20th October

Happy birthdays
1961 - Ian Rush was born in St. Asaph. His club record 346 strikes in 660 games across two spells with the reds helped us to five League titles, the European Cup, three FA Cups, five League Cups, two FA Charity Shields and the Screen Sport Super Cup, after signing from Chester for just £300,000 in April 1980, moving on to Leeds United in May 1996.

1943 - Chris Lawler was born in Liverpool. He signed pro terms on his seventeenth birthday and struck 61 times in 549 reds appearances, helping us to win two League titles, an FA Cup, UEFA Cup and FA Charity Shield before moving to Portsmouth in October 1975. He later returned to the club in the 1980’s as Reserve Team Manager.
1984 - Forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle was born in Saint-Pierre on Réunion Island. He netted nine times in 66 reds games, joining Real Club Recreativo de Huelva for €4m in May 2007 after a loan spell.

Dirk at the double
2007 - Dirk Kuyt converted two spot-kicks as we came from behind to win 2-1 at Everton. The Blues had fortuitously gone ahead through a Sami Hyypiä own goal, but we equalised after Tony Hibbert brought down Steven Gerrard, with the defender rightly being dismissed. Lucas was denied the stoppage time winning goal by Phil Neville’s handball on the line, for which he too was red-carded. Mark Clattenburg joined the lengthy list of referees castigated by Blues due to both his failure to send Kuyt off for a strong challenge on the home side’s skipper, and the lack of a penalty given for Jamie Carragher’s tussle with Joleon Lescott in the box immediately after we had finally taken the lead.

Ten a side at Anfield
1979 - Terry McDermott and Everton’s Garry Stanley were sent off for fighting as the game ended 2-2, the first dismissals in a Merseyside derby in 83 years. A spectacular forty-yard own goal by Mick Lyons put us ahead after just nine minutes although Brian Kidd equalised with the last of his six goals against the reds, before Ray Kennedy restored our lead. Andy King levelled the scores for the second time, before the dual sendings off, while Kidd and King also had strikes chalked off for offside. The game also featured a female streaker!
1984 - We also faced the Blues when we went down 1-0 at Anfield, with Graeme Sharp’s strike later being named as the BBC’s Goal of the Season, one of his seven goals past us. This result left us seventeenth in the table.

God’s final work
2001 - Robbie Fowler scored a hat-trick in our 4-1 win at Leicester City, his last reds goals in his first spell, with Sami Hyypiä netting the other. Stephen Wright made his first start in this game, with Dennis Wise bagging the last of his four goals past us.
1923 - A less celebrated red made his final appearance when Harry Beadles played his eighteenth game in a 4-2 top-flight defeat of Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Donald McKinlay grabbed two goals past ex-red Sam Hardy, including one from the spot, with Jimmy Walsh also grabbing a brace. Dick Forshaw was playing in his 106th consecutive Liverpool game, but missed the next one as we beat Forest at the City Ground. Duncan Walker scored twice for the visitors.

The end of the run
1990 - We failed to win for the first time following a club record twelve consecutive League victories, being held to a 1-1 draw at Norwich City. Gary Gillespie struck our goal after just two minutes, his sixteenth and final reds strike, but Ruel Fox equalised just five minutes later.
1894 - We ended another run by winning our first ever First Division fixture, after nine previous games without a victory. Jimmy Ross bagged a brace in our 2-0 defeat of Stoke at Anfield, with inside-right John Givens playing his tenth and final reds game.
2019 – Adam Lallana scored his 22nd and last goal for the club late on to secure a 1-1 draw at Manchester United and maintain our unbeaten League record that season. Marcus Rashford had given the home side a half-time lead, one of his six goals past us to date.

Facing the Terriers
2018 – Mohamed Salah netted the only goal of our game at Huddersfield Town, his fiftieth strike in English football.
1928 – We lost 3-2 at home to Huddersfield Town in a top-flight encounter. Dick Edmed scored both our goals, with Johnny Dent nabbing a brace for the Terriers, with Clem Stephenson netting the last of his five goals past us.

Off the mark
2012 - Raheem Sterling scored his first reds goal, the only one of our League meeting with Reading at Anfield.

European stalemates
We have played three European Second Round ties on this day in history, failing to score every time.
1971 - We drew at Anfield with Bayern München’s eleven-man defence in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. We lost the return in Germany 3-1 as we were knocked out.
1998 - We drew with Valencia at home in the UEFA Cup, who were managed by future Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, with Steve Staunton reaching a century of reds outings. Bizarrely, we had to wear our white away kit due to the visitors’ insistence on wearing orange. However, the second leg in the Mestalla ended 2-2, so we went through on the away goals rule.

1976 - We lost 1-0 in Turkey to Trabzonspor in the European Cup thanks to a dubious penalty award, although neither side managed a shot on target and the reds only won one corner. Boss Bob Paisley described it as “the worst trip I have known in thirteen years”, while Ian Callaghan set a new club record of 79 European appearances. Fortunately, we won the Anfield return 3-0 to progress en route to our first European Cup win.

John’s bow
1900 – Left-back John Glover made his reds debut as we lost a top-flight fixture 3-0 at Notts County.

In and outs
1967 – Scottish inside-left Gordon Wallace was sold to Crewe Alexandra. He signed professional terms in July 1961 but only made 22 first-team appearances, netting six times, with his most famous game being the first to be screened on the BBC’s Match Of The Day programme, when he grabbed a brace as we beat Arsenal 3-2 at Anfield in August 1964. He had also netted twice on our European debut against Icelandic champions Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur earlier that week.

2005 - Mark González officially signed from Albacete Balompié for £1.5m. However, he had to wait until July 2006 to have his work permit approved. He bagged three goals in 36 reds games but left the club after just a year to join Real Betis Balompié.
2011 – Forward Nathan Eccleston joined Rochdale on loan. He struck once in seven outings for the Dale.

European defeat
2009 – The reds lost four games in a row for the first time since April 1987 when we went down 2-1 to Olympique Lyonnais in a Champions League group game at Anfield, with Yossi Benayoun putting us ahead. Young defender Martin Kelly made his first start, impressing before he had to go off injured.

Beaten by the Mancs
1913 – We lost a Lancashire Senior Cup Third Round tie 3-1 to Manchester United at Anfield, with Tommy Gracie netting our goal.

Management departures
2022 – Steven Gerrard was sacked as Aston Villa boss, having led them to just two victories in twelve League games from the start of the season, and just thirteen wins in forty games in charge overall.
2010 – Managing Director Christian Purslow announced his resignation, five days after the protracted completion of the sale of the club to New England Sports Ventures. On the same day, Adam Morgan, Matty Regan, Raheem Sterling all featured for England Under-17’s in their 1-1 European Championships qualifying draw in Georgia, while Samed Yeşil nabbed a brace in Germany’s 2-1 defeat of Austria in Estonia at the same level, with fellow future red Emre Can also playing.

To and fro with the Baggies
1988 - Second string forward John Durnin joined West Bromwich Albion on loan. He scored two goals in five games for the Baggies, before returning to our reserves. On the same day, David Burrows made the reverse journey, for a £550,000 fee. He netted three times in 193 appearances in five years at Anfield, winning League and FA Cup medals.

International beginnings and ends
1930 - Gordon Hodgson won his first cap for England as they thumped Northern Ireland 5-1 in the British International Championships in Sheffield. Future red Ernie Blenkinsop also played for the home side, with reds keeper Elisha Scott in the opposing goal.
1934 - Scott won his first cap as a Belfast Celtic player, his 28th to date, as Northern Ireland beat Scotland 2-1 in the same competition in Belfast.
1923 - Harry Chambers won his eighth and final cap as England lost 2-1 at Windsor Park in the same competition.

1956 - Tommy Younger won his first Scotland cap as a red, his ninth in total, as they held Wales to a 2-2 draw at Ninian Park, also in the British International Championships.
2008 – Future reds centre-back Danny Wilson won his first cap for Scotland Under-19’s as they won a European Championships qualifier 1-0 in Hungary.
2015 – Future red Ozan Kabak scored on his debut for Turkey Under-16’s in their 3-2 friendly win in Italy. On the same day, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Herbie Kane both played for England Under-17’s as they lost their World Championship Finals group game 1-0 in Chile, with ex-Academy Manager Steve Cooper in charge, while future red Ibrahima Konaté featured in a European Championships qualifier as France beat Northern Ireland 1-0 in Israel, with Bernard Diomède in charge.

Defenders on their way
2000 - Steve Staunton joined Crystal Palace on loan. He made six appearances, scoring in their home defeat of Tranmere Rovers, and was then released back to Aston Villa on a free transfer shortly afterwards.
1997 - Barry Venison left Southampton after failing to score in thirty appearances in two years at The Dell. He has since moved into media work.
1994 - Julian Dicks was sold back to West Ham United for £1m. He had only played 28 times in his one season with the reds, netting three times, and went on to retake his regular place for the Hammers.

2005 - Ex-reds left-back Christian Ziege announced his retirement from football. He had signed for the reds in controversial circumstances from Middlesbrough in August 2000 for £5.5m. He netted twice in 32 reds games, leaving Anfield for Tottenham Hotspur after just one year having won a Worthington Cup winner’s medal. He had then returned to his native land to play for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Other reds games
1973 – We lost 1-0 at Leeds United with Mick Jones scoring the last of his seven goals against the reds.
1956 – We beat Fulham by the odd goal in seven in a Second Division encounter at Anfield. Alan A’Court, Johnny Wheeler, Billy Liddell and Jimmy Melia struck our goals. Tosh Chamberlain nabbed the first two of his four goals past us, with Johnny Haynes also on the scoresheet.

1951 – We drew 3-3 at Middlesbrough after falling three goals behind to Wilf Mannion, Johnny Spuhler and a Lindy Delapenha penalty, the first of his four goals past us. Billy Liddell, Jack Smith and Bill Jones then scored for the reds.
1934 – Vic Wright netted as we drew 1-1 with Grimsby Town in L4.
1906 – We won 3-1 at Bury. Bobby Robinson netted before Tom Kay struck the first of his four goals past us. Sam Raybould then bagged a brace.

An Olympian scorer
1908 - Arthur Berry struck as the United Kingdom trounced Sweden 12-1 in a preliminary game for the Olympics at White City.

Anfield in action
1926 - England drew 3-3 with Northern Ireland in an international match staged at Anfield, with reds custodian Elisha Scott winning his tenth cap for the away side.
1954 - A representative match between the Football League and the Irish Football League took place at Anfield on a Wednesday afternoon. No reds were involved, but the Football League side did include Duncan Edwards, Nat Lofthouse and Billy Wright.