Steven Gerrard came on at half-time on this day in 2010 and scored a hat-trick in the last 15 minutes as Liverpool came from behind to beat Napoli 3-1 at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister’s header saw off Real Madrid in 2025, Michael Owen and John Arne Riise got the better of Manchester United in 2001, and Alan Hansen settled a five-goal thriller with AZ 67 Alkmaar in 1981.
2010: Gerrard to the rescue
Roy Hodgson left his captain on the bench for the Europa League visit of Napoli, and for 45 minutes the Italians were much the better side. Ezequiel Lavezzi ran on to Edinson Cavani’s flick to put them ahead just before the half-hour, and Liverpool trailed at the break.
Gerrard replaced Milan Jovanović for the second half, and with 15 minutes left he pounced on a short back-pass from former Red Andrea Dossena to equalise. Two minutes from time he drove in a penalty after Salvatore Aronica brought down Glen Johnson, and moments later Lucas won the ball and sent him clear to dink it over Morgan De Sanctis.
With new owner John W Henry watching from the stands, Gerrard became only the second Liverpool substitute ever to score a hat-trick, and the win kept Hodgson’s side top of Group K.
2025: Mac Allister sinks Real Madrid
A year ago today, Arne Slot’s side outplayed Real Madrid in everything but the scoreline. Thibaut Courtois kept them at bay with a string of saves, several of them from Dominik Szoboszlai, and early in the second half he clawed away headers from Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitike.
The breakthrough came on 61 minutes, when Mac Allister stole in to head home Szoboszlai’s free-kick. It was the second season running he had opened the scoring against Real at Anfield.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, back for the first time since joining Real in the summer, started on the bench and was booed loudly when he came on late in the game. The crowd of 59,916 was a new record for a European match at Anfield.
2001: Owen and Riise down United
Exactly a quarter of a century ago, Phil Thompson was in caretaker charge for the visit of Manchester United, with Gérard Houllier recovering from heart surgery, and the Kop held up a mosaic in the manager’s honour before kick-off.
Owen pounced on a Wes Brown mistake to put Liverpool ahead just after the half-hour, and seven minutes later Brown fouled him to give away a free-kick. Didi Hamann rolled it to Riise, who smashed it past Fabien Barthez.
David Beckham pulled one back just after half-time, but within a minute Barthez missed a cross and Owen headed in the third. It was Liverpool’s fourth win in a row over United, and it took them up to second in the table.
1981: Hansen settles it late
In 1981, Bob Paisley’s European champions went into the second leg of their European Cup second-round tie with AZ 67 Alkmaar level at 2-2. The Dutch champions had reached the UEFA Cup final the season before, and the 29,703 at Anfield saw a night that swung one way and then the other.
Terry McDermott’s penalty put the Reds ahead just before half-time, but Kees Kist equalised early in the second half. Ian Rush restored the lead, only for a Phil Thompson own goal to level things again, and with time running out Alan Hansen popped up with the winner for a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Born on this day
Born on this day in 1982 in Sheffield, Neil Mellor came through the ranks at Liverpool. His last-minute winner against Arsenal at Anfield in November 2004, and his goal and assist for Gerrard against Olympiacos soon afterwards, earned him a lasting place in Kop folklore. He joined Preston North End in 2006.
Also on this day
- 1893: Patrick Gordon scored twice, with Jimmy Stott, Harry Bradshaw and Douglas Dick also on target, in a 5-1 Second Division win over Newcastle United at Anfield.
- 1911: John Bovill scored twice and Arthur Goddard once in a 3-0 win over Notts County at Anfield.
- 1922: Harry Chambers scored twice, and Dick Forshaw and Cyril Gilhespy once each, in a 4-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur.
- 1933: Sam English and Gordon Hodgson scored in a 2-1 win at Birmingham.
- 1950: George Robledo hit a hat-trick and Ernest Taylor also scored as Newcastle United won 4-2 at Anfield, with Billy Liddell (penalty) and Jimmy Payne replying.
- 1961: Gordon Milne, Ian Callaghan and Ian St John scored in a 3-1 Second Division win at Preston North End.
- 1970: Substitute Phil Boersma’s equaliser earned a 1-1 draw at Dinamo Bucharest and a 4-1 aggregate win in the Fairs Cup second round.
- 1972: John Toshack scored twice and Kevin Keegan once in a 3-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield.
- 1975: Ray Kennedy scored twice, with John Toshack, David Fairclough, Steve Heighway and Phil Neal also on target, as Real Sociedad were beaten 6-0 at Anfield in the UEFA Cup second round, 9-1 on aggregate.
- 1978: Terry McDermott’s penalty earned a 1-1 draw with Leeds United at Anfield.
- 1987: Ray Houghton scored in a 1-1 draw at Wimbledon.
- 1989: Cyrille Regis’s goal gave Coventry City a 1-0 win at Anfield.
- 1990: Ian Rush scored twice and Peter Beardsley once in a 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur, Rush’s second bringing up Liverpool’s 5,000th top-flight league goal.
- 1992: Spartak Moscow won 2-0 at Anfield to knock Liverpool out of the European Cup Winners’ Cup 6-2 on aggregate.
- 1995: Ian Rush scored, but Newcastle United won 2-1 at St James’ Park.
- 1997: A Robbie Fowler penalty and a late Karlheinz Riedle goal beat Strasbourg 2-0 at Anfield, but the Reds went out of the UEFA Cup 3-2 on aggregate.
- 2000: Mark Viduka scored all four as Leeds United won 4-3 at Elland Road, with Sami Hyypiä, Christian Ziege and Vladimír Šmicer on target for Liverpool.
- 2006: Dirk Kuyt scored twice in a 2-0 win over Reading at Anfield.
- 2008: A late Steven Gerrard penalty earned a 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid at Anfield after Maxi Rodríguez’s opener.
- 2009: Ryan Babel scored, but Lisandro López’s late equaliser made it 1-1 in Lyon.
- 2012: Luis Suárez cancelled out Yohan Cabaye’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at Anfield.
- 2014: Karim Benzema’s goal gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win at the Bernabéu.
- 2017: Mohamed Salah scored twice, with Joël Matip and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also on target, in a 4-1 win at West Ham United.
