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Ged takes charge 1998 - Gérard Houllier took sole charge of a reds game for the first time as we lost 3-1 at home to Leeds United. Robbie Fowler’s penalty was cancelled out by three late Leeds goals in front of the Kop, including one from Alan Smith on his debut, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink bagging the first two of his seven strikes past us. Debutants galore 1970 - John Toshack made his reds bow as we were held to a goalless draw at Anfield by Coventry City, with ex-red Geoff Strong being given a rapturous reception as he led his new side out. Winger Peter Thompson made his 300th League appearance for us. 1925 – Right-back Jimmy ‘Parson’ Jackson debuted in our 2-0 home defeat of West Bromwich Albion, with Cyril Oxley bagging a brace, his first reds goals. 1914 – Half-back Charles Hafekost played his only senior reds game as Middlesbrough held us to a 1-1 top-flight draw at Anfield, with Fred Pagnam on target and George Elliott netting one of his eight strikes against the reds. 1953 - Right-back Don Campbell made his debut as we lost 3-2 at Sunderland, with Sammy Smyth scoring both our goals. Billy Elliott bagged a brace for the home side, with George Aitken also on target. 1931 - We also played a First Division match at Roker Park, with Dave Wright netting twice in our 3-1 win and Gordon Hodgson also on the scoresheet. Bobby Gurney bagged one of his sixteen strikes in just fifteen games against the reds. Happy birthdays 1956 - Israeli defender Avi Cohen was born in Cairo in Egypt. He only made 24 appearances during his Anfield career after signing for £200,000 from Maccabi Tel-Aviv in July 1979, with his most memorable game coming in May 1980 as we clinched our twelfth League title. He put through his own net before scoring his only reds goal at the same end in the second half, as we beat Aston Villa 4-1. 1937 - Left-back Phil Ferns was born in Liverpool. The local lad struck once in 28 reds games after signing on at Anfield in September 1957. He made enough appearances in 1963/64 to claim a League title medal but moved on to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in August 1965. 1971 – Academy Manager Alex Inglethorpe was born in Epsom in Surrey. He left Tottenham Hotspur in November 2012 to move to Melwood as Reserve Team Head Coach. 2002 – French centre-back Billy Koumetio was born in Lyon. He signed as a professional in August 2020, making his senior bow in a UEFA Champions League game at Midtjylland four months later. On the same day, reds youngster Ryan Wilkie played for Scotland Under-18’s in their 2-0 friendly defeat in Germany. Good fortune against PNE 1896 - We drew 1-1 at Deepdale with Bill Michael nabbing our goal. 1908 - Robert Robinson and Joe Hewitt struck as we beat Preston North End 2-1 in another top-flight meeting at Anfield. Herbert Danson nabbed one of his four goals against the reds. Un-fair defeat 1967 - We suffered our first ever defeat in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, going down 2-1 at TSV 1860 München, although we progressed to the Third Round 9-2 on aggregate. Half-back Willie Stevenson became our first ever European substitute, coming on for Tony Hateley in this game. Ian Callaghan grabbed our goal that evening to put us nine ahead on aggregate, with Tommy Smith rattling the bar late on. Wilfried Kohlars netted twice for the home side. Tommy’s century 1964 – Keeper Tommy Lawrence played his hundredth reds game as we beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Anfield, thanks to goals from Peter Thompson and Roger Hunt. World Cup goals 1984 - Future red John Barnes netted a brace in England’s 8-0 demolition of Turkey in Istanbul. Fellow future red Mark Wright won his fourth full cap in the same game. On the same day, ex-red Graeme Souness captained Scotland as they beat Spain 3-1 at Hampden Park, with Kenny Dalglish on target with his thirtieth and final international goal, equalling Denis Law’s record. Steve Nicol won his third cap in the same match. Jim Beglin, Mark Lawrenson, Jan Mølby, Ian Rush, future red Glenn Hysén and ex-red Kevin Sheedy also played in qualifiers that same day. 1987 - Hysén captained Sweden in their 2-1 European Championships qualifying defeat in Italy. Mixed fortunes in World Cup play-offs 2001 - Future red Milan Baroš was sent off late on as the Czech Republic lost 1-0 to Belgium in Prague, as they fell at the final hurdle in qualifying for the World Cup in the far east. Vladimír Šmicer also played, while there was better news as Baroš had now played enough international games to make his work permit application to join the reds likely to succeed. Dietmar Hamann and ex-red Christian Ziege were more fortunate, as Germany beat the Ukraine 4-1 in Dortmund to reach the Finals. Meanwhile, ex-red Rigobert Song and future red Fernando Morientes both featured in friendlies. 1999 – Hamann and future red Ziege also played for Germany in their 1-0 friendly win in Norway, with Vegard Heggem, future red Markus Babbel and ex-red Øyvind Leonhardsen all also featuring. Red farewells 1959 – We lost a Second Division encounter 4-2 at Lincoln City with Dave Hickson and Roger Hunt on the scoresheet. Andy Graver bagged the last two of his five goals against the reds, with Bert Linnecor grabbing one of his five and John McClelland also scoring. This was Phil Taylor’s last game as Manager before resigning, with keeper Doug Rudham appearing for the 66th and final time. Jack’s treble 1942 - Jack Balmer bagged a hat-trick as we beat Chester 5-1 at their Moss Road Ground in a Wartime League fixture. Len Carney and Willie Fagan were also on target. Unlucky thirteen 1990 - Gary Gillespie won his thirteenth and final international cap in Scotland’s 1-1 European Championships qualifying draw in Bulgaria. Future red Gary McAllister won his sixth cap in the same game. On the same day, Ian Rush struck the only goal of Wales’ Euro ’92 qualifier in Luxembourg, playing up front alongside future red Dean Saunders. Future red Øyvind Leonhardsen also featured in another qualifier. First and last caps 1990 - Steve McMahon and Jan Mølby both also made their final international appearances. McMahon won his seventeenth cap in England’s 1-1 Euro ’92 qualifying draw in the Republic of Ireland, with Ray Houghton, Steve Staunton, Ronnie Whelan, ex-red John Aldridge and future red Mark Wright all also playing. On the same day, Mølby won his 33rd cap as Denmark lost 2-0 in another qualifier against Yugoslavia in Copenhagen. 2012 – Mario Balotelli won his last cap as a Manchester City player as Italy lost 2-1 to France in a friendly in Parma, with future red Mamadou Sakho on the winning side. Future red Christian Benteke scored as Belgium lost a friendly 2-1 in Romania, with Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet also featuring. Nuri Sahin won his last cap as a reds player in Turkey’s 1-1 draw with Denmark in Istanbul. 2013 – Keeper Simon Mignolet won his first cap as a reds player in Belgium’s 2-0 friendly defeat by Colombia in Brussels. On the same day, Jordon Ibe, Raheem Sterling and ex-red Tom Ince represented England at junior levels, with future reds Christian Benteke and Mohamed Salah also in action. 1951 – Future red Sammy Smyth won his ninth and last cap for Ireland, and only one as a Stoke City player, as they lost 2-0 to England in the British International Championships at Villa Park. Billy Liddell played for the Scots in the same competition that day, as they lost 1-0 to Wales at Hampden Park. 2017 – Philippe Coutinho won his last cap as a reds player as England and Brazil shared a goalless draw at Wembley, with Dominic Solanke making his senior bow from the bench. Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez and future red Alisson Becker all also featured. On the same day, Alberto Moreno won his only cap as a reds player as Spain drew 3-3 with Russia in Saint Petersburg, with ex-red Suso making his senior international debut, while keeper Kamil Grabara made his bow for Poland Under-21’s and future reds custodian Jakub Ojrzynski debuted for Poland Under-15’s. Virgil van Dijk played for the Netherlands for the last time before leaving Southampton, with Ryan Babel scoring his first goal as a Besiktas J.K. player. Meanwhile, Emre Can and Danny Ward both also played for their countries for the last time while at Anfield, with Marko Grujic, Simon Mignolet, Divock Origi, Corey Whelan, Harry Wilson, Ben Woodburn, future reds Thiago Alcântara and Dominik Szoboszlai, and ex-red Carl Medjani and Krisztián Németh also in action. Ged against Jari 1992 - Gérard Houllier’s France beat Finland 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier at the Parc des Princes. Future red Jari Litmanen was on the losing side that day. Jari’s clubmate Sami Hyypiä played for Finland Under-21’s as they faced their French counterparts in Rouen on the same day. Youngsters on target 1995 - Robbie Fowler scored for England Under-21’s as they beat Austria 2-1 in a European Championships qualifier in Middlesbrough, with future red Alex Manninger on the losing side. 2001 - Djibril Cissé bagged a brace as France Under-21’s beat Romania 4-0 in the second leg of their European Championships qualifying play-off against Romania in Brest to progress to the Finals 5-0 on aggregate. 2011 – Martin Kelly scored for England Under-21’s as they lost 2-1 to Belgium in a European Championships qualifier in Mons, with Jordan Henderson skippering the side and Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also in action as Nathaniel Clyne won his second and last cap at this level as a Crystal Palace player. Future red Virgil van Dijk debuted for the Dutch at this level, with future red Thiago Alcântara converting a penalty for Spain and Lucas Leiva and Danny Wilson both also featuring for their countries that day. On the same day, Lucas was named the Premier League Player of the Year at the MBNA Northwest Football Awards at Lancashire Cricket Club in Manchester. 2017 – Bobby Duncan bagged a brace as England Under-17’s beat Germany 2-1 in a friendly in Rotherham, with Curtis Jones also featuring as ex-Academy Manager Steve Cooper took charge. Future red Diogo Jota captained his country and netted as Portugal Under-21’s beat Switzerland 2-1 in a European Championships qualifier in Paços de Ferreira. 2018 – Sepp van den Berg scored his first goal for the Dutch Under-19’s as they won a friendly 4-0 in Armenia, with fellow future red Ryan Gravenberch also featuring. Future red Harvey Elliott, Rafael Camacho and Xherdan Shaqiri also played for their countries that day, with Steve Cooper again managing England Under-17’s. 2019 – Cody Gakpo bagged a brace as the Dutch Under-21’s thumped Gibraltar 6-0 in a European Championships qualifier, with fellow future red appearing for the Under-19’s as they were held to a 3-3 friendly draw by the Czech Republic in Katwijk aan Zee. Management joy 2008 - Rafael Benítez was named Barclays Manager of the Month for October, having led us to four League wins out of four that month, as well as a victory and a draw in the Champions League. On the same day, Mark Wright was appointed Manager of Chester City for the third time. He could not save the club from relegation from the Football League and resigned the following June. Starting out 2019 – Future red Diogo Jota made his senior international bow as Portugal thumped Lithuania 6-0 in a European Championships qualifier in Faro. 2012 – Raheem Sterling made his senior England bow in Roy Hodgson’s side’s 4-2 friendly defeat in Sweden, to celebrate the opening of the Friends Arena in Solna. Steven Gerrard won his hundredth cap while skippering a team that also included Glen Johnson, while Daniel Sturridge won his last cap as a Chelsea player, with ex-red Alexander Kačaniklić on the winning side. Luis Suárez netted as Uruguay beat Poland 3-1 in Gdansk. Future red Loris Karius won his only cap for Germany Under-20’s in their 2-1 defeat in Poland. Also in international action were future reds Joël Matip, Mohamed Salah and Kolo Touré, and ex-reds Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano, Carl Medjani, Krisztián Németh and Daniel Sjölund. 2000 - Future red Andrea Dossena won his first Under-20’s cap as Italy beat Romania 3-1. Other international reds on the scoresheet 2019 - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain bagged his first goal for England as a reds player in their 7-0 trouncing of Montenegro at Wembley. Takumi Minamino scored in his fifth consecutive game for Japan, winning his last cap as a Red Bull Salzburg player as they won a World Cup qualifier 2-0 in Kyrgyzstan with Wataru Endō appearing for the final time while with Koninklijke Sint-Truidense Voetbalvereniging. Meanwhile, Naby Keïta captained Guinea and scored his first goal as a red in their 2-2 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying draw in Mali. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and ex-red Brad Smith also played for their countries that day, with Rigobert Song taking charge of Cameroon Under-23’s. 2012 - Lazar Marković scored his first goal for Serbia, and only one as a Partizan player, as they beat Chile 3-1 in a friendly in Switzerland. Meanwhile, future red Xherdan Shaqiri scored in Switzerland’s 2-1 friendly win in Tunisia while Sadio Mané scored his first goal as a Red Bull Salzburg player as Senegal drew a friendly 1-1 in Niger. 2014 – Marković also played as Serbia were beaten 3-1 by Denmark in a European Championships qualifier in Belgrade. Kolo Touré bagged his last goal for his country and only one as a reds player as the Ivory Coast thumped Sierra Leone 5-1 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Abidjan. Harry Wilson and future reds Diogo Jota and Andy Robertson were also in international action that day. 2006 - Craig Bellamy notched for John Toshack’s Wales as they thumped Liechtenstein 4-0 in a friendly in Wrexham. Meanwhile, Adam Hammill was on target for England Under-19’s as they beat Switzerland 3-2 in a friendly at Gresty Road, with Paul Anderson and Craig Lindfield both also featuring. Ex-red John Welsh won his eighth and final Under-21’s cap as they beat the Netherlands 1-0 under the caretaker charge of Sammy Lee in Alkmaar. Scott Carson, Darren Potter and future red James Milner also represented their countries. 2009 – Xabi Alonso bagged a brace that included a penalty, his first goals as a Real Madrid player, as Spain beat Argentina 2-1 in a friendly at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. Javier Mascherano, Pepe Reina and future red Maxi Rodríguez also featured, while keeper Iker Casillas won his hundredth cap for Spain. Ex-red Nicolas Anelka netted the only goal of France’s World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, with ex-reds Alou Diarra and Robbie Keane also in action. Ryan Babel, Philipp Degen, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Dirk Kuyt, Martin Škrtel, future reds Joe Allen, Andy Carroll, Milan Jovanović, Ragnar Klavan, Dejan Lovren, Raul Meireles, James Milner, Christian Poulsen and Luis Suárez and ex-reds Peter Crouch, John Arne Riise and Rigobert Song also represented their countries that day, with John Toshack taking charge of Wales. Reds skippers 2015 - Ex-reds Daniel Agger and Carl Medjani both captained their countries, with Denmark losing 2-1 in Sweden in the first leg of their Euro 2016 Play-off, while Algeria drew 2-2 in a World Cup qualifier in Tanzania. Spiring sold 1974 – Winger Peter Spiring left Anfield to sign for Luton Town. He had signed from Bristol City for £60,000 in March 1973, but only made it as far as the first-team bench on two occasions, without making it onto the field. He later established himself at Hereford United. Other reds games 1962 – Roger Hunt netted before Ronnie Moran converted a penalty as we beat Arsenal 2-1 at Anfield, with future red Geoff Strong on target for the visitors. 1936 – We drew 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday in L4 as Fred Howe struck twice. 1903 – Fred Priest opened the scoring as we lost 2-1 at Sheffield United before George Fleming had a penalty saved by the Blades’ Billy Foulke. Arthur Brown extended the home side’s lead before Arthur Goddard scored from the spot. Red dads 2006 – Ex-reds keeper Chris Kirkland became a father, to Lucy. 1994 – Future red Nick Barmby became a dad for the first time, to Jack, who has gone on to a playing career in the lower leagues. More international reds 1973 – Emlyn Hughes and future red Kenny Dalglish both featured in friendlies. 1989 – Ex-red Mike Newell and future red Michael Thomas both played for England B as they drew 1-1 with Italy Under-21’s in Brighton, while future red Øyvind Leonhardsen featured for Norway Under-21’s in their 2-0 defeat in a European Championships qualifier in Scotland. 1993 – Future reds keeper Brad Friedel played in the USA’s 8-1 thumping of the Cayman Islands in a friendly in California. 2003 – Future reds Andy Lonergan, James Milner and Gary O’Neil all played for England Under-20’s as they beat Wales 2-0 in Stoke, with Roy Hodgson taking charge of the United Arab Emirates in their 3-1 AFC Asian Cup qualifying defeat of Syria in Al-Ain. 2020 – Diogo Jota and Xherdan Shaqiri both played in UEFA Nations League group games as Portugal lost 1-0 to France in Lisbon and Switzerland drew 1-1 with Spain in Basel. 2021 – Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and ex-red Dejan Lovren all played in World Cup qualifiers.

Match of the Day 1964 - Our 3-2 win over Arsenal at Anfield was the first game ever to be screened on the BBC’s new “Match Of The Day” show. Phil Chisnall was the first player to kick a ball on MOTD, knocking the kick-off to Gordon Wallace, who grabbed a brace, his final reds goals, including the winner that deflected off Don Howe past ex-reds keeper Jim Furnell. Roger Hunt headed in the first goal on the show that only garnered an audience of 75,000 as BBC2 was still unavailable in large parts of the country. Future red Geoff Strong scored for the Gunners, with Joe Baker bagging one of his four past us, while a black cat did a full lap of the pitch! Soto departs 2011 – Greek centre-half Sotirios Kyrgiakos joined VfL Wolfsburg on a free transfer. He had arrived from A.E.K Athens for £2m two years earlier, following the summer departure of Sami Hyypiä. Soto bagged three goals in 49 largely solid performances at the back, becoming something of a cult figure for his no-nonsense style. On the same day, Steve Staunton joined Sunderland as a scout. 2015 – Full-back Tom Lowry died. He signed pro terms in April 1963 but only ever played one first-team game, when Bill Shankly fielded a team of eleven reserves in our League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers, which came only five days before the 1965 FA Cup Final. He moved on to Crewe Alexandra in June 1966, going on to set their club record of 436 League appearances that stands to this day. Bert’s bow 1959 - Goalkeeper Bert Slater made his reds debut as we lost 3-2 at Cardiff City in our first game of the season. Cardiff in fact scored all five goals, as we benefited from two own goals from the unfortunate Danny Malloy, who had already scored an own goal against the reds two years earlier! Johnny Watkins netted the first of his four goals against us, with Graham Moore and Steve Mokone also on target. Seventies wins 1970 - We thumped Huddersfield Town 4-0 at Anfield with John McLaughlin netting his first two reds goals as Alun Evans also grabbed a brace. Forward Bobby Graham played his hundredth reds game. 1978 - We won another top-flight fixture, this time 3-0 at FA Cup holders Ipswich Town, when Graeme Souness struck before a Kenny Dalglish double, with Ray Kennedy playing his 200th reds game. Eight goals shared with the mancs 1953 - Centre-forward Louis Bimpson struck twice at Anfield, but it was not enough to hand us victory over Manchester United, as the game ended 4-4, with Billy Liddell and Bill Jones also on the scoresheet. Jack Rowley struck the last of his six goals past us, with Tommy Taylor nabbing the first of his four against the reds and Eddie Lewis and Roger Byrne also on target. 2022 - Mohamed Salah scored a club record tenth goal against Manchester United, in a joint club record fourth consecutive game against the Red Devils, also becoming the club’s eighth top all-time goalscorer. However, it was only a late consolation as we lost 2-1 thanks to a Jadon Sancho strike and the most recent of Marcus Rashford’s six goals against us. In and out 2007 - Centre-half Mikel San José signed from Athletic de Bilbao, while keeper Péter Gulácsi arrived on loan from MTK Hungária. The young Hungarian made it into our match-day squad 51 times before moving to Red Bull Salzburg for free in June 2013, while San José did the same at Stamford Bridge in the League in February 2008, although he left for Athletic de Bilbao in May 2010. 2005 - It was a busy day at Melwood, with one arrival and two players departing on loan. Austrian midfielder Besian Idrizaj signed from LASK for £190,000, while Robbie Foy moved to Wrexham and John Welsh signed for Hull City. Welsh struck twice in 23 games before signing permanently for the Tigers in January 2006 in a swap deal for winger Paul Anderson. Foy nabbed three goals in twenty games while at the Racecourse Ground. On the same day, ex-reds loanee keeper Paul Jones joined Millwall on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played four times for the struggling South London outfit. 2006 - Foy signed for Sc***horpe United on non-contract terms. He struck once in nine outings for the Iron but was released after just a season. 2009 - Idrizaj signed for Swansea City. He played four times for the Swans before tragically dying in May 2010 of a suspected heart attack at the age of just 22. A new striker 1893 - Centre-forward James Henderson signed from Scottish side Annbank. He only ever made one first-team appearance for the reds, in our first ever Football League fixture, a 2-0 Second Division win at Middlesbrough Ironopolis. Kenny resigns 1996 - Kenny Dalglish resigned as Director of Football at Blackburn Rovers. He had led them to the League title as team manager the year before. St. Michael signs on 1998 - Michael Owen signed a new five-year contract ten minutes before our first home game of the season, when Arsenal held us to a goalless draw at Anfield. Most recently 2006 - We squeezed into the group stage of the Champions League, being held to a 1-1 draw by Maccabi Haifa in Kyiv in the second leg of our Third Qualifying Round tie, to progress 3-2. Peter Crouch headed us in front, with the reds wasting numerous chances to build a convincing lead. We also suffered injuries to Momo Sissoko and Stephen Warnock, who joined Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise on the sidelines. 1993 - Our most recent game before that came when Steve McManaman struck twice in a 5-0 thumping of Swindon Town at their County Ground. Neil Ruddock bagged his first reds goal as Ronnie Whelan bagged his 73rd and final strike for the club. Mike Marsh netted his last reds goal in his hundredth game for the club. A win in Ireland 1981 - Terry McDermott grabbed a brace, with Ronnie Whelan, Phil Neal and Kenny Dalglish also scoring, as we thumped Ronnie’s former side Home Farm 5-0 at Tolka Park in Dublin. This game had been arranged as part of Whelan’s transfer to Anfield. However, the match was almost cancelled after a massive H was carved into the pitch the night before in support of IRA hunger strikers. Emergency re-turfing saved the game with the reds flying over in the afternoon for the evening fixture. International reds 2007 - Young Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva made his senior international debut in their 2-0 friendly defeat of Algeria in Montpellier, playing alongside future reds keeper Alexander Doni. Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin all won their first caps as reds players, while Luis García made his first appearance while with Club Atlético de Madrid, as Spain won 3-2 in Greece with Xabi Alonso and Pepe Reina also in action. Ukraine beat Uzbekistan 2-1, with Israel beaten 2-1 in Belarus and the Netherlands losing 2-1 in Switzerland with Dirk Kuyt on target, and future red Philipp Degen also featuring. Future red Robbie Keane bagged a brace as the Republic of Ireland thumped Daniel Agger’s Denmark 4-0 in Copenhagen, with Steve Finnan and ex-red Darren Potter also in Steve Staunton’s line-up. David James won his first cap as a Portsmouth player as England lost 2-1 to Germany at Wembley, with Peter Crouch, future red Joe Cole and ex-red Michael Owen also playing. Javier Mascherano faced John Arne Riise with future red Maxi Rodríguez netting as Norway beat Argentina 2-1 in Oslo, while future red Ragnar Klavan was sent off as Estonia beat Andorra 2-1 in a European Championships qualifier in Tallinn. Also in international action that day were Sami Hyypiä, future reds Alberto Aquilani, Milan Jovanović, Alex Manninger, Raul Meireles, Mamadou Sakho and Kolo Touré, ex-reds Nicolas Anelka, Milan Baroš, Daniel Sjölund and Rigobert Song, with Roy Hodgson and John Toshack both on management duties. On the move 2008 – Reserves forward Craig Lindfield joined Bournemouth on loan. He struck once in five outings for the Cherries. 2005 - Paul Dalglish signed for Livingston from Modena. He struck six times in 23 games before moving to Hibernian in January 2006. 2003 - Former reserves midfielder Phil Charnock signed for basement side Bury on a free transfer from Port Vale, although he only stayed two weeks at Gigg Lane, playing three times. 1986 - Former reserves centre-back Dave Watson made his big move, leaving Norwich City for Everton for a fee of £900,000. At the time his brother Alex was still playing in our reserves. 1997 - Future reds keeper Pegguy Arphexad signed for Leicester City from Racing Club de Lens on a free transfer. He only played 29 times for the Foxes, before switching to Anfield in July 2000. 2012 – Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen signed for Ajax, whom he helped to claim the League title in his first season in Amsterdam. 2019 – Midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain signed a new contract, having struck five times in 47 outings to date since arriving from Arsenal for £35m two years earlier. 2022 – Forward David Amoo signed for Stevenage, scoring once in thirteen outings before moving on to Crewe Alexandra after just five months. Other reds games 1967 – We beat Arsenal 2-0 at Anfield with Roger Hunt scoring twice past ex-reds custodian Jim Furnell. 1962 – We drew 2-2 at Manchester City. Neil Young struck the first two of his four goals against the reds, after first Ronnie Moran had converted a penalty and then Roger Hunt scored. 1949 – Stoke City held us to a goalless draw at the Victoria Ground. Billy’s day 2019 – Billy Koumetio won his second and final cap for France Under-18’s in their 1-1 friendly draw with Paraguay. Isaac Mabaya featured for England Under-16’s on the same day as they were held to a 3-3 friendly draw by the Republic of Ireland at St. George’s Park. 2020 – Koumetio played his first games for the club, as did left-back Kostas Tsimikas in our 3-0 defeat of VfB Stuttgart in a behind closed doors friendly in Austria. Roberto Firmino, Naby Keïta and Rhian Brewster all scored. Also in international action 1990 - Stig Inge Bjørnebye, then still with Kongsvinger, won his eighth cap for Norway as they lost 2-1 at home to Sweden in a friendly, played in Stavanger. 1993 - Gérard Houllier managed France as they drew a World Cup qualifier 1-1 in Sweden. 2017 – Bobby Duncan featured for England Under-17’s in their 2-1 defeat by Italy in Kidderminster, with ex-Academy Manager Steve Cooper in charge.

Happy birthdays 1961 - Steve McMahon was born in Liverpool. He signed from Aston Villa for £350,000 in September 1985 and struck fifty times in 277 reds appearances in his six years at Anfield, during which time he won three League titles, the FA Cup and two FA Charity Shields. He left the reds to sign for Manchester City for £900,000 in December 1991. 2003 – Forward Max Woltman was born in Wirral. He joined the Academy at the age of seven, playing in the FA Youth Cup Final in May 2021 after turning pro the previous January. He signed a new contract in May 2022, making two senior appearances in cup competitions before moving on to Oxford United earlier this month. 1895 – Inside-left Dick Forshaw was born in Preston. He joined the reds in July 1919, winning two League titles while with the reds, scoring an impressive 124 times in 288 games. He has the unique honour of being the only player ever to claim League championship medals with both Merseyside clubs, helping the Blues to one in 1928 after he had crossed Stanley Park for £3,750 in March 1927. 1888 – Forward Harry Welfare was born in Wavertree, Liverpool. He signed from Northern Nomads in 1912, notching once in four outings before moving to Wrexham the following year. He later had a very successful career in Brazil, helping Fluminense to claim the title three times in succession while bagging 163 goals in just 166 games. Double hola 2004 - We signed a pair of Spaniards. Xabi Alonso arrived from Real Sociedad for £10.7m, with Luis García signing from Barcelona for a £6m fee. Xabi netted nineteen times, showing his silky passing skills in 210 reds games before moving to Real Madrid for £30m in August 2009. García struck thirty times, including five in our glorious Champions League campaign in 2005, in 121 games, before returning to his homeland to join Club Atlético de Madrid in July 2007. 2012 – Slovakian centre-half Martin Škrtel signed a new contract. He arrived from Zenit St. Petersburg for £6.5m to become our most expensive defender to date, notching eighteen goals in 320 games in total, including one in our Carling Cup win at Wembley in February 2012, moving on to Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü for £5.5m in July 2016. Goalscoring debuts 1977 - Kenny Dalglish scored on his League debut as we drew 1-1 at Middlesbrough, with David Armstrong bagging the first of his four goals past us. 1960 - Winger and new £13,000 record signing Kevin Lewis scored on his debut as we beat Leeds United 2-0 at Anfield in another season opener, with the other goal coming from former blue Dave Hickson. 2016 – Marko Grujić made his senior reds bow as we dominated but lost 2-0 at Burnley, with Sam Vokes and Andre Gray both on target before the break. Royal victories 2018 - Sadio Mané scored in his third consecutive reds game as we won 2-0 at Crystal Palace, with James Milner handing us the lead from the spot at the very end of the first half. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off for the home side before Mané struck in injury time. Daniel Sturridge played his hundredth League game for the reds. 1994 - We thumped Palace 6-1 at Selhurst Park to get the season off to a great start. Steve McManaman and Ian Rush scored twice apiece, with Jan Mølby and Robbie Fowler also on the scoresheet. Chris Armstrong bagged the home side’s consolation. Lefties on the way in 2013 – Left-back Aly Cissokho signed on loan from Valencia. The Frenchman played nineteen reds games without scoring. 1894 – Outside-left John Drummond joined from Sheffield United, scoring once in eighteen outings before moving on to Barnsley St. Peter’s the following year. Mixed fortunes at Wembley 1983 - Joe Fagan’s first game in charge came in the FA Charity Shield, when we lost 2-0 to Manchester United. Michael Robinson made his first-class reds debut in this match while Phil Thompson appeared for the 477th and final time. Bryan Robson bagged both United’s goals, two of his seven strikes against us. 1988 - We gained some revenge on Wimbledon for our FA Cup Final defeat earlier that year, coming from behind to beat them 2-1 thanks to a John Aldridge brace, to claim the Shield for the seventh time outright. Charlie Boyd and Jim Magilton both sat on our bench for the first of just two occasions, while John Fashanu netted one of his six goals against us. Beating the Gunners 2011 – We beat Arsenal 2-0 in our first ever win at the Emirates Stadium. Emmanuel Frimpong was sent off before Ignasi Miquel’s clearance rebounded off Aaron Ramsey’s chest for an own goal. Luis Suárez then added a second in stoppage time. The king at Anfield 1966 - A fifteen-year old Kenny Dalglish wore the number eight shirt playing for Liverpool B as they beat Southport 1-0 in a Lancashire League match, five years before he signed professional terms with Celtic. However, he was not taken on by Bill Shankly, returning to Anfield as our record signing eleven years later. Milan’s farewell 2005 - Milan Baroš played his 108th and final reds game, with Luis García making his fiftieth reds appearance, as Xabi Alonso nabbed the only goal of our Anfield encounter with Sunderland, who had Andy Welsh sent off, the second of fifteen dismissals against the reds that season. 1949 - We also entertained the Mackems, winning 4-2 in a season opener, with Bob Paisley, Jack Balmer, Kevin Baron and Albert Stubbins all on target, with Billy Liddell missing a penalty. Dickie Davis struck one of his seven goals against us, with Ivor Broadis also on target. We went on to finish eighth that season. The mancs at home at Anfield 1971 - An unusual situation occurred as Manchester United played a home fixture at Anfield. Old Trafford was closed for two weeks due to hooliganism, and so United entertained Arsenal at Anfield. The ‘home’ side won 3-1. Frank McLintock sent the Gunners in ahead at half time, but goals from George Best, Bobby Charlton and Brian Kidd secured United’s victory. Jan’s debut 1984 - Jan Mølby scored in his first reds game, two days before he officially signed, as we beat Home Farm 3-0 in a friendly held at Tolka Park in Dublin. Ronnie Whelan added a brace, while Ian Rush sustained cartilage damage that kept him out of the first team for two months. The game had been arranged as part of the transfer deal that brought Ken DeMange and Brian Mooney to Anfield. Double half millennium 1974 – Ian Callaghan played his 500th League game for the reds in our goalless game at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Tommy Smith appearing for the 500th time in all competitions. Another season opener 1955 - We began our season with a 3-1 Second Division win at Nottingham Forest, with Alan A’Court nabbing a brace and John Evans also netting, as full-back Ray Lambert played his 300th League game for the club. Unfortunately, we ended the season in third, missing out on promotion again. John departs 1913 – Inside-right John Tosswill was sold to Southend United. He had struck once in eleven outings since signing from Queens Park Rangers in June 1912. Phil the champion 2011 – Future red Philippe Coutinho won his seventh and final cap for Brazil Under-20’s as they beat Portugal 3-2 after extra time in the World Championship Final in Colombia. Fifty years for the League 1938 - We lost a friendly 2-1 at Everton. Jack Balmer netted in a game staged to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Football League. International reds on target 2008 – Xabi Alonso struck twice as Spain beat Daniel Agger’s Denmark 3-0 in a friendly in Copenhagen, with Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres also featuring and Christian Poulsen winning his first cap while with Juventus. Milan Baroš scored while winning his first cap as a Galatasaray player as the Czech Republic drew 2-2 with an England side that included Steven Gerrard, future red Stewart Downing and ex-reds Emile Heskey and David James at Wembley, with future red Joe Cole netting. Also in international action were Dirk Kuyt, future reds Ragnar Klavan, Raul Meireles, Nuri Şahin, Luis Suárez and Kolo Touré, and ex-reds Salif Diao, Alou Diarra and John Toshack. 2003 - Michael Owen scored for England as they beat Croatia 3-1 in a friendly at Portman Road. Steven Gerrard, Emile Heskey, Danny Murphy and ex-red David James all also played, with Joe Cole winning his first cap as a Chelsea player. On the same day, Jerzy Dudek, Stéphane Henchoz, ex-red Don Hutchison and future reds Craig Bellamy, Yossi Benayoun, Djibril Cissé, Mark González, Paul Jones, Christian Poulsen and Bolo Zenden all also featured for their countries. International beginnings and ends 2008 – Andrea Dossena won his first cap as a reds player, only his second to date, as Italy drew 2-2 with Austria in a friendly in Nice, with future red Alberto Aquilani also featuring and Alex Manninger playing for the last time while with Juventus. Meanwhile, Robbie Keane netted while making his first appearance for the Republic of Ireland since moving to Anfield as they drew 1-1 with Norway in Oslo. Steve Finnan won his last cap before leaving the reds, while John Arne Riise played his first international since joining Roma. On the same day, Jari Litmanen won his first cap in his second spell as a Lahti player, playing alongside Sami Hyypiä as Finland beat Yossi Benayoun’s Israel 2-0 in Tampere. Sotirios Kyrgiakos won his first cap while with A.E.K Athens in Greece’s 2-0 friendly win against Martin Škrtel’s Slovakia in Bratislava. Meanwhile, Salif Diao and El-Hadji Diouf both played as Senegal drew a friendly 0-0 in Libya, for the first time since joining Stoke City and Sunderland, respectively. 1997 - Ex-red Lee Jones won his second and final cap, and only one as a Tranmere Rovers player, as Wales lost a World Cup qualifier 6-4 in Turkey. Keeper Paul Jones won his first cap as a Southampton player, while ex-red Dean Saunders netted his last goal while with Nottingham Forest, as he won his 59th cap. On the same day, Christian Ziege won his first cap as an AC Milan player, and Jim Magilton made his last appearance while at Southampton as Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 in another qualifier at Windsor Park. Ray Houghton won his seventieth cap, and final one as a Crystal Palace player, as the Republic of Ireland were held to a goalless draw in their World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Lansdowne Road. Mark Kennedy and ex-red Steve Staunton also featured. Meanwhile, future red John Arne Riise won his fourth and last cap for Norway Under-16’s as they lost 3-2 to Sweden. Also in action that day were Stig Inge Bjørnebye and future reds Markus Babbel, Stéphane Henchoz, Jari Litmanen and Vladimír Šmicer. 2002 - Pepe Reina won his first Under-21’s cap as a Villarreal player in Spain’s 1-0 friendly win in Hungary, with fellow future red Xabi Alonso also featuring, and Daniel Sjölund featuring for Finland Under-21’s in their 1-0 defeat by the Republic of Ireland. 2003 - Andriy Voronin won his last senior cap while with 1. FSV Mainz 05, and twelfth to date, as the Ukraine lost a friendly 2-0 to Romania in Kyiv. On the same day, Alou Diarra, Anthony Le Tallec, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and future red Charles Itandje all featured as France Under-21’s drew 1-1 in a friendly in Switzerland. 2018 – Future red Harvey Elliott won his only cap for England Under-16’s in their 1-0 defeat of Scotland at St. George’s Park. 2019 – Billy Koumetio made his debut for France Under-18’s as they thumped Paraguay 5-1 in a friendly. On the move again 2015 – Former Assistant Manager Pako Ayestarán was appointed Club Santos Laguna boss in Mexico, but only remained in charge for three months before his contract was terminated “by mutual consent”. 2011 – Harry Kewell signed for Melbourne Victory, while Nabil El Zhar joined Spanish side Levante U.D. Kewell struck eight times in 25 outings in his one season in southern Australia, while El Zhar scored ten goals in 114 games before rescinding his contract in August 2015. 2010 - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain signed as a professional for Southampton, going on to score ten goals in 43 outings before moving on to Arsenal in August 2011 for an initial £12m. 2005 - Albert Riera signed for R.C.D. Espanyol from Girondins de Bordeaux, having struck four times in 53 League games for the French side. 1993 – Current Chief Scout Barry Hunter joined Wrexham from Crusaders for £50,000, scoring six goals in 120 games before moving on to Reading in July 1996 for £400,000. 2003 - Future red Jermaine Pennant joined Leeds United on loan from Arsenal. He struck twice in 36 games as the Whites were relegated. 2004 - Ex-reserves defender Alan Navarro joined Chester City on loan from Tranmere Rovers. He played four times for the Blues, and then had another loan spell later in the season, this time with fellow League Two side Macclesfield Town. 2019 – Ex-reds midfielder Kevin MacDonald left Aston Villa’s coaching staff for a second time, this time having been suspended for eight months following allegations of bullying. 2021 – Keeper Andy Lonergan signed for Everton, failing to make a senior appearance in either of his first two campaigns, just as he did in his one season with the reds. Other reds games 1969 – We won 2-0 at Manchester City with Bobby Graham bagging a brace. 1968 – We beat Stoke City 2-1 at Anfield with Terry Conroy giving the visitors the lead with the first of his four goals past us. Ian Callaghan equalised before Tony Allen turned a Peter Thompson cross into his own net. 1966 – We defeated Leicester City 3-2 in L4 in our opening League game of the season. Roger Hunt and Geoff Strong struck before Derek Dougan netted the first two of his four goals against the reds. Willie Stevenson scored the winner from the spot. Also in international action 2017 – Bobby Duncan played for England Under-17’s as they beat Scotland 2-1 in a friendly in Burton, with ex-Academy Manager Steve Cooper in charge. 2007 – Future red Christian Benteke featured for Belgium Under-17’s in the World Championships Finals as they lost a group game 4-2 to Tunisia in South Korea. 1986 – Future red Glenn Hysén played for Sweden in their goalless friendly draw with the USSR in Gothenburg. 1980 – Hysén played for Sweden Under-21’s in their 1-0 friendly victory over Hungary in Budapest.

Team of the Year 2001 - We were named Team of the Year at the BBC’s Sports Personality Of The Year ceremony. Ian Rush presented the award to the recovering Gérard Houllier, who said, “My thoughts and my thanks go to my players. Not only this season’s players, but also the players who have left, like Christian and Robbie. I would also like to express my gratitude to David Moores, Rick Parry and the board because they have all been very supportive of what we are trying to do. I would like to thank my backroom staff because you don’t win things just like that. Above all I would like to thank the fans. Nobody knows better than I how fantastic and how supportive they have been to me.” Careless hands 1967 - Anfield witnessed a truly special own goal when Leeds United keeper Gary Sprake threw the ball into his own net at the Kop end. Straight away the Kop responded by singing Des O’Connor’s recent top ten hit “Careless Hands”. Roger Hunt had already scored, as we won 2-0. Careful hands 2006 - Pepe Reina kept his 28th clean sheet in his first fifty League games, a new club record, as we thumped Fulham 4-0 at Anfield. This was also Rafael Benítez’s fiftieth League victory, in his 93rd match. Jamie Carragher grabbed his first League goal in eight years, after Steven Gerrard had opened the scoring by converting the rebound of his own saved penalty kick. Luis García also scored with Mark González bagging his third and final reds goal. 1995 - Our most recent game on this day prior to that resulted in a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at Burnden Park thanks to a Stan Collymore strike, our first victory in eight matches. This was despite us missing three players who were away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland. Nigel Clough played his 44th and final reds game. McVean’s treble 1893 - Former shipyard worker Malcolm McVean scored all three goals as we beat Walsall Town Swifts 3-0 in a Second Division meeting at Anfield. Rafa’s records 2008 – We secured our 39th win in European competition under Rafael Benítez, excluding by penalty shoot-outs, as we won 3-1 at PSV Eindhoven despite falling behind. This equalled Bob Paisley’s club record as we reached fourteen points, still our highest ever total in the Champions League group stage. Martin Kelly and Jay Spearing both made their senior bows as David N’Gog bagged his first reds goal after Ryan Babel had headed in and Albert Riera struck a spectacular long-range effort. 2005 - Benítez was named Manager of the Month for the first time after we had won five and drawn the other of our six games in November, all without conceding. Continental defeats 1984 - We lost 1-0 in Tokyo to Argentina’s Independiente in the World Club Championship, with José Alberto Percudani on target. 2009 – Dani Pacheco made his reds bow as Fiorentina won 2-1 at Anfield in our dead rubber Champions League group encounter. Yossi Benayoun headed us in front shortly before the break, but second-half strikes from Martin Jorgensen and Alberto Gilardino in injury time sent us to defeat as Alberto Aquilani made his first reds start. Ending a run 1978 - We brought Nottingham Forest’s remarkable 42-game unbeaten run to an end. Terry McDermott struck twice at Anfield, including one from the spot after an Archie Gemmill foul on Kenny Dalglish, as we won 2-0. Brian Clough said, “They murdered us. We hardly got a kick of the ball.” England captain 1931 - Future reds left-back Ernie Blenkinsop captained England for the first of four occasions as they trounced Spain 7-1 in a friendly at Highbury, with future red Tommy Cooper also in action and Tosh Johnson netting twice while winning his first cap as an Everton player, his last international goals. 1964 – Peter Thompson played for England in their 1-1 friendly draw with the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Stevie again 2014 – Steven Gerrard scored his hundredth goal at Anfield late on as we crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage thanks to a 1-1 draw with Basel. We had fallen behind to a Fabian Frei goal, with half-time substitute Lazar Marković laughably sent off on the hour mark. Lucas Leiva reached a century of European games for the club. 2012 - We won 3-2 at West Ham United, with ex-Hammer Glen Johnson handing us an early lead. Mark Noble equalised from the spot before Steven Gerrard headed into his own net. Late goals from ex-United player Joe Cole and Jonjo Shelvey ensured we left with all three points. These were Cole and Shelvey’s last reds strikes. Ted born 1892 – Welsh full-back Ted Parry was born in Colwyn Bay. He signed from Colwyn Bay United in February 1921, playing thirteen games before moving to Walsall in June 1926. Red firsts 2020 – Trent Alexander-Arnold captained the reds for the first time as we drew a dead rubber UEFA Champions League group game 1-1 behind closed doors at Midtjylland, with centre-back Billy Koumetio making his senior bow. Mohamed Salah netted inside the first minute, but Diogo Jota sadly suffered a knee injury that side-lined him for three months. Management moves 1959 – The Huddersfield Town board agreed to release Bill Shankly early from his notice period, so he was able to take over as reds boss a few days later. 2009 – Jim Magilton was suspended as Manager of Queens Park Rangers, following an alleged headbutt on one of his players after a game at Watford. He left the club by mutual consent a week later. Thumping Wolves 1905 - Sam Raybould scored his hundredth League goal for the reds as we beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at Anfield on our way to our second League title, while they ended the season bottom. Arthur Goddard also struck to add to a Joe Hewitt brace. Wheels off 1961 - Half-back Johnny Wheeler played his 177th and final reds game in our 2-1 Second Division defeat of Plymouth Argyle at Anfield, their most recent visit in all competitions. Alan A’Court and Ian St. John scored our goals to secure Bill Shankly’s fiftieth win as reds boss in his 91st game in charge, while centre-half Dick White played his 200th League game for us. 1899 – Inside-right David Wilson played his second and final reds game in our top-flight defeat of Preston North End at Anfield, with right-back General Stevenson playing for the 22nd and last time. Inside-right Johnny Walker bagged the only goal of the game. Mixed fortunes against the Geordies We have twice faced Newcastle United in the top flight on this day in history, with the away side winning 1-0 on each occasion. 1911 - We lost at Anfield as Jimmy Stewart struck the last of his five goals against the reds. 1922 - Harry Chambers nabbed the only goal of the game on the hour mark in the North East, to avenge a 2-0 defeat in L4 the previous week. A European away win close to home 1970 - John Toshack netted the only goal of the game as we won at Hibernian in the first leg of our Third Round Fairs Cup tie. We had earlier survived a good penalty shout against Larry Lloyd, with the home side also having a goal ruled out for offside. Tosh had already scored for Cardiff City in the European Cup Winners’ Cup that season, against Nantes Atlantique, at a time when there was no concept of being ‘cup-tied’. Dismissed 1972 - Midfielder Peter Cormack was sent off in our 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion, for violent conduct after a clash with Asa Hartford. However, he successfully appealed against his three-match suspension. Phil Boersma scored our goal at The Hawthorns, before Tony Brown equalised with the last of his eight strikes past us. At the World Cup 2022 – Alisson Becker faced ex-red Dejan Lovren as their World Cup Quarter-final ended 1-1 after extra time in Qatar, with Croatia then beating Brazil 4-2 on penalties. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo won his last cap for the Netherlands before leaving PSV Eindhoven for the reds as they drew 2-2 with Argentina at the same stage. Argentina progressed 4-3 on penalties, with skipper Virgil van Dijk seeing his spot-kick saved as future red Alexis Mac Allister also featured. Spot-kick win in Arabia 1986 - We claimed the Dubai Super Cup by beating Celtic 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after the game ended 1-1, with Owen Archdeacon opening the scoring in the second half before Alan Hansen struck late on. Steve McMahon, Ronnie Whelan, Jim Beglin and Steve Nicol were all successful from the spot. Bruce Grobbelaar saved from Archdeacon in the shoot-out, with Mo Johnston hitting the post. Berry on target again 1944 - South African outside-right Berry Nieuwenhuys scored in his third consecutive game as we lost 3-2 at Chester’s Moss Road Ground in a Wartime League match. Jackie Campbell bagged our other goal. Other reds games 1989 – Peter Beardsley equalised as Aston Villa held us to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. 1950 – We won 3-1 at Portsmouth. Jimmy Payne bagged a brace with Jack Balmer also netting as Ike Clarke scored the last of his four goals against the reds. 1933 – Alf Hanson scored as Sheffield Wednesday won 3-1 in L4. Mark Hooper struck two of his eight past us, with Ellis Rimmer grabbing one of his five. Brucie on the move again 1998 - Bruce Grobbelaar signed for Lincoln City on non-contract terms. He only stayed until the New Year, playing twice in the Second Division. Knocked out 2003 - Michael Foley-Sheridan played as the Republic of Ireland Under-20’s lost 3-2 on a golden goal to Colombia in the World Championship Finals in the United Arab Emirates, in their Second Round encounter.

The Doc is in 1976 – Ex-Blues forward David Johnson signed from Ipswich Town for a club record £200,000. He went on to win three League titles, European Cup, UEFA Super Cup and two FA Charity Shields, scoring 78 times in 213 reds games. He was the first player to score for both sides in Merseyside derbies, and returned to Goodison in August 1982 for £100,000. Most recently 2018 – Three reds made their debuts as we thumped West Ham United 4-0 in our season opener at Anfield – keeper Alisson Becker, Naby Keïta and Xherdan Shaqiri. Mohamed Salah opened the scoring, with Sadio Mané bagging a brace and Daniel Sturridge completing the scoring. This secured our 500th Premier League victory. In comes José 2011 – Left-back José Enrique signed from Newcastle United for £5.5m. He impressed reds fans in his early appearances, netting twice in 99 games in all and helping us to claim the Carling Cup and reach the FA Cup Final in his first campaign, before being released in May 2016. 2019 - Andy Lonergan joined the reds, having been released by Middlesbrough earlier in the summer. The reds became the twelfth club of his professional career, but he failed to make the first team, although he sat on the bench on eight occasions, including nights when we claimed the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup. 2022 – Leeds-born forward Oakley Cannonier signed a new contract with the reds, having joined the reds at Under-12’s level and turning pro in July 2021. His most significant impact to date has been as the ball-boy who quickly handed the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold for his “corner taken quickly” against Barcelona in our UEFA Champions League Semi-final second leg in May 2019. Joyeux anniversaire 1981 - Our former record £14m signing Djibril Cissé was born in Arles in France. His first season was one of tremendous ups and downs, including a horrific leg break and converting a penalty in the Champions League Final. He notched a total of 24 times in 79 reds games, including scoring in the UEFA Super Cup Final and FA Cup Final, but then spent a season on loan at Olympique de Marseille, for whom he signed permanently for £6.3m in July 2007. 1990 – Mario Balotelli was born in Palermo. The Italian striker signed from AC Milan for £16m in August 2014, only scoring four times in 28 games in his one season at Anfield, spending s campaign back on loan at AC Milan before joining Nice on a fee transfer in August 2016. 2010 - He joined Manchester City from Internazionale for €21.8m after 28 goals in 86 games for the nerazzurri. 1948 – Former first-team coach Patrice Bergues was born in Créteil, France. He worked with Gérard Houllier at Anfield between 1998 and 2001, later working with him at Olympique Lyonnais. 1997 – Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi was born in Ilorin. He signed from Imperial Academy for £400,000 in August 2015, spending most of his time since out on loan before being sold to Union Berlin for £6.5m in July 2021. Joy in Charity We have twice claimed the FA Charity Shield on this day over the years. 1989 - Glenn Hysén made his reds debut as Peter Beardsley scored the only goal of the game against Arsenal at Wembley, in his hundredth reds match. Later, an Ian Rush header struck the post, landing in keeper John Lukic’s arms. 2001 - We made our third trip to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff inside six months, as a Gary McAllister penalty and Michael Owen strike handed us a 2-1 win over arch-rivals Manchester United. John Arne Riise made his reds bow in this game, which was the first eleven-a-side first-class match to be played indoors, as the stadium’s roof was closed against the rain. Other signings 1982 – Forward David Hodgson arrived from Middlesbrough for £450,000. He never fully established himself in his two years at Anfield, scoring ten times in 49 appearances, although he did claim a League championship medal and helped us to clinch the FA Charity Shield on his reds bow before he left for Sunderland for £125,000. 2010 – Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen signed from Juventus for £4.5m, having previously worked with Roy Hodgson at F.C. København. He made 21 largely uninspiring appearances, without finding the back of the net, moving on to Évian Thonon Gaillard a year later. On the same day, future red Simon Mignolet played for Belgium Under-21’s. For Billy and Zico 1974 - The reds took part in a testimonial match at Celtic for their legendary player Billy McNeill. The game ended 1-1, with our goal being scored by John Toshack. 1985 - We played in another testimonial game, losing 3-2 to Everton at Anfield. Phil Neal, whose testimonial it was, and Craig Johnston were on target for the reds. International milestones 2009 - Sami Hyypiä won his hundredth senior cap, captaining Finland in their 1-0 friendly defeat by Sweden in Solna. This was his first cap as a Bayer 04 Leverkusen player, while fellow ex-red Jari Litmanen played his 125th international. On the same day, Sotirios Kyrgiakos won his fiftieth cap for Greece, his final one as an A.E.K Athens player, as Greece lost 2-0 to Poland in Chorzów. Javier Mascherano also reached a half century of international appearances, skippering Argentina as they beat Russia 3-2 in a friendly in Moscow, with future red Maxi Rodríguez also in action. Stan’s treble 1996 - Stan Collymore bagged a hat-trick in our 4-0 victory at Burnley in a pre-season friendly. Robbie Fowler completed the scoring. Beating City We have twice beaten Manchester City at Anfield in League encounters on this day over the years. 1969 - We won 3-2 with a goal from Roger Hunt and an Ian St. John brace. Tommy Smith scored an own goal in this game with City keeper Joe Corrigan playing his first game at Anfield, with Ian Bowyer also on target for the visitors. 1972 - We triumphed 2-0, thanks to an early Brian Hall strike and a late Ian Callaghan goal. However, this game was marred by the dismissals of Larry Lloyd and City’s Wyn Davies. Lloyd later became the first player to fight a ban before the newly formed independent disciplinary tribunal, in relation to this sending off. Steve Heighway reached a century of reds games that day, while Tommy Smith appeared for the 300th time. Off the mark 2017 – Mohamed Salah scored on his reds bow as we were held to a 3-3 draw at Watford, Jürgen Klopp’s hundredth game in charge. We fell behind to a Stefano Okaka goal before Sadio Mané equalised. Abdoulaye Doucouré put the Hornets back in front, with Roberto Firmino equalising from the spot and Salah giving us the lead, which we held until a stoppage-time leveller from Miguel Britos. 2012 - Raheem Sterling scored his first reds goal as we beat Sami Hyypiä’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3-1 in a friendly at Anfield. Lucas and Andy Carroll were also on target. 1991 - Mark Walters made his first reds appearance, in a 1-0 friendly defeat at Tranmere Rovers. He joined from Rangers for a £1.25m fee the following day, where he had been a big success. Euro anniversary 1984 - We met Icelandic side Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur in a friendly. They were the first team we ever played in European competition, almost exactly twenty years earlier. This meeting ended 2-2, with Michael Robinson and Phil Neal on the scoresheet after we had fallen two goals behind. 1990 - We returned to that part of the world, winning 2-0 at HJK Helsinki, with Ray Houghton and David Burrows on the scoresheet. Thumped in Spain 1988 - We were trounced 5-1 by Club Atlético de Madrid in the pre-season T Herrera Tournament. Substitute Ray Houghton scored our consolation goal at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. Alan Hansen dislocated his left knee in this game, keeping him out until the following May. 1983 - David Hodgson struck as we lost 2-1 to the same side in La Linea Tournament. 1986 - We held Real Sociedad to a goalless draw in San Sebastián. Other friendlies 1967 - Ian St. John, Willie Stevenson, Ron Yeats and Roger Hunt all netted as we beat German side Hannover 96 4-1 at their Niedersachsenstadion. 1995 - Steve McManaman bagged the only goal of the game as we beat Shelbourne 1-0 in the Yorkie Premier League Challenge at Tolka Park in Dublin. First and last caps 2009 - Glen Johnson won his first cap as a reds player as England drew 2-2 with the Netherlands in Amsterdam, with future red James Milner making his international bow. Dirk Kuyt was on target, while Ryan Babel and ex-red Emile Heskey also featured. Philipp Degen represented Switzerland for the first time since moving to Anfield, helping them to a goalless draw with Italy in another friendly in Basel. Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa both won their first caps as Real Madrid players. Albert Riera struck his final goal for Spain while on our books, with Fernando Torres also netting and Pepe Reina also playing as Spain beat FYR Macedonia 3-2 in Skopje. On the same day, keeper Nikolay Mihaylov won his first cap since becoming a red as Bulgaria beat Latvia 1-0 in a friendly in Sofia. More international goalscorers 2009 – Ex-red Milan Baroš converted a penalty as the Czech Republic beat Belgium 3-1 in a friendly in Teplice, while ex-red John Arne Riise scored as Norway thumped Scotland 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Oslo. Future red Raul Meireles netted for Portugal in their 3-0 friendly win in Liechtenstein. Also in international action that day were Yossi Benayoun, Péter Gulácsi, Krisztián Németh, David N’Gog, future reds Mario Balotelli, Milan Jovanović, Ragnar Klavan, Christian Poulsen, Nuri Şahin and Luis Suárez and ex-reds Nicolas Anelka, Robbie Keane, Harry Kewell and Nikolay Mihaylov, while John Toshack took charge of Wales. Olympian Raul 2004 - Raul Meireles played for Portugal in the Olympics Finals, coming off the bench as they lost a group game 4-2 to Iraq in Greece. In and out 2020 – French centre-half Billy Koumetio signed pro terms with the reds, having joined the Academy from Union Sportive Orléans Loiret Football in November 2018. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League at Midtjylland in December 2020. On the same day, centre-back Morgan Boyes joined Fleetwood Town on loan, playing four times while with the Cod Army. Blackpool firsts 2003 - Michael Foley-Sheridan played his first senior reds game as we beat Fleetwood Town 6-1 in a friendly at Blackpool’s Broomfield Road ground. John Welsh scored his first goal for the first team, with Milan Baroš nabbing a brace to add to a penalty from El-Hadji Diouf and goals from Bruno Cheyrou and Anthony Le Tallec. Ex-reds on the move 1996 - Bruce Grobbelaar moved down the south coast, joining Plymouth Argyle from Southampton on a free transfer. He turned out 41 times in his one season at Home Park before joining Oxford United the following season. On the same day, Northern Irish youth forward Davy Larmour left Anfield to join Doncaster Rovers on a free transfer, having been part of the victorious FA Youth Cup winning squad earlier that year. He played 22 times for them without finding the net. 2015 – Chris Kirkland joined Preston North End from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer, but only played six times in his one campaign at Deepdale. 2016 – Forward David N’Gog signed for Panionios, scoring three times in sixteen games for the Greek side. 2020 – Ex-reds midfielder Adam Phillips re-joined Morecambe on loan from Burnley, netting ten times in 33 outings in this second spell. On the same day, former reds winger Mark Kennedy resigned as Head Coach of Macclesfield Town having rejected a new contract following the club’s relegation from the League due to a points deduction for financial issues. 2013 – Former reserves keeper Alexander Doni retired from playing. He joined the reds on a free transfer from Roma in July 2011 and played four times, as well as sitting on the bench on another 46 occasions. He returned to his native Brazil with Botafogo in January 2013 having apparently suffered a heart attack during a routine medical in the summer of 2012. 2009 – Winger Mark González signed for CSKA Moskva from Real Betis Balompié for €6.5m. He had struck ten times in 44 League games for the Andalusian outfit. 1991 - Former reserves defender Alan Harper rejoined Everton from Manchester City for £200,000. He made 62 appearances in this second spell at Goodison, before moving to Burnley on a free transfer three years later. Also in international action 2010 – Future red Simon Mignolet featured for Belgium Under-21’s in their 1-0 European Championships qualifying win in France. 2000 – Future red Fábio Aurélio played for Brazil as they beat Chile 3-0 in an unofficial friendly in Florianópolis. 1981 – Future red Glenn Hysén appeared for Sweden as they beat Bulgaria 1-0 in a friendly in Uddevalla.

Bienvenida Iago! 2013 – Spanish forward Iago Aspas signed from Real Club Celta de Vigo for £7.7m. However, he only struck once in fifteen largely uninspiring outings, nine of those coming from off the bench. He returned to Spain with Sevilla on loan for a season before returning to Vigo for €5m in June 2015. 1955 – Right-back John Molyneux signed from Chester for £5,500. He bagged three goals in 249 games, but did not survive Bill Shankly’s early clear-out, returning to his former club in August 1962. Ryan the champion 2007 - Future red Ryan Babel scored and had a penalty saved for the Netherlands Under-21’s in the European Championships Final in Groningen, with the Dutch beating Serbia 4-1. Alou goodbye 2005 - Alou Diarra left the reds to join Racing Club de Lens for £2m. He had arrived on a free transfer from Bayern München in July 2002, but spent all three seasons while on our books on loan back in France. 2006 - He won his tenth senior cap, as a substitute in France’s 2-0 defeat of Togo in the World Cup Finals in Cologne. Off for a Song 1998 - Future red Rigobert Song was sent off for the second World Cup in a row, in Cameroon’s 1-1 draw with Chile in Nantes as they ended up bottom of their group. He was winning his final cap as a Metz player. Youngsters on target 1997 - Michael Owen netted the only goal of the game as England Under-20’s beat Mexico in a World Championships Finals group game in Malaysia. 2001 - Daniel Sjölund struck as Finland lost 2-1 to Egypt in the same tournament in Argentina, while future red Maxi Rodríguez came off the bench as Argentina thumped Jamaica 5-1 in the same group. Burkinshaw born 1935 - Centre-half Keith Burkinshaw was born in Barnsley. He only made one senior reds appearance after signing from Denaby United in November 1953, against Port Vale in April 1955. The rest of his playing career was also fairly inconsequential, but he found greater success as a Manager, notably with Tottenham Hotspur between 1976 and 1984. At Euro 96 1996 - Future reds Patrik Berger and Vladimír Šmicer both featured as the Czech Republic beat Portugal 1-0 at Villa Park to reach the Semi-final of Euro ‘96, where they were to face France. On the same day, future reds Markus Babbel and Christian Ziege both played as Germany beat Croatia 2-1 at Old Trafford to set up a Semi-final clash with the host nation. 1995 - Ziege also played for his country as they beat Roy Hodgson’s Switzerland 2-1 in a SFV Centenary Tournament game in Bern. Stéphane Henchoz won his final cap as a Neuchâtel Xamax player in the same game. 2015 – Future red Emre Can played for Germany Under-21’s as they were held to a 1-1 draw by the Czech Republic in Prague in the European Championships Finals. 2017 – Future red Diogo Jota was sent off as Portugal Under-21’s beat Macedonia 4-2 in a European Championships Finals group game in Poland. Xabi’s century 2012 – Xabi Alonso struck twice while winning his hundredth cap, with one coming from the spot as Spain beat France 2-0 in the European Championships Finals Quarter-final in Donetsk. Fellow ex-reds Álvaro Arbeloa and Fernando Torres both also featured. More internationals on target 2013 – Luis Suárez became Uruguay’s all-time top scorer with 36 goals, netting twice while playing his 67th game as they trounced Tahiti 8-0 in a Confederations Cup group game in Brazil, with team-mate Sebastián Coates also featuring. Meanwhile, ex-red Fernando Torres came off the bench to net in Spain’s 3-0 defeat of Nigeria in the same section, with ex-red Álvaro Arbeloa also in action. On the same day, skipper Conor Coady scored while winning his first cap for England Under-20’s as they drew 2-2 with Iraq in a World Championship Finals group game in Turkey, with Jon Flanagan also making his debut at this level. 2004 - Milan Baroš scored in his fifth consecutive international, coming off the bench to net in a 2-1 defeat of Dietmar Hamann’s Germany in a group game in Euro 2004 in Lisbon. 2021 – Roberto Firmino scored his last goal as a reds player as Brazil beat Colombia 2-1 in a Copa América group game in Rio de Janeiro, with future red Luis Díaz also on target. Thiago Alcântara, Diogo Jota and ex-red Péter Gulácsi all featured in the European Championship Finals group stage that day. Seb’s bow 2011 – Sebastián Coates made his senior international debut as Uruguay beat Estonia 3-0 in a friendly in Montevideo, with Luis Suárez also featuring. On the same day, Adam Morgan netted for England Under-17’s in a World Championship Finals group game in Mexico, as they drew 2-2 with Canada. Jack Dunn and Raheem Sterling both also played, with Tom King turning out for Australia in the same competition, while Emre Can captained a Germany side that also included fellow future red Samed Yeşil. In charge 2003 - Mike Newell was appointed Manager of Luton Town, following an unprecedented public vote! He led them to the League One title in his second campaign and tenth in the Championship in their first season back, but was sacked in March 2007 after a series of controversial comments, as well as a much tougher third year. 2010 – Antonio Gómez Pérez was appointed Head Coach of Real Valladolid, having just left the reds as Reserves team coach. He was dismissed just five months later with the side sitting seventh in the Segunda División table. 2017 - Ex-red Mauricio Pellegrino was appointed Manager of Southampton. He was sacked the following March after winning just eight of his 34 games in charge. 2020 – Future reds scout Jonathan Woodgate was sacked as Head Coach of Middlesbrough, having led them to just nine wins in 41 games in charge. At the World Cup Stig Inge Bjørnebye and Øyvind Leonhardsen have both twice played for Norway in World Cup group games on this day in history. 1994 - They lost 1-0 to Italy in New York City, with Dino Baggio grabbing the goal. 1998 - They played in a 2-1 win over Brazil in Marseille which was enough to secure them second place in the group, setting up a Second Round meeting with Italy. 2006 - Future red Fernando Torres played as Spain beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in their final group game in Kaiserslautern, while Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Andriy Voronin featured in the Ukraine’s 1-0 defeat of Tunisia in the same group. Meanwhile, future red Philipp Degen played in Switzerland’s 2-0 defeat of South Korea in Hanover. 2010 – Milan Jovanović won his last cap as a Standard de Liège player as Serbia lost 2-1 to Australia in Nelspruit to ensure neither side made it out of the group stage. Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard captained England to a 1-0 victory over Slovenia in Port Elizabeth to set up a Round of 16 clash with Germany. Glen Johnson, future reds Joe Cole and James Milner and ex-reds Emile Heskey and David James all also featured. 2019 – Liam Millar featured for Canada as they trounced Cuba 7-0 in their CONCACAF Gold Cup group game in the USA, while future red Luis Díaz played for Colombia as they beat Paraguay 1-0 in a Copa América group game in Brazil. Final caps 2014 – Pepe Reina won his 33rd and last cap as a reds player as Spain beat Australia 3-0 in a World Cup group game in Curitiba, with Xabi Alonso winning his 114th and last cap for his country. Fellow ex-red Fernando Torres struck. Meanwhile, Dejan Lovren played his last international while with Southampton as Croatia lost 3-1 to Mexico in Recife. Future reds Joël Matip and Gini Wijnaldum and ex-reds Charles Itandje and Dirk Kuyt were also in action that day. Stadium underway? 2008 - Enabling works officially began on the new stadium. However, work quickly ground to a halt and were subsequently shelved in favour of an expanded Anfield. Kenny at the Maracanã 1977 - While still a Celtic player, Kenny Dalglish won his 47th cap as Scotland lost 2-0 to Brazil in a friendly. On the move 2011 – Midfielder Darren Potter joined MK Dons on a free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday, after nine strikes in 106 games for the Owls. 2012 - Fabio Borini joined Roma from Parma for €5.3m, moving on to Anfield the following month for £10.4m. 2014 – Midfielder Lee Peltier re-signed for Huddersfield Town on a free transfer from Leeds United, after one goal in 75 games for the Whites. 2015 – Reserves keeper Danny Ward signed a new contract, going on to make three senior appearances the following season, as well as sitting on the bench 53 times before moving to Leicester City for £12.5m in July 2018. On the same day, ex-red Pepe Reina re-signed for SSC Napoli after a year at Bayern München. 2021 – Ex-reserves defender Corey Whelan signed for Carlisle United, playing 41 times in his first campaign with the Cumbrians. 2022 – French centre-half Billy Koumetio joined Austria Wien on loan, but was recalled the following January after eleven senior outings. Reserves off to Chester 2002 - It was announced that the second string would play their home matches at Chester City’s Deva Stadium, moving from Southport’s Haig Avenue ground. Chester chairman Stephen Vaughan said, “This is a tremendous coup for Chester City Football Club, and it is an honour to have a working relationship with one of the leading club sides in European football.” They have since moved on to play in several other venues in the North West.