The FA Cup – arguably the greatest club competition in the world. From the top flight clubs right the way down to part-timers, the grassroots element of the game is still evident to this day.
The passion of each team and their supporters to win the historical trophy has been a time honoured tradition since the formation of the competition in 1871. Everything from shock giant killings to fairytale endings, the FA Cup has it all.
Whilst some people prefer the glamour and lure of the Champions League, from its high profile fixtures to its highly glamorous trophy, they cannot deny that the FA Cup is the one club competition where anything is truly possible.
Liverpool have won the famous trophy seven times in total and our first victory in 1965 was a long overdue one after several unsuccessful experiences which includes four terms as losing finalists against Burnley in 1914, Arsenal in 1950 and Manchester United in 1977 and 1996 respectively.
Like its poorer cousin the League Cup, the Football Association Challenge Cup, to give it its official title, was an occasional visitor to the Anfield trophy room in the 1980s and fittingly resided approximately 1244 footsteps across Stanley Park from beaten finalists in both 1986 and 1989 – Everton.
The Reds and the Blues have faced each other 13 times in the competition. Their first post-war meeting was the 1950 semi final at Maine Road where goals from Billy Liddell and Bob Paisley sent Liverpool through to the final where they lost to Arsenal. Paisley, who would later become the club’s most successful manager, was left out of the side for the final. A brace from John Evans and goals from Liddell and Alan A’Court helped the Reds to a 4-0 rout at Goodison Park in the 4th round on January 29 1955. The sides met again in the 5th round 12 years later where the Blues won the game by a single goal.
Four years after the’67 defeat they were drawn together again, this time in the 1971 semi final. Alun Evans and Brian Hall were the scorers in the 2-1 win at Old Trafford. History repeated itself for Liverpool in the final where they faced Arsenal, their opponents in 1950, and lost 2-1.
In 1977, before Liverpool lifted their first European Cup, the rivals were paired up in the semi final again at the same venue they had contested the same tie in 1950. The Reds drew the tie 2-2 thanks to goals from Terry McDermott and Jimmy Case but the game has become infamous for the decision of referee Clive Thomas to disallow Brian Hamilton’s goal which would have sent Everton through to the final. Three minutes from time Ronnie Goodlass crossed the ball into the Liverpool area, Hamilton could not meet it with either his head or his boots so he threw himself at the ball. It bounced off his hip, past Ray Clemence in the Liverpool goal and into the net. Match official Thomas ruled that Hamilton was offside which sent the tie to a replay at Maine Road four days later. The Reds ran out comfortable 3-0 winners with goals from Jimmy Case, Ray Kennedy and a penalty from Phil Neal.
As with every year that Liverpool faced Everton in an FA Cup semi final, they failed to win the trophy – this time losing 2-1 to Manchester United four days before they beat Borussia Moenchengladbach in Rome to claim their first European Cup.
Four years later, in January 1981, the Reds were chasing a third European crown but were dumped out of the FA Cup in the 4th round at Goodison Park. Goals from Peter Eastoe and Imre Varadi were enough to send the Blues through despite Jimmy Case pulling back a goal on 76 minutes. Varadi remembers the reaction he received from the Liverpool supporters assembled behind the Park End goal where he scored. “I was so excited I ran around the back of the goal not realising it was full of away supporters,” he recalls. “I incurred the wrath of an angry Liverpool fan who chucked a meat and potato pie straight into my face – I can still taste it now!”
The 1986 showpiece saw the first ever all-Merseyside final in the competition as Kenny Dalglish’s side prepared to complete a league and cup double. Chants of ‘Merseyside’ reverberated around Wembley as they had two years previous when Liverpool and Everton contested the 1984 Milk Cup. However unlike that game, which ended goalless and went to a replay at Maine Road which the Reds won 1-0 thanks to a Graeme Souness effort, the red half of Merseyside triumphed. Gary Lineker opened the scoring only to see it cancelled out by a brace by Ian Rush either side of a Craig Johnston goal to give ensure that a domestic double would be winging its way to the Anfield trophy cabinet in Dalglish’s first season.
Another 5th round meeting followed in 1988 at Goodison Park where the Reds ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a Ray Houghton header. The game however is remembered for the infamous incident which saw John Barnes racially abused by the home support which included a banana being thrown at the England international. The image of the midfielder back-heeling the object as he stood on the touchline is still used as part of the Kick Racism Out of Football scheme to highlight the abuse black players were subjected to in the 1980s.
A year later the teams met in a repeat of the 1986 final but the occasion was overshadowed by tragedy following the Hillsborough disaster five weeks earlier which saw 96 Liverpool supporters lose their lives. Merseyside was once again united as red and blue stood side by side as Gerry Marsden led an emotional rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone before kick-off. The game went to extra time after Stuart McCall cancelled out John Aldridge’s opener, one minute from time. McCall scored again to level the score at 2-2 but it was cancelled out by Ian Rush’s second goal of the game less than two minutes later which saw the Reds lift the trophy for the fourth time and provide a fitting tribute to those who had died in Sheffield.
The next meeting in the competition in February 1991 was also an emotional encounter as it proved to be Kenny Dalglish’s final game in charge of Liverpool Football Club. The Scot had been at Anfield for 14 years, both as player and manager, but the burden he had to carry after Hillsborough as he remained the tower of strength for the club in its darkest hour had taken its toll. Following a goalless draw at Anfield, the 5th round tie was sent to a replay at Goodison where Everton came from behind four times, including one in the dying seconds of normal time from Tony Cotte to take the game into extra time. Despite this the tie ended 4-4 and was followed by a replay at the same venue, five days later where a Dave Watson goal was enough to send Everton through to the next round. After the first replay Dalglish’s post match word, his last as Liverpool manager, were full of surprise at what he had seen unfold that night. "If there has ever been any better cup-ties than that, then I wish that someone would send me a video of them. I have never been involved in a game like that before," he said.
The game between the two sides on the weekend of January 24/25 will be the second meeting between the sides in a week after the Blues make the short trip to Anfield for the return fixture of their league encounter with the Reds where they will be hoping to avenge the 2-0 defeat they suffered at Goodison in September. However Liverpool will also be looking for revenge following their defeat to their rivals in the competition 18 years previous as well as providing a fitting tribute to the 96 who died at Hillsborough in the 20th year of the anniversary of the disaster – something defender Jamie Carragher is hoping that his side will achieve.
"It will be 20 years since Hillsborough, and that is something we are all obviously aware of," he said.
"Because of that there will be extra significance attached to the competition for us. Going on to win it would be the perfect tribute to those who died."
Merseyside derbies are normally raw, emotional encounters and if history is anything to go by, the fourteenth meeting between Liverpool and Everton in the FA Cup will be no different.
