Today is the 239th meeting of Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the two Premier League teams based in Liverpool. The game is known as the Merseyside Derby.
It kicks off at 3:15 p.m., so don’t expect much from today’s show. (I never do.)
Everton won the 238th Merseyside Derby last February. Liverpool didn’t lose once in the 23 meetings prior, winning 11 and drawing 12 dating back to 2011. (But it’s never easy.)
I’ve been to one Merseyside Derby: Everton 0-3 Liverpool at the former’s Goodison Park ground on August 30, 2003. I sat with the Liverpool supporters. Harry Kewell ran to us after scoring Liverpool’s third, salting the result away.
It might be the happiest I’ve ever been as a sports fan.
If you understand, no explanation if necessary. If you don’t, none suffices. But the Merseyside Derby is one of sports’ magic moments. It both divides and unites. It’s a hard-fought rivalry but perhaps the friendliest of England’s derbies, a positive reflection on the city of Liverpool.
That said, we’ve got to win.
Witness highlights from a few memorable episodes of the Merseyside Derby, starting with mine. Divock Origi’s miracle winner from 2018 is up next, then Gary McAllister’s long-distance free kick to take all three points in 2001. #LFC #YNWA