Liverpool legend gets emotional about Goodison Park - 'I will be sad when it goes'
It’s set to be an emotional night at Goodison Park - and not just for Everton fans - as Liverpool makes its last visit.
The Reds make the short journey across Stanley Park one final time before the Toffees make the move to their new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock next season. Arne Slot’s side has the chance to go nine points clear of Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title - although his hosts will be determined not to let him have everything his own way.
Slot’s first taste of a Merseyside derby will be unlike any other he’ll face during his tenure at Liverpool. Everton fans will want to give their historic ground a fitting send-off as it hosts the city’s two sides for the last time.
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Goodison has been the site of a number of memorable meetings between Liverpool and Everton down the years, with the ground not just making a big impact on its custodians. Reds hero Ray Houghton is among the visitors who will take away some special memories as Everton’s time at the ground comes to an end.
"Goodison is an iconic old stadium. I will be sad when it goes," Houghton told Goodison's Greatest Derbies, a special edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"Too many of the old stadiums we're not seeing any more and we're losing a little bit of the history and the atmosphere.
"It is such a tight, compact ground you can virtually feel the fans on top of you when you run down the wings. If you were an away player going to Goodison, the home crowd would tell you if you were doing good, bad or indifferent.
"It was a unique place to go. It is a great place to win or to go there on your debut like I did.
"It wasn't a particularly good game. I don't think either side did themselves justice. I was fortunate enough to score the only goal with what I would call a classic header.
"It was a tremendous feeling and to come off after the game with the victory and to have the bragging rights for the next couple of weeks was brilliant."
Liverpool’s current crop of players will be hoping to claim those bragging rights this evening, and come away with the honor of winning the final derby to be held at Goodison. David Moyes’s side and the Everton fans though will be aiming to claim one last victory over the Reds as they bid farewell to their iconic ground.
