Everton lead local rivals

Toffees hold advantage ahead of derby clash

While Liverpool face a win-or-bust clash with Olympiakos in the Champions’ League at Anfield tonight, Everton can prepare for Saturday’s 171st league Mersey derby with an unaccustomed comfortable points advantage over their nearest and dearest rivals.

With David Moyes leading the blue half of Liverpool in to an unexpected assault on next year’s Champions’ League places, they go into the weekend’s big game at Goodison Park in third place and fully nine points ahead of the Reds.

It’s nearly two decades since Everton had such a significant points lead as they kicked-off a derby clash.

With the Canon League Championship Trophy already proudly displayed in the Goodison trophy cabinet, Liverpool travelled across Stanley Park on Thursday 23 May 1985 for legendary manager Joe Fagan’s last league game in charge. They were ten points behind Howard Kendall’s champions.

The gap increased to 13 points as Paul Wilkinson’s only-goal-of-the-game also established a new First Division points record of 90.

The Toffees’ line-up that night was: Neville Southall, Gary Stevens, John Bailey, Kevin Ratcliffe, Pat Van Den Hauwe, Kevin Richardson, Alan Harper, Paul Wilkinson, Andy Gray, Ian Atkins (sub: Robbie Wakenshaw) and Kevin Sheedy.

Of course, Everton’s anticipated qualification for the following season’s European Cup was to be dashed by the consequences of the tragic events at the Heysel Stadium six days later.

Stat Note: The 1985/86 edition of the Rothmans Football Yearbook incorrectly records the attendance for the Mersey derby at Goodison Park on 23 May 1985 as 15,045. The correct figure is 51,045.