2025-26 Derby Tracker: Merseyside Derby (Everton FC v. Liverpool FC)
By: AT
Image Credit: Jack Hunter
This derby, a battle for the Northwestern English city of Liverpool, ranks among the most iconic derbies in both the United Kingdom (U.K.) and across Europe. Like most English clubs, both Everton FC and Liverpool FC have emerged from humble beginnings.
Origins
Everton are the eldest of the two clubs. In 1878, reverend Benjamin Swift Chambers of the St. Domingo Methodist Chapel founded a cricket club and a football club under the name St. Domingo FC; the club became Everton FC the following year. After rising in prominence, the club moved from their ground in Stanley Park to a larger ground at Anfield in 1884. Four years later, The Toffeeswere among the 12 founding clubs of the Football League.
Everton won their first Football League First Division title at the end of the 1890-91 season. It also was their first major professional title.
However, in 1892, a row between the club’s executives and Anfield’s owner, John Houlding, forced The Toffeesto leave Anfield and return to Stanley Park, where they established a new home at Mere Green Field. That location later developed into the iconic Goodison Park, which was Everton’s home until last season; the women’s team still play its home matches there.
Also in 1892, Houlding created Liverpool FC, which took up residence at Anfield and has played there ever since. With the club growing in popularity, Anfield expanded, including the construction of a new stand called Spion Kop (also known as The Kop), named after a hill where a notable battle in the South African War took place. Liverpool won their first top-flight title at the end of 1900-01 season, a decade after Everton secured theirs.
Racing to the Top
After years competing primarily in the First Division — with occasional spells in the Second Division — both Everton and Liverpool enjoyed periods of success. By the late 1930s, Everton had won five First Division titles, two FA Cups and two FA Community Shields; Liverpool won four First Division titles.
Interestingly, both clubs achieved the impressive feat of winning the Second Division title one season and the First Division title the next: Liverpool first achieved this in 1905-06, and Everton did so in 1931-32.
While Everton were the superior Liverpool-based club until World War II, Liverpool surpassed them in the post-war era. From 1945 to the end of the 20th century, The Reds took the U.K. by storm, winning a staggering 14 First Division titles, accompanied by five FA Cups and EFL Cups apiece and an astonishing 13 FA Community Shields. At the continental level, Liverpool earned four European Cups (now UEFA Champions League), three UEFA Cups (now UEFA Europa League) and one UEFA Super Cup. With additional European titles earned in the 21st century, Liverpool hold the most European Cup/UCL titles among English clubs (five) and, with league rivals Tottenham Hotspur, share the record for most UEFA Cup/UEL titles among English clubs (three).
During that period, Everton won four First Division titles, three FA Cups and seven Community Shields. In 1994-95, The Toffees hoisted the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, their sole European title in club history. Everton emerged as a powerhouse in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, following multiple incidents of hooliganism during matches in the U.K. in the 1970s and 1980s, including the tragic Heysel Stadium disaster that resulted in 39 deaths in 1985, all English clubs were banned from competing in European continental club competitions until 1990. Those years coincided with some of Everton’s strongest seasons, during which they claimed their final two First Division titles.
Inconsistent and Stagnant 2000s
Since the turn of the century, both clubs have struggled to find consistent success, alternating between European qualification (either UCL or UEL) and mid-table finishes. Liverpool began the century with earning the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, the Community Shield and the UEL in 2000-01, followed by the UEFA Super Cup in the fall of 2001. They subsequently endured an uneven spell, though they famously won the 2004-05 UCL title after rallying from a 0-3 deficit to defeat Serie A club AC Milan on penalties; Milan avenged their loss in the 2006-07 UCL final, winning by a 2-1 score. The Reds also won 2005-06 FA Cup and the 2006 Community Shield.
Everton, meanwhile, have failed to win a single title in the 21st century and have not appeared in the UCL since the 2005-06 season. The club’s situation exacerbated in the late 2010s, as they began finishing closer to the EPL’s relegation positions (18th—20th) than to the positions that guaranteed UCL football the following season (1st—4th).
Polarizing 2020s
From 2019, under manager Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool returned to the pinnacle of both British and European football. The Reds won the 2018-19 UCL title with a 2-0 victory against Tottenham, having reached the UCL final the previous season, and secured their first league title in 30 years in 2019-20. Liverpool return to the 2022 UCL final, losing 1-0 to LaLiga club Real Madrid by a 1-0 score — and re-claimed the EPL title in 2024-25, a record 20th league title.
Everton, meanwhile, faced significant financial turmoil, including a six-point deduction in 2023-24 that, coupled with porous performances, left them at risk of relegation. The Toffees ultimately survived and have since stabilized as a mid-table club. However, they remain from Liverpool’s prestige, a stark contrast to their pre-World War II prominence and their excellent, though European Cup-less, squads of the late 1980s.
Adding to the tumultuous 2020s, Everton played their final match at Goodison Park on May 18, 2025, earning a 2-0 victory against relegation-bound Southampton FC. Beginning in the 2025-26 season, The Toffees moved to the newly built Hill Dickinson Stadium. Although Goodison Park sits merely about one kilometre (km) from Anfield, Everton’s new ground is only a tad further away at 1.5km.
Head-to-Head
Overall, prior to the April 19, 2026 match that is scheduled to be played at Everton’s Hill Dickenson Stadium, both clubs have played each other 235 times across all competitions. The Merseyside Derby record is the following:
96 Liverpool victories;
64 Everton victories; and
75 draws.
The figure below shows the Merseyside Derby’s all-time head-to-head record by win percentage.
Source: Transfermarkt
Comment your favourite Merseyside club, and which club you think will dominate the Merseyside derby in the near-future!
