There is nothing quite like the blood and thunder of a Merseyside derby.
The age-old battle between red and and blue which splits workplaces, schoolyards and families across the city is deeply woven into the fabric of the city’s psyche and remains unique among inter-city rivalries across the country.
The 239 previous meetings of Liverpool and Everton have inevitably produced a fair few goalless stalemates over the years given the high stakes and fear of losing bragging rights but there have also been plenty of classics and few have been more dramatic or incident-packed than the penultimate clash of the twentieth century which took place at Anfield 23 years ago this weekend. Only a decade and half earlier the two sides had been arguably been the best in Europe but, while both had fallen sharply from grace since then, they still had it within them to conjure up 90plus minutes of football to leave a packed and breathless crowd royally entertained and this one resulted in enough talking points to keep the rest of country talking for weeks.
