam 6-0 in the East Asian Games in Japan.

Larry for England
1972 - Larry Lloyd won his third and final England cap as a red, and his last for his country for eight years. Emlyn Hughes also played as Northern Ireland won 1-0 at Wembley in the British International Championships.

Barmby’s brace
1996 - Future red Nick Barmby bagged a brace as England beat China 3-0 in a friendly in Beijing. Ex-red Peter Beardsley won his 59th and final cap in this game, while Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp all also featured.

A French triumph
1956 - We thumped French outfit Racing Club Franc-Comtois 8-1 in Besançon. Billy Liddell bagged a brace, with Alan A’Court, Louis Bimpson, John Evans, Brian Jackson and Jimmy Melia all adding to an own goal.

The kids done well
1963 – Tommy Smith captained the reds to a 3-1 victory in the first leg of our first ever FA Youth Cup Final at Anfield. Unfortunately, we crashed 5-2 in controversial circumstances in the return match two days later.

Drawing at sea
1935 – We drew 2-2 with Victoria on Gran Canaria, with Vic Wright and Fred Howe netting. The reds were introduced to Miss Spain before the match!

On the way out
2005 - It was announced that Paul Harrison, Patrice Luzi, Jon Otsemobor, Richie Partridge and Mark Smyth would all be leaving the club. They had only managed eleven first-team outings between them.
1997 - Roy Hodgson resigned as Manager of Internazionale, with two games remaining of the Serie A campaign and the club sitting in third place. This came two days after their UEFA Cup Final defeat to Schalke 04 on penalties, when he was pelted with coins and cigarette lighters by fans at the San Siro.

2011 – Ex-reds defender David Raven was released by Shrewsbury Town after 28 games for the Shrews.
2012 – Emile Heskey was released by Aston Villa after fifteen strikes in 111 outings. On the same day, keeper Chris Kirkland signed for Sheffield Wednesday.
2014 – Forward Michael Ngoo was released by the reds, having not made the breakthrough. On the same day, John Arne Riise was let go by Fulham after failing to score in exactly a century of games for the Cottagers.
1928 – Future reds outside-right Danny McRorie joined Morton after just three months with Alloa Athletic. He struck 51 times in 76 League games before moving to Anfield for £1,500 in November 1930.

In charge
2006 - Nigel Spackman was appointed Manager of Millwall. He only remained in the post for four months before being sacked.
2009 – John Barnes led Jamaica to a 2-2 draw with Haiti in a friendly in Fort Lauderdale. Future red Thiago Alcântara scored for Spain Under-19’s on the same day as they won a friendly 3-0 in Estonia.
2010 – John Toshack took charge of Wales as they lost a friendly 2-0 in Croatia, with future red Dejan Lovren on the winning side. Future red Fabio Borini featured for Italy Under-19’s on the same day, as they beat Northern Ireland 3-2 in a friendly in Udine.

Penalty shoot-out despair
1996 - Future red Jari Litmanen scored for Ajax in the UEFA Champions League Final as their match with Juventus ended 1-1 in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The Dutch outfit lost the penalty shoot-out 4-2, with Jari again on target from the spot.
2001 - Fellow future red Mauricio Pellegrino saw his decisive penalty saved by Oliver Kahn to hand Bayern München the UEFA Champions League as Valencia lost their shoot-out 5-4 in Milan, after the match had ended 1-1.

Irish beginnings and end
2007 - Ex-red Darren Potter made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland, with Steve Staunton leading his side to a 1-1 friendly draw with Ecuador in the Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
1998 - Mark Kennedy won his first cap as a Wimbledon player, and eighteenth in total, as the Irish were held to a goalless draw at Lansdowne Road by Mexico. Phil Babb and future red Robbie Keane also played.
1939 – Ex-reds reserves centre-half Matt O’Mahoney won his sixth and final Irish cap as they held Germany to a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Bremen.
2014 - Tiago Ilori scored his only goal for Portugal Under-21’s, the only goal of their European Championships qualifier in North Macedonia.

Harry in charge
2008 – Harry Kewell captained Australia in their 1-0 friendly defeat of Ghana in Sydney. Future reds loanee Nuri Şahin played for Turkey Under-21’s in their 2-1 defeat by Italy in the Toulon Tournament on the same day.
2017 - He was appointed Manager of Crawley Town, leading them to mid-table safety in League Two in his first campaign in charge.

2023 – Ex-reds Academy Coach Neil Critchley was re-appointed Manager of Blackpool after their relegation to League One.

Also in international action
1961 – Alan A’Court played for England as they beat a Combined Chinese XI 3-0 in an FA Tour game in Hong Kong.
1976 – Ray Clemence, Kevin Keegan and Phil Thompson all featured as England lost 1-0 to Brazil in the US Bicentenary Tournament in Los Angeles.
1977 – Future red Glenn Hysén played for Sweden Under-18’s in their 1-0 defeat of Italy in a European Championships Finals group game in Belgium.
1979 – Emlyn Hughes captained England as they were held to a goalless draw by Wales in the British International Championships at Wembley. Terry McDermott, future reds coach Joe Corrigan and ex-reds Kevin Keegan, Joey Jones and John Toshack all also played.
1981 – Corrigan played again as England lost 1-0 to Scotland in the same competition at Wembley.

1984 – Future red Glenn Hysén played for Sweden as they thumped Malta 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier.
1991 – Øyvind Leonhardsen featured for Norway in their 1-0 friendly defeat of Romania in Oslo, with fellow future red Stig Inge Bjørnebye appearing for the Under-21’s as they drew 1-1 with the same country on the same day.
1993 – Future red Brad Friedel played for the USA in their goalless friendly encounter with Bolivia in California.
2000 – Future red Craig Bellamy and ex-reds Gareth Roberts and Dean Saunders all played as EWales lost 3-0 to Brazil in Cardiff.
2002 – Future reds Salif Diao and El-Hadji Diouf both represented Senegal as they beat Ecuador 1-0 in a friendly in Japan.

2003 - John Welsh faced future red Arnaud Bühler as England Under-19’s beat Switzerland 1-0 in a European Championships qualifier in Ireland.
2006 – Florent Sinama-Pongolle faced future red Raul Meireles as France Under-21’s beat host nation Portugal 1-0 in a European Championships Finals group game.
2016 – Future red Takumi Minamino featured for Japan Under-23’s as they lost 1-0 to Portugal in France.
2017 – Sheyi Ojo and future red Dominic Solanke both played for England Under-20’s as they drew 1-1 with Guinea in a World Championship Finals group game in South Korea.