Premier League: Merseyside Derby Preview

Liverpool and Everton are set to go toe to toe for the first time in the 2025/26 Premier League season, and here we take a look at the history of the rivalry before looking ahead at the action to come at Anfield.

Liverpool hosts fierce local rivals Everton at Anfield for one of the most storied fixtures in English football – the Merseyside Derby. Kick-off is at 12:30, with the game set to be played on Saturday, 20th September.

As ever, this promises to be an enthralling game full of drama and passion from both teams. Led by their Head Coaches, Arne Slot and David Moyes respectively, both sets of players will not only be looking to come away with what could be a crucial win for their league campaign, but they are also, of course, looking to gain the local bragging rights as well.

A Storied Rivalry

The Merseyside Derby is one of the oldest and most famous games in English and world football, with this fixture dating all the way back to 1892. These sides have faced each other regularly over a period of more than 100 years, and these clashes have produced countless legendary moments, iconic goals, and it is a fixture that is famous for its fiery and intense atmosphere.

There was an iconic derby between these two sides that took place back on Saturday, 6th November 1982 at Goodison Park, where Liverpool secured their most emphatic ever win in an away game against the Toffees in what was a 5 – 0 triumph for the Reds. The game saw the legendary Ian Rush score four goals (11’, 51’, 71’, 85’), with Mark Lawrenson scoring the other one for Liverpool that day. There were also two assists for Alan Hansen.

More recently, there was another memorable Merseyside Derby, also at Goodison Park, that saw Everton win 2 – 0 back on Wednesday, 24th April 2024. The goals for the Toffees came from the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite (27’) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (58’).

Other memorable Merseyside Derbies include:

·         Everton 4 – 4 Liverpool (Wednesday 20^th February 1991), Goals: Graeme Sharp (48’, 73’) & Tony Cottee (89’, 113’); Peter Beardsley (37’, 71’), Ian Rush (77’), & John Barnes (103’).

·         Everton 3 – 3 Liverpool (Saturday 23^rd November 2013), Goals: Kevin Mirallas (8’) & Romelu Lukaku (72’, 82’); Philippe Coutinho (5’), Luis Suarez (19’), & Daniel Sturridge (89’).

Over the years to date, these two sides have come face to face on a grand total of no less than 297 occasions in all competitions, and it is Liverpool who currently has the superior record of as many as 126 victories compared with Everton’s 84 so far. There have also been 87 draws between these two teams to date, as of the time of writing.

Liverpool traditionally has the upper hand, but Everton has pulled off memorable upsets over the years. History doesn’t always predict the outcome, especially in a rivalry like his one between the Reds and the Toffees.

The rivalry has been known as the ‘friendly derby’, and it sees many families split by allegiance. The intensity on the pitch is anything but friendly for every Merseyside derby, with there having been many goals, red cards, and dramatic moments in this fixture over the years.

Recent Meetings

The most recent encounter between these two Merseyside rivals in the Premier League came at Anfield back on Wednesday 2^nd April 2025. This was a 1 – 0 victory for the hosts Liverpool in this game, with the winning goal being scored by Diogo Jota, who sadly passed away earlier this year. The Reds have been given extra motivation to win the title this season as a tribute to Diogo, as well as his brother Andre.

Other recent games between Liverpool and Everton in the Premier League:

·         Saturday 3^rd September 2022: Everton 0 – 0 Liverpool

·         Monday 13^th February 2023: Liverpool 2 – 0 Everton – Mohamed Salah (36’) & Cody Gakpo (49’).

·         Saturday 21^st October 2023: Liverpool 2 – 0 Everton – Mohamed Salah (75’ – Penalty, 90+7’).

·         Wednesday 24^th April 2024: Everton 2 – 0 Liverpool – Jarrad Branthwaite (27’) & Dominic Calvert-Lewin (58’).

·         Wednesday 12^th February 2025: Everton 2 – 2 Liverpool – Beto (11’) & James Tarkowski; Alexis Mac Allister (16’) & Mohamed Salah (73’).

Liverpool have been dominant recently, especially at Anfield, winning three of the last five encounters there, but Everton’s resilience has kept them competitive.

Managers and Key Players

Liverpool’s current boss is, of course, Arne Slot, who has been in charge ever since his tenure began back on Saturday, 1st June 2024, with him leading the Reds to the title last season. Slot has built on Klopp’s tenure at the club, with the Reds still playing modern, intense, and attractive football. Their attacking setup is fluid, and they are no strangers to finding the back of the net.

They have a number of key players, including the likes of Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Virgil Van Dijk, Alisson, Hugo Ekitiké, Ryan Gravenberch, Milos Kerkez, Andy Robertson, and Jeremie Frimpong.

David Moyes’ Everton are pragmatic, organised, and physically tough, and they will likely try to hurt their cross-city rivals on the counter attack. The Scot has dramatically turned around the Toffees’ fortunes ever since he returned to the club for a second spell in charge of the Blues back on Saturday, 11th January 2025. The Toffees will be looking for a top half finish this season, with there being the potential to push for European Football with the optimism surrounding the club.

Key players for Everton include the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Jordan Pickford, James Garner, Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye, Carlos Alcaraz, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Prediction

Any game in the Premier League is unpredictable, but the Merseyside Derby is even harder to predict than other matches, with this being a particularly high profile game between two fierce local rivals. Given that Arne Slot’s Liverpool are at home, there is every chance that they could emerge victorious, though it will be tight, so we could well see the Reds emerge with a tense 2 – 1 win.

However, David Moyes’ experience of Merseyside Derbies and his tactical nous makes this game even more intriguing and exciting, and an Everton victory cannot be ruled out, especially with the Toffees’ positive form so far this season under the Scottish Head Coach.

Liverpool will be the favourites, but you should certainly expect an exciting match full of drama and action, and all eyes will be on who comes out on top in the end.

This game cannot be missed, with it being the latest chapter of this long standing and hard fought local rivalry between Liverpool and Everton, with both clubs looking to secure the all important bragging rights as well as three points that could prove crucial for both of their respective seasons in the Premier League this term.

The atmosphere for this game promises to be electric, and the action on the pitch will be intense, hard fought, and passionate, which is normal for local derbites throughout the world. It is also a chance to see star players from both sides of this iconic rivalry between the Toffees and the Reds at Anfield.