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In comes Sadio 2016 – Forward Sadio Mané signed from Southampton for an initial £30m. He proved a big success at Anfield, notching 120 times in 269 outings across his six campaigns, including netting in the UEFA Champions League Final in Kyiv as well as helping us to claim the Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. He moved on to Bayern München for an initial €32m earlier this month. Abel in hot water 2000 - Abel Xavier won his fifteenth full international cap as Portugal lost 2-1 to France in their Euro 2000 Semi-final in Brussels. The winning golden goal was a hotly disputed penalty awarded against Abel, and he protested so vehemently that he was subsequently banned from European football for nine months by UEFA. As he was then an Everton player, this punishment did not affect him too badly! Nicolas Anelka won his final cap as a Real Madrid player in the same game. Stan reaches fifty 1994 - Ex-red Steve Staunton won his fiftieth cap for the Republic of Ireland in their goalless World Cup encounter with Norway at the Giants Stadium in New Jersey, which secured their place in the Second Round. Stig Inge Bjørnebye and Ronnie Whelan also played, as did ex-reds John Aldridge and Ray Houghton, along with future reds Phil Babb, Øyvind Leonhardsen and Jason McAteer. This was Whelan’s last cap as a reds player. SteG stays put 2004 - Steven Gerrard gave a press conference to announce that he would not be leaving Anfield to join Chelsea, as had been much touted during the Euro 2004 tournament. “The last three or four weeks have been really confusing and for the first time in my career I thought about moving on. But I have gone with the decision that is in my heart and that is to stay with Liverpool. I love the club," he said. Bruno departs 2005 - Bruno Cheyrou joined Girondins de Bordeaux on loan, having struck five times in 48 reds games since signing from Lille OSC Métropole for £3.7m three years earlier. He helped them to finish second in Ligue 1 in his first season back in France, striking once in 26 outings. 1951 – Scottish left-winger Tommy McLeod signed for Chesterfield. He had joined the reds from the Army in October 1945, but only made seven senior appearances. Vlad’s shotgun wedding 1996 - Future red Vladimír Šmicer got married. He flew back to the Czech Republic from Euro ‘96, postponing his wedding night and honeymoon to return in time to feature in the Final at Wembley two days later. To the final 2012 – Future red Mario Balotelli bagged a brace as Italy beat Germany 2-1 in their Euro 2012 Semi-final in Poland. 2005 - Future red Gabriel Paletta played for Argentina Under-20’s as they beat Brazil 2-1 in the Semi-final of the World Championship Finals in Utrecht. On the same day, Nabil El Zhar was on the losing side as Nigeria beat Morocco 3-0 in Kerkrade to ensure they would face Argentina in the Final. Ambassador Jones 2002 - Ex-red Joey Jones was made an ambassador of Wrexham Football Club. In addition to his existing role as reserve team coach, he was also appointed Head of Youth Development. Wrexham boss Denis Smith said, “It would not be Wrexham Football Club without Joey around and so it was important that he stayed with us.” Keetley born 1897 - Joe Keetley was born in Derby, going on to play League football like eight of his ten brothers. He signed from Accrington Stanley in November 1923 for £1,200 and struck twice in nine reds games before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 1925. 1988 – Bulgarian keeper Nikolay Mihaylov was born in Sofia. He signed from Levski Sofia in July 2007, but work permit problems meant that he spent his reds career on loan with Twente in the Netherlands before joining them permanently for €1.8m in February 2010. Momo signs on 2007 - Momo Sissoko signed a new contract until 2011. However, he was sold to Juventus for £8.2m in January 2008, after one goal in 87 reds games. Bernie’s final cap 1998 - Future red Bernard Diomède won his eighth and final cap in France’s 1-0 defeat of Paraguay in Lens to reach the World Cup Quarter-finals. 2010 – Dirk Kuyt’s Netherlands beat Martin Škrtel’s Slovakia 2-1 in Durban to reach the World Cup Quarter-finals, while ex-red Mark González featured as Chile lost 3-0 to Brazil in Johannesburg. 2018 – Trent Alexander-Arnold played as England lost 1-0 to Belgium in Kaliningrad, but still progressed to the next stage of the World Cup. Meanwhile, Sadio Mané played in Senegal’s 1-0 defeat to Colombia that ensured they failed to get out of their group. On the move 2000 - David Burrows signed for Birmingham City from Coventry City on a free transfer. He only played thirty times for the Blues, moving on again to Sheffield Wednesday in March 2002. 2010 - Anthony Le Tallec joined Auxerre from Le Mans UC 72 for €3m. He struck twenty times in 102 outings for the side from Burgundy, moving on to Auxerre in June 2010 after they were relegated. 2012 – Ex-reserves defender David Raven signed for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, having been released by Tranmere Rovers at the end of the previous campaign. 2013 - Djibril Cissé was released by Queens Park Rangers, moving on to Russian side Kuban Krasnodar the following month. 2016 - The appointment of the reds’ former Head of Fitness & Conditioning Ryland Morgans as Performance Director of Cardiff City was announced. 2019 – Ryan Babel signed for Galatasaray, scoring five times in twenty outings before rejoining Ajax on loan. On the same day, Darren Potter joined Tranmere Rovers from Rotherham United on a free transfer. Dioufy in all-star team 2002 - New signing El-Hadji Diouf was named in FIFA’s sixteen-strong all-star World Cup team. Other internationals in action 2007 - Javier Mascherano played for Argentina in their 4-1 defeat of the USA in a Copa América group game in Venezuela. 2009 – Xabi Alonso was on target while winning his final cap as a reds player in Spain’s 3-2 extra-time victory over South Africa in the Confederations Cup Third-place play-off in Rustenburg. Álvaro Arbeloa also won his last cap while on our books, with Albert Riera and Fernando Torres both also featuring. 2019 - Future red Luis Díaz played as Colombia lost a penalty shoot-out to Chile in São Paulo after their Copa América Quarter-final ended goalless. 2021 – Xherdan Shaqiri featured as Switzerland beat France on penalties after their European Championships Finals Round of 16 tie ended 3-3 in Bucharest. Meanwhile, ex-reds Sebastián Coates and Luis Suárez both played as Uruguay beat Paraguay 1-0 in a Copa América group game in Rio de Janeiro. Marsh in charge 2003 - Mike Marsh was appointed Manager of Unibond League side Burscough. He only stayed in the job for just over three months before stepping down.

A rare treble for the King 1982 - Kenny Dalglish scored a hat-trick as we beat Manchester City 5-2 at Anfield, with Phil Neal and Ian Rush adding the others. In fact, King Kenny only ever bagged two League trebles for the reds, with both coming against the side from Maine Road. 1975 - We also entertained City, with midfielder Peter Cormack nabbing the only goal of the game in his 178th and final reds appearance. Happy birthdays 1947 - Doug Livermore was born in Liverpool. He signed pro terms in November 1965 after starting out with Bolton Wanderers, making just eighteen appearances in our midfield before joining Norwich City in November 1970, but he returned to Anfield as Roy Evans’ Assistant in 1994. He left in November 1998 following Gérard Houllier taking full control. 1991 – Scottish centre-back Danny Wilson was born in Livingston. He signed from Rangers for an initial £2m fee in July 2010, playing nine senior games and making his full international debut before returning north of the border to sign for Heart Of Midlothian in May 2013 after a loan spell there. 2000 – Centre-half Tom Clayton was born in Rainsford. He turned professional in early 2019, having been with the club since the Under-9’s. He was an unused substitute in our League Cup defeat at Aston Villa in December 2019. The mighty Finn 2001 - Sami Hyypiä was named Finland’s Sports Person of the Year. All twenty reporters on Finland’s best-selling newspaper Helsingin Sanomat voted for him, such is the respect his fellow countrymen had for his achievements that year. He became only the second team sport player to win this trophy, after Jari Litmanen. Derby joy at last 1919 - We beat Everton at Anfield with Tom Miller scoring a brace in a 3-1 win, to end a run of seven consecutive home derby defeats. Harry Lewis netted our other goal, with Bobby Parker netting one of his eight goals against the reds. 1910 - We won at Goodison with Jack Parkinson nabbing the only goal of the game. Yet another unbeaten game 1980 - We were held to a goalless draw at Anfield by Leeds United, our 63rd consecutive home League game without defeat. However, we lost our next home League game, 2-1 to Leicester City. 1965 - We also entertained the Yorkshire side when they left with the points after winning 1-0, with Peter Lorimer on target. Roger Hunt played his 300th reds game that day, with Bill Shankly taking charge of the reds for the 300th time. On the way in 2017 – It was announced that Dutch centre-half Virgil van Dijk would sign from Southampton for a club record £75m on the following 1st January. He has so far struck thirteen times in 130 reds games, helping us to keep 53 clean sheets while claiming the Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup. Strikers departing 1984 - Michael Robinson was sold to Queens Park Rangers for £100,000. Joe Fagan brought the Irish international to Anfield from Brighton & Hove Albion in August 1983 for £250,000. In his first season at the club, he won League title and European Cup medals, bagging a total of thirteen goals in 52 games during his Anfield career. He is now a much-respected football pundit and commentator for Spanish television. 2014 – Ex-red Fernando Torres was sold to AC Milan by Chelsea, although he was almost immediately loaned back to his first side Club Atlético de Madrid, re-joining permanently in July 2016. Suspended 1915 - Seven players were suspended for fixing our visit to Old Trafford the previous April, including four reds. We lost the match 2-0 with left-winger Jackie Sheldon and a United player both missing penalties. Sheldon was a former United player, while centre-forward Tom Miller later moved to Old Trafford. Half-back Tommy Fairfoul and full-back Bob Purcell were also involved. They were all offered a pardon in June 1919 on the condition that they apologised. Tons up 2016 – Left-back Alberto Moreno reached a century of reds games as we thumped Stoke City 4-1 at Anfield, despite falling behind early to one of Jon Walters’ seven strikes past us. Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino put us ahead before the break, with Giannelli Imbula putting through his own net. Daniel Sturridge completed the scoring. 2020 – Fabinho played his hundredth reds game as we were held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion in front of just 2,000 fans at Anfield, due to COVID-19 restrictions. Sadio Mané gave us an early lead, but Semi Ajayi headed in a late leveller. 1971 – We lost a top-flight fixture 1-0 at The Hawthorns, with Tony Brown netting one of his eight goals against the reds early on as we dominated against the bottom-of-the-table side. Fifty for George 1898 - George Allan scored his fiftieth reds goal as we held Notts County to a 1-1 draw at Trent Bridge in a First Division fixture. Reds debutants 1938 - George Patterson debuted in a 1-0 First Division defeat of Stoke City at Anfield, with Willie Fagan on target. 1979 - Phil Thompson, Kevin Keegan and David Johnson all netted as we beat the Potters 4-0, with Phil Neal also on target from the spot. 1955 - Geoff Twentyman and Tony Rowley were on target as we lost 3-2 in a Second Division meeting at the Victoria Ground, with Twentyman also missing a spot-kick. Andy Graver struck one of his five goals against us, with Frank Bowyer bagging the last of his four past us and Tim Coleman also on the scoresheet in what was Don Welsh’s 200th League game in charge of the reds. 1930 - Keeper Andrew Aitken played his only reds game as we drew 3-3 at Blackburn Rovers, with Gordon Hodgson bagging a brace and forward Alan Scott scoring his first reds goal. Syd Puddefoot netted the final one of his six goals against the reds, with future red Les Bruton and Willie Rankin also scoring. 1913 - We were held to the same score at Anfield in another top-flight meeting, with James Dawson, Tom Miller and Billy Lacey on the scoresheet. Danny Shea struck two of his ten goals past the reds, with Walter Aitkenhead netting the last of his four. Winning in Sheffield 1986 - Our most recent game on this day saw an Ian Rush strike hand us a 1-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday. Defensive deaths 1950 - Custodian Billy McOwen died. He played 27 times for the reds after signing from Darwen in July 1892, helping us to the Second Division title in our first season in the Football League. He moved on to Blackpool in 1894 as he did not want to turn professional on our move into the top flight, as he also worked as a dentist. 1947 – Scottish half-back John McConnell died. He netted just once in 53 first-team appearances leading up to the First World War after signing from Airdrieonians for £80 in April 1909, including one in goal in only his second game! He left the reds to join Aberdeen in May 1912. Hit for four at Anfield 1958 - We beat Rotherham United 4-0 thanks to goals from Fred Morris, Jimmy Harrower and a Louis Bimpson brace. 1960 - The Merry Millers won 1-0 at Millmoor in another Second Division encounter, with Don Weston bagging the first of his four goals against the reds. Souey saved 1983 - Graeme Souness had a late penalty saved by keeper Mark Wallington as we were held to a 2-2 top-flight draw by Leicester City at Anfield. Sammy Lee and Ian Rush had previously struck for the reds, with Alan Smith bagging the first of his nine strikes against the reds and Ian Banks also on target. Honours even against the Gunners We have faced Arsenal three times on this day over the years, with the games ending in one away win apiece, and a draw. 1909 - We held Woolwich Arsenal 1-1 at the Manor Ground, with Jack Parkinson netting and keeper Augustus Beeby saving a penalty from Andy Ducat on his debut. 1927 - We were beaten 2-0 at Anfield, with Harry ‘Smiler’ Chambers playing his 300th League game for the reds, centre-forward Willie Devlin making his nineteenth and last appearance and forward Tom Scott playing for the eighteenth and final time. Jimmy Brain bagged one of his eight goals against the reds, with Sid Hoar also netting. 1947 - Albert Stubbins and Billy Liddell were on target as we won 2-1 at Highbury, with Reg Lewis scoring one of his five goals against us. Tommy’s last 1948 – Left-winger Tommy McLeod played his seventh and final reds game as we lost 2-0 to Manchester United at Anfield. Stan Pearson struck one of his eleven goals against the reds, after Ronnie Burke had opened the scoring. Beating the Blues 1932 - Harold Barton and centre-forward Les Bruton nabbed the goals in a 2-0 win at Chelsea, with Bruton’s being his only reds strike. We have also twice entertained Chelsea. 1920 - Walter Wadsworth and Harry Chambers were on target in a 2-1 win. 1949 - Willie Fagan netted twice as we drew 2-2. Roy Bentley bagged one of his five goals against the reds, with Hugh Billington also on the scoresheet. Other reds games 1976 – We thumped Stoke City 4-0 at Anfield. Phil Thompson, Kevin Keegan and David Johnson added to a Phil Neal penalty, with Denis Smith dismissed for the visitors. 1954 – We lost a Second Division encounter 2-0 at Ipswich Town as Wilf Grant struck the last of his four goals against the reds before Billy Reed netted. However, the Tractor Boys remained at the bottom of the table after this victory. 1937 – Phil Taylor and Berry Nieuwenhuys netted as we drew 2-2 at Birmingham City. 1926 – Burnley held us to a 2-2 draw in L4, with Harry Chambers bagging a brace. Jack Bruton scored one of his four past us, with George Beel nabbing one of his eight. Centre-forward Tommy Reid had to go off injured after half an hour after a bad tackle by Jack Hill. 1921 – Harry Chambers netted twice as we beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 at Anfield, with Clem Stephenson hitting the post with a penalty for the visitors. 1902 – Sam Raybould struck as we lost 3-1 at Bury. Charles Sagar scored the first two of his four goals past us, with Alex Raisbeck putting through his own net. 1897 – Sunderland returned to the Northeast having won 2-0. Jock Brown was on the scoresheet, with Tom Cleghorn scoring an own goal.

Nic’s debut 2001 - Nicolas Anelka made his red bow as we won 2-1 at Aston Villa with goals from Jari Litmanen, gifted to him by Peter Schmeichel, and Vladimír Šmicer. Jari also struck a spot-kick against the post. Bowyer off again 2005 - We equalled a club record of eight consecutive League wins with our 2-0 defeat of Newcastle United, our 250th victory in the Premier League, a sequence that eventually rose to ten. Josemi came off the bench late on to make his 35th and final reds appearance, with Michael Owen making his first return to Anfield as an ex-red while Lee Bowyer was sent off for the visitors for the second successive season. Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch were both on target in the first half. This was also our eighth consecutive clean sheet in the League, the best run since 1922/23. Off the mark 2018 – Fabinho scored his first reds goal as we thumped Newcastle United 4-0 at Anfield, extending our lead at the top of the table to six points. Dejan Lovren opened the scoring with Mohamed Salah converting a penalty shortly after the break. Xherdan Shaqiri also struck before Fabinho completed the scoring. This was Jürgen Klopp’s hundredth victory as reds boss, in his 181st game in charge. 2019 – We trounced Leicester City 4-0 at the King Power Stadium with Roberto Firmino bagging a brace. James Milner converted a penalty with Trent Alexander-Arnold also on target to leave us thirteen points clear at the top of the table. Reds trebles 1963 - Roger Hunt netted four as we thumped Stoke City 6-1 at Anfield to give Bill Shankly his hundredth victory as reds boss, in his 188th game in charge. Ian St. John and Alf Arrowsmith also scored in one of eight meetings with the Potters on this day in history. The scores were level at 1-1 at half-time, with five of our goals coming at the Anfield Road end in the second period. John Ritchie struck the first of his five goals against the reds. 1928 - Gordon Hodgson scored a hat-trick in his hundredth League game as we trounced Burnley 8-0 at Anfield. Jimmy Clark and Dick Edmed both bagged braces with Bill Salisbury netting the other. The score could have been far greater as Bob Done missed a penalty, we had three goals dubiously ruled out for offside, hit the crossbar three times and the posts twice each. Burnley had beaten us 3-2 at their ground the previous afternoon. 1969 - We also thumped the Clarets, winning 5-1 at Turf Moor, one of five other occasions we have met them on Boxing Day. Ian Ross bagged his first reds goal while Bobby Graham, Chris Lawler, Peter Thompson and Ian Callaghan were all also on target. Tommy Lawrence saved a penalty from Burnley’s Brian O’Neil who then followed up to score from the rebound. 1896 – Keeper Willie Donnelly made his reds bow as we lost 4-1 at Burnley, despite Frank Becton scoring inside five minutes in our first ever Boxing Day fixture. Billy Bowes bagged a hat-trick, the first of his four goals past us, with Will Toman also on target. Hosting the Trotters 2008 – Robbie Keane bagged a second-half brace as we beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0, with Albert Riera having opened the scoring before the break. These were to be the Irishman’s final reds strikes. When Steven Gerrard came off he became the first Liverpool payer to be substituted a hundred times. 2003 - We won 3-1 with all three of our goals being headers, coming from Sami Hyypiä and substitutes Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Vladimír Šmicer. Henrik Pedersen struck a late consolation. On the same day, Roy Hodgson managed the United Arab Emirates lost 2-0 to Saudi Arabia in a Gulf Cup of Nations game in Kuwait. 1906 - We also hosted the Trotters when we lost 2-0. Jackie Owen and David Stokes netted, with Wattie White missing a penalty for the visitors. Also against the Potters We have faced Stoke City on seven more occasions on this day in history. 1905 – We lost 2-1 at the Victoria Ground, when they were still known just as Stoke. Joe Hewitt struck our goal. 1936 – We lost 1-1 in the Potteries, with Vic Wright on target. 1938 – We lost 3-1 at the Victoria Ground, with Willie Fagan scoring our goal. Tommy Sale netted the last two of his five goals against the reds, with Frank Baker also on the scoresheet. 1946 – Berry Nieuwenhuys and Albert Stubbins struck as we won 2-0 at Anfield. 1955 – Billy Liddell converted a penalty, with John Evans also netting as we were held to a 2-2 Second Division draw in L4. Harry Oscroft struck one of his six goals against the reds, with Johnny King bagging one of his five past us. 1970 – Our home encounter ended goalless. 1975 – We drew 1-1 at Stoke, with John Toshack on target. Happy birthdays 1878 - Centre-back Alex Raisbeck was born in Wallacestone, near Polmont in Stirlingshire. He signed from Stoke for £350 in May 1898 and struck nineteen times in 341 games in eleven years with the reds, becoming our first skipper to lift the League title, in 1901. He won a further League title five years later, as well as a Second Division championship, and returned to the club as scout in 1939 until his death ten years later. 1903 - South African goalkeeper Arthur Riley was born in Boksburg in the Transvaal. He became our first ever foreign signing in August 1925, making 338 reds appearances before taking over from his father as the club’s head groundsman. 1920 – Scottish left-winger Tommy McLeod was born in Musselburgh. He joined the reds from the Army in October 1945, but only made seven senior appearances before joining Chesterfield in June 1951. 1880 - Defender Phil Bratley was born in Rawmarsh, Yorkshire. He only played thirteen first-team games after signing from Barnsley in 1914. He returned to Rotherham County, one of his former clubs, the following year, but was killed in action during the First World War. Double debutants 1953 - Full-back Frank Lock and forward John Evans both made their debuts in a goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion at Anfield. They had both signed from Charlton Athletic the previous day. 1950 – Inside-forward Jack Haigh debuted as Jack Balmer bagged the only goal of our Anfield encounter with Blackpool. 1951 - We also faced the Seasiders, going down 2-0 at Bloomfield Road with Stan Mortensen bagging both goals, two of his eleven against us. 1957 - Forward Bobby Murdoch made his reds bow as we beat Grimsby Town 3-2 at Anfield, with Billy Liddell scoring twice, including a penalty, and Tony McNamara also on target in this Second Division fixture. This was the last time we played a double-header against the same side on successive days over Christmas, having lost 3-1 at Blundell Park the day before. 1930 – Wing-half Robert Ireland played his only reds game in our 1-1 draw with Grimsby, with Tim Coleman netting the first of his nine strikes past us and Archie McPherson scoring for the reds. Two hundred up 1990 – Gary Gillespie played his 200th reds game as we were held to a 1-1 draw at Queens Park Rangers, with John Barnes on target and Mark Falco netting for the R’s. 1991 – We drew 0-0 at Loftus Road. 1960 – Inside-forward Jimmy Harrower reached a century of reds appearances in our 2-1 defeat of Rotherham United in the Second Division at Anfield. Roger Hunt and Kevin Lewis scored our goals. 1958 – We won another Second Division encounter 1-0 at Millmoor with Jimmy Melia on target. 1961 – We lost 1-0 in the Second Division at Millmoor, with Don Weston netting one of his four goals against the reds in the last minute. Ron Yeats captained the side for the first time as regular skipper Dick White was injured. Beating the Mancs 1978 – We won 3-0 at Manchester United thanks to a Ray Kennedy header and goals from Jimmy Case and David Fairclough to hand Bob Paisley his first win at Old Trafford as boss. 1979 – Alan Hansen and David Johnson netted as we beat United 2-0 at Anfield. 1986 – Norman Whiteside struck the only goal of United’s visit to L4, one of his four against the reds. 1980 – We held them to a goalless draw at Old Trafford, remaining top of the table. 1919 – Another Old Trafford trip ended goalless. 1914 – Fred Pagnam scored as United held us to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Beating the Rams 2007 - We beat Derby County 2-1 at Pride Park thanks to a very late Steven Gerrard goal after Fernando Torres had given us the lead in the first half. 1988 - We also visited the Rams, with Ian Rush grabbing the only goal of the game at the Baseball Ground. Outpaced by Rovers We have faced Blackburn Rovers four times in top-flight fixtures on Boxing Day. 1903 - Insdie-forward Fred Buck netted his only reds goal as we lost 2-1 at Anfield, with Fred Pentland bagging a brace for the visitors. 2002 - Andy Cole equalised after John Arne Riise’s deflected shot, to score his seventh Premiership goal at Anfield and one of his eleven past the reds in total as we were held to a 1-1 draw in L4. Emile Heskey was playing his hundredth League game for the reds. 2006 - We lost 1-0 at Ewood Park with Benni McCarthy on target, despite dominating for long periods. 2011 - Charlie Adam scored an own goal on the stroke of half-time for Blackburn Rovers at Anfield, with Maxi Rodríguez heading in shortly after the break, with the game ending 1-1. Winning in the Black Country We have won three times at West Bromwich Albion on this day in history. 2004 – We triumphed 5-0 when John Arne Riise struck twice, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Steven Gerrard and Luis García also on target. Milan Baroš had a penalty saved, with Cosmin Contra being sent off for the Baggies. 1898 - Hugh Morgan netted the only goal of the game at Stoney Lane. 1983 - Steve Nicol and Graeme Souness struck as we won 2-1 at the Hawthorns. 1900 - We also visited Stoney Lane, losing a friendly 5-2, with Rab Howell and Sam Raybould grabbing our goals. An Anfield milestone 1924 - We played our 500th home League game with Harry Chambers netting the only goal of the game against Notts County. Down to twelfth 1981 - We slipped to twelfth in the League after losing 3-1 at home to Manchester City, with Ronnie Whelan on the scoresheet. Rookie keeper Bruce Grobbelaar was responsible for two of the goals, while Kenny Dalglish was employed ‘in the hole’ behind Ian Rush and Craig Johnston for the first time. Kevin Reeves netted his fourth and final goal against us, with Asa Hartford also on target and Kevin Bond converting a penalty. Phil Thompson lost the captaincy to Graeme Souness following this defeat as we went on to stage the mother of all comebacks to clinch our thirteenth League title. We have faced City four more times on Boxing Day. 1913 – We lost 1-0 away, with Fred Howard nabbing one of his nine goals against the reds in the first minute. 1974 – We won 4-1 at Anfield, when Brian Hall grabbed a brace with Steve Heighway and John Toshack striking the other goals, and Colin Bell netting for the visitors. 1985 – We again lost 1-0 away with Alan Hansen playing his 300th League game for the club. 2013 – We lost 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium despite Philippe Coutinho putting us in front. Vincent Kompany and Álvaro Negredo both replied before the break, with keeper Simon Mignolet at fault for the second. Boxing Day gloom 2012 – We lost 3-1 at Stoke City, with Joe Cole coming off the bench to make his 42nd and final reds appearance. Steven Gerrard opened the scoring from the spot, but Jon Walters and Kenwyne Jones put the home side ahead before a quarter of an hour had elapsed. Walters added his second after the break, another of his seven goals past us. 2000 - We lost our first Boxing Day game since 1986 as Christian Karembeu struck the only goal of the game on an icy pitch at Middlesbrough. 1934 - We also met Boro, with Syd Roberts and Berry Nieuwenhuys on target in a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Tim Coleman and George Camsell each struck one of their nine goals past us. 1998 - We won at the Riverside Stadium when Vegard Heggem’s wonder goal, his first ever reds strike, rounded off a 3-1 win after Michael Owen’s slight touch on a Jamie Carragher shot opened the scoring. Brian Deane equalised with one of eight goals against the reds before Jamie Redknapp put us back in front after Mark Schwarzer was penalised for picking up a back pass. David James was playing his 200th League game for us. Also recently 2009 - Stephen Ward was sent off at Anfield for two bookable offences, with Pepe Reina riling the Wolverhampton Wanderers fans by running most of the length of the pitch to remonstrate with the referee. We won 2-0, with Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun both netting in the second half. 2014 – Keeper Brad Jones played his 27th and last reds game as a Raheem Sterling strike was enough to secure victory at Burnley. He went off injured after only a quarter of an hour. Future red Danny Ings hit a post for the home side. 2017 – We trounced Swansea City 5-0 at Anfield, with Philippe Coutinho and Simon Mignolet both reaching 200 reds games. Coutinho opened the scoring with his 54th and last goal for the club. Roberto Firmino netted twice after the break, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also on target. Previously against the Foxes 2015 – We won our 4,000th top-flight League game with Christian Benteke bagging the only goal of the game against Leicester City at Anfield. 1996 – We were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield by Leicester City to remain top of the table, with Stan Collymore equalising after Steve Claridge had given the visitors the lead. 1994 – We won 2-1 at Filbert Street. David James saved a penalty from Steve Thompson before Robbie Fowler converted from the spot. Ian Rush also netted before Simon Grayson was sent off for the home side. Iwan Roberts bagged a late consolation. 1984 – The Foxes won 2-1 in L4, thanks to one of Gary Lineker’s six goals past us and one of Alan Smith’s nine. Phil Neal scored our goal from the spot. Reds farewells 1973 – Roy Evans played his eleventh and final senior reds game as we lost 2-1 at Burnley. Kevin Keegan missed a penalty after an hour, with Peter Cormack netting our goal late on. 1968 – We were held to a 1-1 draw by the Clarets at Anfield. Chris Lawler scored as we remained on top of the table. 1952 – Billy Liddell scored from the spot as we drew another meeting 1-1 in L4. 1932 - Outside-left Gordon Gunson struck his 26th and final reds goal in our 3-0 defeat of Chelsea at Anfield, with centre-half Tom ‘Tiny’ Bradshaw and centre-forward Harold Barton also netting. 1949 – George Kay took charge of his 300th reds game as we drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge to stay on top of the table, thanks to a late Willie Fagan goal. 1966 – Willie Stevenson and Roger Hunt netted as we beat the Blues 2-1 in L4, before Bobby Tambling bagged one of his eight goals against the reds. Christmas derby despair We have made the short trip across Stanley Park to face the Blues three times on this day in history, without winning. 1894 – Harry Bradshaw bagged our consolation as we lost a friendly 2-1. 1939 - Matt Busby was on target as we again were beaten 2-1 in a friendly. 1944 - Billy Liddell bagged a brace as we drew 2-2 in the Wartime League. Keetley’s first 1923 - Joe Keetley netted the first of just two reds goals as we lost 2-1 at Newcastle United, with Tommy McDonald bagging a brace. We have also faced the Geordies in the top flight on four more occasions on this day in history. 1912 - Tom Miller was on target twice as we won 2-1 at home, with George Wilson netting the last of his five goals against the reds. 1921 - Harry Chambers bagged the only goal of the game late on at Anfield. 1925 - We lost 3-0 at St. James’ Park as Hughie Gallacher struck one of his eight goals past us, with Jimmy Clark and Tommy Urwin also on target. 1999 - Michael Owen nabbed a brace as we drew 2-2 in the North East. Alan Shearer netted one of his eight goals against the reds, with Duncan Ferguson bagging one of his five past us. Another defeat for Shanks 1959 - Bill Shankly took charge of his first away game for the reds as we lost 3-0 on a slippery pitch at Charlton Athletic, with Jim Fryatt bagging a brace and Sam Lawrie also netting. This was our tenth League defeat of the season. Things soon changed, however, as we lost just three of our remaining nineteen fixtures to finish third, eight points off a promotion spot. Wearside yuletide cheer 1901 - Sunderland won for the third consecutive League season at Anfield, this time by 1-0 in what was Tom Watson’s 200th game in charge. 1910 - They also left L4 with both points with Arthur Goddard netting a penalty in our 2-1 defeat, as Tim Coleman nabbed two of his nine goals against the reds. 1964 - However, we won 3-2 at Roker Park, with Willie Stevenson netting a brace and Gordon Milne also on target. Great Scott 1922 - Oldham Athletic’s League visit to Anfield was played as a benefit game for legendary keeper Elisha Scott. Donald McKinlay and Dick Johnson were on target in a 2-1 win as we welcomed back David Ashworth who had been reds boss until just six days earlier and was now Oldham’s Manager. Sheffield encounters 1993 – We drew 0-0 at Sheffield United. 1989 – Jan Mølby and Ian Rush netted as we beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at Anfield to keep us at the top of the table. Dalian Atkinson nabbed one of his four goals against the reds. 1972 – We won 3-0 at Bramall Lane with Phil Boersma, Chris Lawler and Steve Heighway all on target. 1931 – Archie McPherson struck as we drew 1-1 at Hillsborough, with George Stephenson nabbing the last of his four past us. 1929 – We beat the Blades 2-0 in L4, with Jimmy Smith and Archie McPherson on the scoresheet. Other reds games 1997 – We beat Leeds United 3-1 at Anfield. Michael Owen scored, with Robbie Fowler bagging a brace. 1987 – We won 3-0 at Oxford United thanks to goals from John Aldridge, John Barnes and Steve McMahon. 1977 – Steve Heighway netted as we drew 1-1 at top-of-the-table Nottingham Forest. 1967 – Roger Hunt scored as we were held to a 1-1 draw at Coventry City, with Ian St. John dismissed. 1956 – We thumped Leyton Orient 4-0 in a Second Division fixture at Brisbane Road. Alan A’Court, Alan Arnell and Louis Bimpson all struck in the first half, with Billy Liddell netting after the break. 1935 – Fred Howe struck twice as we won 2-1 at Arsenal, with Joe Hulme nabbing one of his ten goals against the reds. 1933 – We lost 1-0 at Portsmouth as Cliff Parker nabbed the first of his five goals past us. 1908 – Ronald Orr was on target as Nottingham Forest left L4 with a point. 1904 – We beat Barnsley 2-1 in a Second Division encounter at Anfield thanks to goals from Sam Raybould and Bobby Robinson. On the move 2001 - Ex-reds loanee keeper Mark Prudhoe signed for Bradford City. He played eight times for the Bantams before joining Southend United as Player/Coach. 2012 – Future reds Assistant Manager Sean O'Driscoll was sacked as Nottingham Forest boss after just five months in charge, having led them to ten victories in 26 games. Birth and death 2006 – Future red Charlie Adam became a father to Jack. 2010 – Utility player Bill Jones died at the Countess of Chester Hospital. He signed from Hayfield St. Matthews in September 1938 and scored seventeen times in 277 games for us, with his appearances including the 1950 FA Cup Final when he was preferred to Bob Paisley. Bill won two significant medals in the 1940’s - first he was awarded a Military Medal for his part in the crossing of the Rhine in the Second World War, and then he won a League title medal in 1947 on his return to Anfield. His grandson Rob later represented the reds in defence on 243 occasions in the 1990’s.

New double act 1998 - The first official reds game under the joint command of Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier took place. We won 2-1 at Southampton, thanks to goals from Karlheinz Riedle and Michael Owen. Their first signing as joint bosses, Norwegian right-back Vegard Heggem, made his debut in this game. Egil Ostenstad had opened the scoring for the home side. Losing League starts 1975 - Joey Jones made his reds debut as we went down 2-0 in our season opener at Queens Park Rangers, who ended the season in second place, just one point behind the mighty reds. Gerry Francis scored a goal at the end of a slick passing move that was later named as the BBC’s Goal of the Season, with substitute Mick Leach adding the second. 1992 - David James made his debut in our 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, our first game in the newly-formed Premiership. This was also the first Premiership game to be screened live on Sky with Teddy Sheringham netting one of his seven goals against us. Birth and death 1964 - Barry Venison was born in Consett. He signed from Sunderland for £200,000 in July 1986 and made 158 appearances for the reds, scoring three times and helping us to claim two League titles, the FA Cup and two FA Charity Shields in his time at Anfield. He moved on to Newcastle United for £250,000 in July 1992. 1999 – Scottish left-winger Tommy McLeod died. He joined the reds from the Army in October 1945, but only made seven senior appearances before joining Chesterfield in June 1951. Mersey Charity 1986 - Three months after beating the Toffees at Wembley to complete our first ever League and Cup double, the two sides met again there for the FA Charity Shield. Ian Rush equalised in our 1-1 draw after Adrian Heath had scored with just ten minutes remaining, with the trophy being shared by the two clubs. Bruce Grobbelaar was replaced by substitute Mike Hooper just before the hour mark, who was making his debut, so ending Bruce’s run of 310 consecutive reds games. New signing Barry Venison also made his first-class reds bow in this match, on his 22nd birthday, while Craig Johnston played his 200th game for the club. In comes Alberto 2014 – Left-back Alberto Moreno signed from his hometown club Sevilla for £12m. He struck three times in 141 outings before being released in June 2019. Most recently 2009 – Centre-half Daniel Ayala and right-back Glen Johnson both debuted as we lost 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur in our season opener. Ayala came off the bench when Martin Škrtel had to go off following a clash of heads with Jamie Carragher. Steven Gerrard bagged our goal from the spot. 2008 – Fernando Torres struck the only goal of the game late on as we won at Sunderland in our opening League game of the season. Back up north 1909 - Stalwart centre-half Alex Raisbeck was sold to Partick Thistle for £500. He netted nineteen times in 341 games in eleven years, becoming our first skipper to lift the League title in 1901. He went on to win a further League title five years later, as well as a Second Division championship. He returned to Anfield in 1939 as a scout, staying in that role until his death ten years later. 1939 – Left-half John Browning moved on to Southern League side Gillingham. He had signed from Dunoon Athletic in March 1934, making just nineteen appearances. 1962 – Right-back John Molyneux was sold back to Chester, having signed from there for £5,500 in June 1955. He bagged three goals in 249 games, but did not survive Bill Shankly’s early clear-out. Ephraim on the mark 1924 - Legendary full-back Ephraim Longworth scored one of his four only recorded goals in a public practice game for Stripes vs. Reds. He signed in June 1910 from Leyton Orient, playing 370 times between then and 1928, and becoming the first red to captain England. He then served as Reserve team trainer, before joining the ground staff. Kennedy double 1980 - Both Alan and Ray Kennedy scored in our 3-0 defeat of Crystal Palace at Anfield after Kenny Dalglish had opened the scoring. 1969 - We also won in the top-flight, with Emlyn Hughes and Chris Lawler on target in our 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur. Beating the Imps 2006 - A Liverpool XI won 2-1 at Lincoln City, a game arranged as part of the Jack Hobbs transfer a year earlier. Mark González and Besian Idrizaj scored for the reds. Personal honours 2001 - Reds trio Sami Hyypiä, Gary McAllister and Michael Owen were all honoured by legendary French sports paper L’Équipe for the role they played in the club’s unprecedented treble success, being named in their star-studded team of the season. World star Rigo 2000 - Rigobert Song was in action for a FIFA World Stars XI as they were handed a 5-1 beating by France in Marseille. Future red Nicolas Anelka scored while winning his first cap as a Paris Saint-Germain player, with David Trezeguet bagging a hat-trick. Final caps 2000 - Finland beat Norway 3-1 with future red Jari Litmanen bagging a brace. Stig Inge Bjørnebye was sent off as he won his 74th cap, his first as a Blackburn Rovers player following his departure from Anfield two months earlier, while John Arne Riise was winning his final cap as an AS Monaco player. The game was staged to officially open the new FinnAir Stadium in Helsinki, with Sami Hyypiä also in action. On the same day, Brad Friedel won his final cap as a reds player, his 66th in all, as the USA thumped Barbados 7-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Boston. Meanwhile, Dietmar Hamann, ex-red Jim Magilton and future reds Yossi Benayoun, Igor Bišcan, Jerzy Dudek and Alex Manninger were also in friendly action. 1995 - Friedel won his last cap whilst with Danish side Brøndby IF, his 35th to that point, as they lost 1-0 to Sweden in a friendly in Norrköping. 2005 – Future red Stewart Downing won his eighth and last England Under-21’s cap as they won 1-0 in Denmark, with Scott Carson and future red James Milner also featuring. 2006 - Dirk Kuyt won his final cap while with Feyenoord as the Netherlands beat Steve Staunton’s Republic of Ireland 4-0 at Lansdowne Road, with Steve Finnan on the losing side. Olympian reds 2008 – Ryan Babel captained the Netherlands as they lost 2-1 to Javier Mascherano’s Argentina after extra time in the Quarter-final of the Olympics Finals in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Lucas Leiva featured in Brazil’s 2-0 defeat of Cameroon at the same stage in Shenyang. First caps 1995 - Stéphane Henchoz won his first cap as a Hamburger SV player, and eleventh in all, as Roy Hodgson’s Switzerland won 2-0 in a Euro ’96 qualifier in Iceland. István Kozma played for Hungary for the first time while with APOEL in their 2-0 home friendly defeat by Israel. Meanwhile, future reds Patrik Berger, Øyvind Leonhardsen and Gary McAllister all also featured in qualifiers. 1992 – Hodgson also took charge of the Swiss as they thumped Estonia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Tallinn. 2000 - Henchoz also represented his country, making his 43rd appearance in a 2-2 friendly draw with Greece in Saint-Gallen. Crouchie on target again 2006 - Peter Crouch bagged a brace as England beat Greece 4-0 in a friendly at Old Trafford, with Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and future red Stewart Downing also featuring, and Chris Kirkland making a belated first senior international appearance, while Sotirios Kyrgiakos won his first cap as an Eintracht Frankfurt player, and twentieth to date. On the same day, Sami Hyypiä won his fiftieth cap as a reds player, and 76th in all, captaining Roy Hodgson’s Finland to a 2-1 home defeat to Northern Ireland. Also in international action that day were Daniel Agger, Jerzy Dudek, John Arne Riise, ex-red Rigobert Song and future reds Charlie Adam, Philipp Degen, Ragnar Klavan, Nikolay Mihaylov and Kolo Touré. Ayre apparent 2007 - Commercial Director Ian Ayre started work in his new job for the club. He had previously been Chief Executive of Total Sports Asia, a brand solutions company advising international companies on rolling out Asian sports and entertainment campaigns, having once been Chief Executive and Chairman of Huddersfield Town. He said on being appointed that, “being Liverpool born and bred, this is a dream job for me”. He was promoted to Managing Director in May 2014, leaving the club in February 2017 to take charge of TSV 1860 München. Youngsters on target 2005 - Anthony Le Tallec struck as France Under-21’s drew 2-2 with Italy in a friendly in Libourne, with fellow red Carl Medjani also featuring. On the same day, Besian Idrizaj won his last Under-19’s cap for Austria as a Linzer ASK player, scoring in their friendly defeat of Northern Ireland in Gussing. On the move 1995 - Paul Jewell joined First Division Grimsby Town on loan from Bradford City. He netted once in six appearances for the Mariners. 2002 - John Miles signed for Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer from Stoke City. He netted just once in eight games in his one season at Gresty Road. 2011 – Centre-half Daniel Ayala was sold to Norwich City for £850,000 after five senior reds games. He only played ten times for the Canaries before joining Middlesbrough in January 2014 after a successful loan spell. 2014 – Former loanee winger Victor Moses joined Stoke City for the season from Chelsea, going on to bag four goals in 23 games for the Potters. 2017 – Young winger Sheyi Ojo joined Fulham on loan, netting four times in 24 games for the Cottagers. Also in international action 2009 – Future red Emre Can played for Germany Under-16’s in their 6-2 defeat of Austria in Liechtenstein. 1989 – Glenn Hysén played for Sweden as they lost 4-2 to France in a friendly in Malmö.