With Goodison Park set to host its final Merseyside Derby, we take a trip down Memory Lane to revisit some of the most dramatic, controversial, and unforgettable meetings between Everton and Liverpool in L4.

For more than a century, this fixture has stoked passion and excitement that spills from the terraces into the city’s streets. Ian Rush burying Everton time and again in the ‘80s, Duncan Ferguson thundering through Liverpool's back line in the ‘90s - Goodison has seen it all.

The ground has been the stage for one of football’s fiercest, most tribal rivalries, and while there is still one final chapter to be written, we look back at some of the greatest stories to emerge from this iconic fixture.

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Everton 0-5 Liverpool (First Division, November 6, 1982)

‘Keeley sent off in derby sensation - FOUR-GOAL RUSH SINKS Everton’ - Liverpool Echo

This was an afternoon Evertonians still shudder at the mention of. Howard Kendall handed a debut to loan signing Glenn Keeley, but it lasted just 37 minutes before he was sent off for hauling down Kenny Dalglish - unaware that the rules had changed to allow straight reds for professional fouls. Liverpool, already dominant, took full advantage, and Ian Rush ran riot. One goal, two goals, three goals, four goals - Rush’s masterclass condemned Everton to their heaviest derby defeat at Goodison. Keeley never played for the club again, while Southall was sent out on loan to Port Vale to recover. Liverpool fans, meanwhile, still sing about it to this day.

Everton 2-3 Liverpool (First Division, September 23, 1985)

‘Action all the way on a day of Mersey Magic’ - Liverpool Echo

Some derbies need time to warm up. This one was electric from the off. Only 20 seconds in, Kenny Dalglish fired Liverpool ahead past Neville Southall, setting the tone for an all-action affair. Liverpool raced into a three-goal lead before Everton mounted a comeback. It was a first taste of the derby for Gary Lineker meanwhile Steve McMahon scored his first Liverpool goal against his former club. Alan Hansen’s last-ditch clearance denied Lineker a late equaliser, securing Liverpool’s win on a day that showcased the very best of Merseyside football. The Echo joked: “My only regret about Saturday’s Derby match was that neither Mrs Thatcher nor her new Minister for Sport was there to see the highly acceptable face of Merseyside football.”

Everton 4-4 Liverpool (FA Cup, February 21, 1991)

‘Mersey magic of a gr-eight night - “I have never lost faith in my ability” says Tony Cottee’ - Liverpool Echo

If ever a game deserved the title of ‘instant classic’, this was it, no matter how cliché it sounds. Liverpool led four times, and four times Everton dragged themselves level. Tony Cottee, struggling to live up to his £2million price tag since arriving from West Ham, turned hero, equalising in the 89th minute and again in extra-time. Reds boss Kenny Dalglish resigned just two days later, exhausted by the pressures of managing through the aftermath of Hillsborough. The second replay was decided by a coin toss - Everton won home advantage and the match, only to be dumped out in the next round by Cottee’s old club, West Ham.

Everton 2-3 Liverpool (Premier League, April 17, 2001)

‘Liverpool’s late larceny’ - The Guardian

Divock Origi, Sadio Mané… Gary McAllister. The Scottish veteran produced the original act of Merseyside late winners, stunning Goodison with a 44-yard free-kick deep into stoppage time. The 36-year-old's moment of magic kept Liverpool’s Champions League dream alive and ended their Goodison Park hoodoo in the process - it was their first win there in 11 years. It was a feisty Easter Monday clash, featuring 12 bookings and a red card for Igor Biscan. But it was McAllister’s audacious late strike that ensured it would be remembered as one of the great Merseyside derby heartbreaks for Evertonians.

Everton 1-0 Liverpool AET (FA Cup, February 5, 2009)

‘Everton winner blanked by ITV - Gosling grabs the glory’ - The Telegraph

A dull 90 minutes needed extra-time to find a hero, and it came in the form of Dan Gosling - though most watching at home never saw it. With Steven Gerrard limping off, Lucas Leiva seeing red, and Fernando Torres subbed, Everton seized their chance in the FA Cup fourth-round replay. Gosling, who had just turned 19, saw his deflected strike past Pepe Reina seal a famous win. Unfortunately, ITV chose that moment for an untimely commercial break, leaving millions in the dark about what had just happened. Everton went on to reach the final before losing to Chelsea, but Gosling’s winner remains one of the strangest and best moments in derby history.

Everton 2-0 Liverpool (Premier League, April 24, 2024)

‘Not good enough’ - Klopp’s anguish after huge title blow in derby’ - The Guardian

Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour took a miserable detour through Goodison Park as his first and only defeat there effectively ended Liverpool’s title challenge. Days after being thrashed 6-0 by Chelsea, Everton summoned a gutsy performance, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealing a win that left Anfield hearts broken. Chants of ‘you lost the league at Goodison Park’ rang out, while the result helped Sean Dyche’s men ensure their own Premier League safety. But perhaps the most significant point? Everton finally ended a dismal 14-year winless run in the derby at home, stretching back to that infamous Dan Gosling goal. Now, as the old ground prepares to host its final clash between these two rivals, Everton will hope to bring that same intensity, making Goodison Park as much of a bear pit as it was that night, and ensuring the stadium’s derby history gets the farewell it deserves.