Terry McDermott, a Kirkby lad and boyhood Liverpool fan, signed for the club from Newcastle United on this day in 1974, six months after playing against them in the FA Cup final.
Ian Rush followed up his four goals in the derby with a hat-trick against Coventry City in 1982, Milan Baroš scored all three in a late win over Crystal Palace in 2004, and in 2021 Liverpool said goodbye to Louis Bimpson, one of their goalscorers of the 1950s, at the age of 92.
1974: Terry Mac comes home
It was 1974, and Bob Paisley was only a few months into his first season as Bill Shankly’s successor. McDermott had been on the losing side at Wembley that May, when Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0, but he had caught the eye in a beaten team.
There was no haggling. The deal was done in a matter of minutes, and three days later McDermott made his debut in a goalless derby at Goodison Park, on the same afternoon as another new boy, Phil Neal.
It was not an instant success. He made just 25 appearances in his first two seasons and a move away looked possible, but he forced his way in during 1976-77 and opened the scoring in the European Cup final against Borussia Mönchengladbach in Rome.
The goals kept coming, and plenty of them were spectacular: a hat-trick against Hamburg in the 1977 Super Cup, and the header at the end of a 70-yard run that finished off Tottenham in the 7-0 rout at Anfield in 1978.
In 1980 he became the first player to be named both PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year in the same season. By the time he went back to Newcastle in September 1982, he had scored 81 goals in 329 games and won three European Cups.
1982: Rush does it again
In 1982, a week after his four goals in the 5-0 derby win at Goodison Park, Ian Rush helped himself to a hat-trick as the reigning champions beat Coventry City 4-0 at Anfield.
Kenny Dalglish opened the scoring before Rush took over. The only real alarm came when Bruce Grobbelaar brought down Mark Hateley, and the keeper put that right himself by saving Hateley’s penalty.
2004: Baroš, three times
Twenty-two years later, in 2004, Rafael Benítez was in his first season, Michael Owen had gone and Djibril Cissé was injured, so the goals were left to Milan Baroš. Against Crystal Palace at Anfield, he scored every one of them.
Baroš was fouled by Mikele Leigertwood midway through the first half and put away the penalty himself. Joonas Kolkka equalised with a superb strike just before the break, but Baroš restored the lead almost at once, bundling in from close range after Harry Kewell turned Xabi Alonso’s free-kick across goal.
Michael Hughes headed Palace level again early in the second half from Kolkka’s cross. The winner came in the final minute, when Baroš was brought down in the box and sent the penalty past Gábor Király. He was substituted straight afterwards, job done.
2021: Farewell, Louis Bimpson
On this day in 2021, Louis Bimpson died at the age of 92. A forward signed from Burscough in 1953, he scored 39 goals in 102 games for Liverpool during the 1950s.
He joined Blackburn Rovers in 1959 and played in the FA Cup final the following year, then reached the League Cup final with Rochdale in 1962.
Also on this day
- 1897: Frank Becton scored, but West Bromwich Albion won 2-1 at Stoney Lane.
- 1909: Bert Middlemiss scored the only goal as Tottenham Hotspur won 1-0 at White Hart Lane.
- 1920: Dick Forshaw scored twice and Harry Chambers once in a 3-1 win at Bradford Park Avenue.
- 1926: Dick Forshaw scored, but Sunderland won 2-1 at Roker Park.
- 1937: Phil Taylor, John Shafto and Willie Fagan scored in a 3-1 win at Manchester City.
- 1948: Cyril Done scored twice, with Jimmy Payne and Phil Taylor also on target, in a 4-2 win at Manchester City.
- 1954: Billy Liddell and John Evans scored, but Luton Town won a Second Division game 3-2.
- 1965: Ian St John, Willie Stevenson from the spot, Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Peter Thompson scored in a 5-0 win over Northampton Town at Anfield.
- 1971: David Johnson, later a Liverpool player, scored the only goal on his derby debut as Everton won 1-0 at Goodison Park.
- 1996: Robbie Fowler scored twice, with Mark Wright and Jamie Redknapp also on target, in a 4-1 League Cup third-round replay win over Charlton Athletic at Anfield.
- 2010: Lucas Leiva was sent off late on as Stoke City won 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium.
- 2018: Former Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole announced his retirement from playing.
- 2025: Hugo Ekitiké scored his first goal for France in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine.
