4th May

Winning trophies
We have twice won major honours on this day in our history.
1974 - We ‘undressed’ Newcastle United 3-0 at Wembley to win our second FA Cup, thanks to a brace from Kevin Keegan and a Steve Heighway goal. Future reds Alan Kennedy and Terry McDermott both played for United.

1976 - We clinched our ninth League title, Bob Paisley’s first as Manager, as we won 3-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers. We only needed a point, while Wolves had to win to stay up. Kevin Keegan, John Toshack and Ray Kennedy all scored in the last quarter of an hour after Steve Kindon had put Wolves ahead.
1988 – The PFA announced that the reds were the winners of the inaugural Fair Play trophy.

European disappointment
1965 - We played in our first European Semi-final, defeating European Cup holders Internazionale 3-1 in the first leg at Anfield, with the recently-won FA Cup being paraded around the ground prior to kick off. Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Ian St. John all scored, with a Chris Lawler strike ruled off for a debatable offside. The crowd crowed “Oh Inter 1-2-3, go back to Italy!” Unfortunately, Inter’s away goal, scored by Alessandro Mazzola, would eventually prove crucial, as would the referee’s intervention in the San Siro.

Welsh out
1956 – Don Welsh was sacked as reds boss. He had guested for the reds during the Second World War, taking charge at Anfield for 232 games after being appointed in March 1951. He has the indignity of being our first Manager to be dismissed, after presiding over our relegation from the top flight in 1954, before failing to lead us back to the promised land.

Yet another win
2019 – We won 3-2 at Rafael Benítez’s Newcastle United with Divock Origi’s late header ensuring the title race with Manchester City went down to the last day of the campaign. Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring, with Christian Atsu equalising before Mohamed Salah put us back in front before half an hour had elapsed. Salomón Rondón drew the home side level again after the break, with Salah having to be taken off with an injury that ensured he missed the upcoming critical UEFA Champions League Semi-final second leg meeting with Barcelona.

Nando again
2008 - Fernando Torres scored in his eighth consecutive home League game, equalling Roger Hunt’s club record as we beat Manchester City 1-0. This was his 32nd goal of the season.
1929 - We also hosted Manchester City, with Gordon Hodgson netting in a 1-1 draw, our final game of a season in which we finished fifth, his thirtieth League strike of the season. Tommy Johnson netted one of his eight goals against the reds.

Sami off
2009 – Centre-back Sami Hyypiä agreed to sign for Bayer 04 Leverkusen when his contract expired at the end of the season. The mighty Finn played 464 reds games, netting 35 times and helping us to claim the European Cup, UEFA Cup, two FA Cups, two League Cups and two UEFA Super Cups following his £2.5m bargain capture from Dutch side Willem II in May 1999. He later took over as Team Manager at the BayArena for two years.

In and out
1896 - Inside-forward Willie Michael signed from Heart Of Midlothian, scoring five times in 23 reds games before, returning to Tynecastle in April 1897.
1898 – Forward Joe Lumsden left the reds to join Glossop North End. He had struck twice in eight outings since arriving from Burton Wanderers in June 1897.
1910 - Right-back Alf West rejoined the reds from Reading. He struck six times in 141 reds games across two spells at Anfield, 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. He only played five times in this second spell before joining Notts County in July 1911.

Happy birthday Igor
1978 - Igor Bišcan was born in Zagreb. The big Croat played 118 reds games, netting three times as he helped us to the Worthington Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Charity Shield in 2001, and the Worthington Cup again two years later, as well as playing a key role on the road to Istanbul, moving on to Panathinaikos in July 2005. On the same day, eventual champions Nottingham Forest held us to a goalless draw at Anfield.

Facing the Blues
1991 - We came from two goals down to level but eventually lost 4-2 at Chelsea. Young winger Jimmy Carter came off the bench and was later himself substituted by Ronnie Rosenthal. David Speedie and Rosenthal got on the scoresheet, while Gary Gillespie played his 214th and last reds game. Kerry Dixon netted two of his seven strikes past us, with Dennis Wise converting a penalty, one of his four goals against the reds, and Gordon Durie also on target with the last of his five. Ex-red Bobby Campbell resigned as Blues boss three days later.
1985 - We also faced the Blues in the First Division, this time winning at Anfield by the odd goal in seven. Steve Nicol nabbed a brace while Ronnie Whelan and Ian Rush also struck. Future red Nigel Spackman scored from the spot for the visitors, with Kerry Dixon and Gordon Davies also on target.

Youngest ever
2019 – Future red Harvey Elliott became the youngest ever player in the Premier League in Fulham’s 1-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers, aged just sixteen years and thirty days.

Managerial comings and goings
1977 - Ian St. John was sacked as Manager of Portsmouth. He had been in charge for three seasons, leading them to just 31 victories in 124 games in charge as they were relegated into the old Third Division, and then narrowly escaped a further descent to the League basement.
2001 - Ex-reds reserve Dave Watson became Tranmere Rovers Manager. He won 22 of his 55 games as they steadied in the Second Division.
2018 - Steven Gerrard was appointed as Manager of Rangers, taking over the following month, with Gary McAllister being named as his future Assistant at the same time.

The end of the road for Liddell
1940 - Billy Liddell’s first professional contract that he had signed the previous April expired. He went on to strike 228 times in 534 games. His only club honour was the League title in 1947, although he also played in the FA Cup Final three years later.

Farewell to the lower reaches
1962 - We played our last ever Second Division game, going down 4-2 at Swansea Town in a game postponed from a month earlier due to a smallpox outbreak in South Wales. Ian St. John and Roger Hunt grabbed our goals. Colin Webster bagged a brace for the Swans, with Brayley Reynolds netting the last of his seven strikes past us and Mel Nurse also on target.

King Kenny starts and ends
1967 - Kenny Dalglish signed as an amateur for Celtic, turning professional the following year. He helped them to claim four League titles, four Scottish Cups and the Scottish League Cup, striking 167 times in 269 games.
1986 – His testimonial match took place at Hampden Park. Tommy Docherty’s side of Anglos beat Alex Ferguson’s home-based Scots 5-2 with Kenny on target for both sides!

European joy
1999 - Pepe Reina played for Spain Under-16’s as they reached the Final of the European Championships in the Czech Republic by seeing off Germany 4-0 in their Semi-final encounter.

Comeback
1968 - Bobby Graham came on for Tony Hateley as we were 1-0 down at Leeds United to one of Mick Jones’s seven goals past us. Chris Lawler drew us level with six minutes remaining, with Graham bagging the winner a minute later. Keeper Tommy Lawrence played his 300th reds game, with this result helping us to finish the season in third, one place above Leeds.

Wins in Bristol
We twice played Bristol Rovers at their Memorial Ground in consecutive years in the 1930’s, for the Bristol Hospitals Lord Mayor’s Cup.
1936 - The game ended 5-5 with Phil Taylor bagging a brace to add to goals from Syd Roberts, Fred Howe and Alf Hanson, with the trophy being shared.
1937 - We won 2-1, with Berry Nieuwenhuys on target twice.

Rushie the skipper
1987 - Ian Rush captained the reds in his last home game before he moved to Juventus. He struck the only goal of the game against Watford.

Jack’s farewell
1935 – Tommy Johnson and Alf Hanson struck to put us two goals ahead against Sunderland in L4. However, Bobby Gurney grabbed one of his sixteen strikes past us, with George Goddard also scoring as the game ended 2-2 in L4 as we ended the season in seventh with left-back Jack Tennant appearing for the 42nd and final time.

Sweet!
1992 – Ahead of the FA Cup Final, Candy was announced as the club’s first ever permanent match sponsor, for the 1992/93 season.

Wrong shaped ball
1997 - A Super League match between St. Helens and Castleford Tigers was staged at Anfield, with Saints winning 42-16 in front of 12,329.

Scots on target in friendlies
1960 - Future red Ian St. John netted his first goal for Scotland while winning his fifth cap, as they lost 3-2 at home to Poland. The Scots were managed by Andy Beattie, who had guested with the reds during the war, and later joined the backroom staff at Anfield after a successful management career.
1955 - Billy Liddell struck while winning his 25th cap as Portugal lost 3-0 at Hampden Park. Future reds keeper Tommy Younger won his first cap in the same game.

More final caps
1986 - Ronnie Rosenthal won his last cap as a Maccabi Haifa player, his eleventh in total, as Israel were thumped 7-2 by Argentina in a friendly in Tel-Aviv. Ex-red Avi Cohen also played.
2017 – Future red Ki-Jana Hoever won his fourth and last Under-15’s cap as the Netherlands beat Germany 2-1 in a friendly in Wezep. Meanwhile, Rhian Brewster bagged a brace for England Under-17’s as they beat Norway 3-1 in a European Championships Finals group game in Croatia, with ex-Academy Manager Steve Cooper in charge.

Kozma twice
1988 – Future red István Kozma played for Hungary as they beat Iceland 3-0 in a friendly in Budapest.
1994 – Kozma won his first cap in his second spell as an Újpest player as they lost a friendly 3-2 in Poland.

On the move
2023 – Left-back Luke Chambers signed a new contract. He has so far made four senior reds appearances.
2020 – Keeper Loris Karius terminated his two-year loan contract with Beşiktaş JK a year early, due to a dispute over wages.
2016 – Ex-reds midfielder Joe Cole signed for Tampa Bay Rowdies, netting nine times in 26 outings in his first campaign.
2007 - Real Club Recreativo de Huelva announced that they would sign Florent Sinama-Pongolle for €4m, whom he had joined on loan the previous August. He struck 22 times in 69 outings for the Andalusian side before moving to Club Atlético de Madrid in July 2008.
2002 - Former reserves winger Nicky Rizzo signed for Serie A side Lecce from Ternana on a free transfer.

Cyril’s century
1949 – Derby County triumphed 3-0 at the Baseball Ground. John Morris scored two of his seven goals past us, with Billy Steel also on the scoresheet with one of his four. Keeper Cyril Sidlow reached a century of League outings in this game.

Other game on this day
1978 – We were held to a goalless draw with Nottingham Forest at Anfield, ending the season seven points behind the visiting champions in second place, despite securing the same number of points as in the previous campaign when we won the League.

More youngsters in Euro action
2002 – David Raven and Mark Smyth played for England Under-17’s in their 1-0 defeat of FR Yugoslavia in their European Championships Quarter-final in Denmark.
2007 – Future reds Victor Moses and Mamadou Sakho both featured in group games in the same competition in Belgium.

2008 – Future reds Xherdan Shaqiri and Thiago Alcântara featured as the Swiss Under-17’s lost 2-0 to Spain in Turkey.
2018 – Elijah Dixon-Bonner played for England in the same tournament as they beat Israel 2-1 in a group game in Chesterfield, with ex-Academy Manager Steve Cooper in charge.
2019 – Isaac Mabaya played for England Under-15’s as they lost 3-0 to Turkey in Italy.