15 August 2010 - Seeing Red With Double Vision

On 15 August 2010, Liverpool and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw that saw a debutant player for each side get ejected.

It was the first game of the season for both teams, with Liverpool hosting the Gunners at Anfield. The home supporters were eager to see their new midfielder, England international Joe Cole, signed from Chelsea earlier that summer on a free transfer. But his season started in an inauspicious fashion, as he received a straight red right before the break for a foul on Arsenal center back Laurent Koscielny, who was also making his first league start after moving from Lorient.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Liverpool took the lead at the start of the second half with a 46th-minute goal from striker David N'Gog and managed to hold onto it until right near the end. In the first minute of stoppage time, Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh bounced a cross off the post and into Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina, who knocked it over the line for an own-goal to bring the game level.

The day wasn't quite over, however, and Koscielny marked the occasion by receiving two stoppage-time yellow cards in quick succession, resulting in his ejection right before the final whistle.

10 August 1977 - Dalglish Makes A Deal

On 10 August 1977, Scottish striker Kenny Dalglish moved from Celtic to Liverpool and went on to become one of the club's greatest players.

He was already an established star, having won four league titles and four Scottish Cups with Celtic, before setting his mind on a move to England. Liverpool had been interested in him for a while, but the move acquired an urgency (and funding) when they sold their star forward Kevin Keegan to Hamburg for a British-record £500,000 earlier that summer, and they spent £440,00 of that fee to bring Dalgish to Anfield.

His first season there was a tremendous success; he scored 31 goals in 61 appearances across all competitions while winning the Charity Shield, the European Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup (the latter over Keegan and Hamburg). He spent another twelve seasons there before his retirement in 1990—the last five as player-manager—and won another two European Cups, six league titles and two FA Cups.

13 July 2011 - There's A "Reds" Joke In There Somewhere

On 13 July 2011, Liverpool played in China for the first time, beating Guangdong Sunray Cave in a friendly, 4-3.

The match kicked off Liverpool's preseason Asian tour, which also included stops in Malaysia and South Korea. They had previously visited the region in 2009, when they played exhibitions in Thailand and Singapore. Their opponent in China, Guangdong, was founded in 2007 and had just been promoted from the league's third tier to the second.

Playing at the Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, the visitors got off to a strong start with early goals from Christian Poulsen (19') and David N'gog (21'), but Guangdong striker Ricardo Steer halved the margin just before the break.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish swapped his entire side out for the second half and got goals from Conor Coady (72') and new signing Andy Carroll (89') to push their lead to 4-1. But Guangdong scored twice in the 90th minute to close the final gap to a surprisingly narrow 4-3.

17 April 1897 - Aston Villa Makes A Move

On 17 April 1897, Aston Villa opened Villa Park as league and FA Cup champions, having already secured the Double.

Their new home, originally named Aston Lower Grounds, was their third one, following Aston Park (1874-76) and Perry Barr (1876-97). It was formerly part of the Aston Hall estate of  Lord Thomas Holte, built on the location that used to be the kitchen garden, which had subsequently been converted into an amusement park and all-purpose sports ground. Villa signed a long-term lease to rent the ground for an annual fee of £300, then commissioned the construction of stands with a capacity of 40,000 people.

Construction was still ongoing when Villa played their first match there, a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. It was a meaningless match for the hosts, who had already secured their second straight league title (and third overall) and had won the FA Cup. They didn't lose a game there until a defeat to Sheffield United in January 1898. Since then, Villa has won four more league titles there (1899, 1900, 1910, 1981).

The record attendance there is 76,588, set during a sixth-round FA Cup match against Derby County, while the record as an all-seater is 42,788, set during a league game against Liverpool in 2009.

22 March 1936 - The Passing Of A Liverpool Legend

On 22 March 1936, John McKenna--Liverpool's first manager and Football League president--passed away at the age of 81.

McKenna joined Liverpool as a director when the club was founded in 1892 and was instrumental in putting the first team together, recruiting thirteen players out of Scotland. He then took charge of coaching the team, while W.E. Barclay handled administrative matters.

Although Liverpool were denied admission to the Football League for their first season, McKenna guided them to the title of the Lancashire League, leading to their election to the Football League's Second Division for the next season. Over the next three seasons, Liverpool were promoted, relegated, and promoted again before McKenna stepped down in 1896. But he remained active with the club, serving as chairman from 1906 to 1915.

Two years later, McKenna became president of the Football League and held that position until his death.

19 February 1910 - Back When It Was Just "Trafford"

On 19 February 1910, Liverpool spoiled the debut of Manchester United's new stadium, winning there 3-4.

Originally named United Football Ground, the stadium was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and cost approximately £60,000 to complete. It opened with a capacity of 80,000--substantially higher than the 50,000 of their previous Bank Street ground--but only 45,000 people turned out for that opening match.

United's opponents were Liverpool, who had already beaten them at Anfield earlier in the season. They completed their sweep of the Red Devils with a 3-4 win thanks to a brace each from Arthur Goddard and James Stewart (United's scorers were Tom Homer, Sandy Turnbull, and George Wall).

Renamed Old Trafford in 1936, it has remained United's home ever since, except for a brief spell after World War II when bombing damage rendered it temporarily unusable. Its highest attendance, however, did not involve United; that was set at 76,962 for a 1939 FA Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town when Old Trafford was still a terraced stadium. The record after conversion to an all-seater is 76,098, set during a league game between United and Blackburn Rovers in 2007.

15 January 1981 - El Hadji Starts His Pilgrimage

On 15 January 1981, Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf was born in Dakar. A talented but controversial player, he has spent time with nine different clubs across France, England, and Scotland.

He began his professional career with Sochaux in 1998, followed by quick moves to Rennes (1999-2000), and Lens (2000-02). At the latter, he scored 18 goals in 54 league appearances, which--combined with a strong showing for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in which he helped the team to a quarterfinal berth--attracted the interest of Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier, who signed him that summer for £10 million.

Diouf failed to recapture his previous form and his time at Anfield was overshadowed by a March 2003 UEFA Cup incident in which he spat at a Celtic supporter. At the end of the 2003-04 season--in which Diouf failed to score a single goal--Liverpool sent him on loan to Bolton. There, he began scoring goals again and Bolton made the move permanent in 2005.

After four seasons with Bolton, he moved again, spending time with Sunderland (2008-09) and Blackburn Rovers (2009-11). But his scoring touch deserted him again and he spent the last half of the 2010-11 season on loan in Scotland with Rangers. All along the way, he developed a reputation for being hotheaded, with frequent bookings.

He moved back to England in the summer of 2011 to play for Doncaster Rovers, then joined Leed United in 2012 after Doncaster's season ended in relegation.

18 December 2005 - Mineiro Gets His

On 18 December 2005, São Paulo won the FIFA Club World Cup, beating Liverpool 1-0 with a goal from Mineiro.

FIFA first held the competition--initially called the Club World Championship--in 2000, but did not establish it as a regular tournament until 2005, when it merged with the Intercontinental Cup. Unlike the Intercontinental Cup, though, which matched the Copa Libertadores champions against the European Cup/Champions League winners, the 2005 Club World Cup expanded the competition to a six-team mini-tournament that included the winners from similar CONCACAF, Oceania, CAF, and AFC competitions.

While the rest of the teams entered in the quarterfinals, São Paulo and Liverpool received byes into the semis, where they defeated Al-Ittihad and Saprissa, respectively, to set up their meeting in the final, played before a crowd of 66,821 at the International Stadium in Yokohama.

Although Liverpool had just set a club record eight days earlier with their tenth consecutive clean sheet, they were undone in the 27th minute when midfielder Mineiro (pictured) slipped behind the Liverpool defense to reach a lobbed pass, then beat goalkeeper Pepe Reina from just inside the penalty spot.

Liverpool pressed for an equalizer and found the back of the net three times, only for the referee to disallow all three goals. The lone strike from Mineiro proved to be the difference and São Paulo lifted the cup.

26 November 1977 - Run For The Forest

On 26 November 1977, Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with West Brom to start a club-record streak of 42 unbeaten league matches.

Forest were in the third full season under the managerial duo of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, who took charge of the club in January 1975. They were in Division Two at the time, but won promotion to the top flight for the 1977-78 season.

They started off well in the First Division, winning ten and drawing two of their first thirteen matches and claiming the table's top spot in week nine. They remained there for the duration of the season, even after losing two of their first three games in November. Those two losses, to Chelsea and Leeds, joined an earlier one to Arsenal as their only losses on the season.

Their next match was the home draw against West Brom, followed by another 25 undefeated matches in the league to lift them seven points clear of runners-up Liverpool in the final table (Forest had also beaten Liverpool in that season's League Cup final).

The next season started with another 16 straight undefeated matches to take the total to 42 before Forest finally lost to Liverpool on 9 December 1978. They finished the season as runners-up to Liverpool in the league, but took some consolation by winning the first of two consecutive European Cups that year.

25 November 1964 - Liverpool's Study In Scarlet

On 25 November 1964, Liverpool played for the first time in the all-red kit that has since become the club's trademark.

Founded in 1892, Liverpool initially adopted blue and white as their colors. But four years later, they exchanged those colors for a combination of red shirts and white shorts (usually paired with red socks). That scheme remained their home kit until 1964, when manager Bill Shankly proposed the idea of a more intimidating all-red uniform.

According to club legend, Ron Yeats was the first player to model the new colors for Shankly, who reportedly responded by saying "Jesus Christ, son. You look bloody massive. You'll scare them to death."

Liverpool first wore the new home colors in a second-round European Cup match against Anderlecht. And while it's not clear whether they played a psychological effect on the Belgians, Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners on the day with goals from Ian St. John (10'), Roger Hunt (43'), and Yeats (50'). They went on to win the second leg as well and eventually reached the semifinals before falling to Inter Milan.

The club switched to all-red for the start of the 1965-66 season and has worn those colors ever since.

28 October 2007 - Stevie Gets His Fourth G

On 28 October 2007, Steven Gerrard made his 400th appearance for Liverpool, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Born in the nearby Merseyside village of Whiston, Gerrard joined Liverpool as a youth player in 1987 and signed a professional contract with them ten years later. He made debuted with the first team on 29 November 1998 and made a total of thirteen appearances that season across all competitions.

By the next season, he had secured a regular starting spot in central midfield, making 31 appearances in 1999-2000 and 50 in 2000-01. In the latter, he also scored a total of 10 goals as Liverpool won a treble consisting of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup.

He became the team captain in 2003 and additional trophies followed, including the dramatic victory over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League in which Gerrard scored Liverpool's first goal to start a comeback from 3-0 down to win on penalties, 3-3 (2-3).

For his 400th club appearance, Liverpool hosted Arsenal at Anfield, where Gerrard's 7th-minute free kick from the edge of the box (pictured) put his team up 1-0. Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas delivered an equalizer in the 80th minute to finish the day at 1-1. Since then, Gerrard has continued to captain Liverpool, making a current total 597 appearances across all competitions, ranking him tenth on the club's all-time list.

23 September 1986 - Liverpool Takes Ten

On 23 September 1986, Liverpool matched a League Cup record, beating Fulham 10-0 in the first leg of their second round meeting.

The defending league champions, Liverpool had dominated the competition over the previous years, winning it four straight times between 1981 and 1984. They were looking to return to those winning ways after suffering a third-round loss to Tottenham in the 1984-95 season and elimination by Queens Park Rangers in the 1985-86 semifinals.

They entered the 1986-87 tournament in the second round, where they hosted Fulham at Anfield for the first leg. The match was played on a Tuesday, drawing a small crowd of only 13,498. Those that turned up, however, were treated to a scoring explosion. Ian Rush provided the first in just the eight minute, followed by goals from John Wark (10', 63'), Ronnie Whelan (28'), Steve McMahon (44', 66', 71', 79'), and another from Rush (76').

Steve Nicol provided the final goal in the 83rd minute to set the final margin at 10-0, matching the record for the highest single-game margin of victory in the League Cup, set by West Ham's win over Bury by the same score in 1983.

Liverpool went on to win the second leg 203 and kept up their level of play to advance all the way to the final before falling to Arsenal 2-1.

7 September 1977 - The End Of Callaghan's Capless Gap

On 7 September 1977, Liverpool midfielder Ian Callaghan made his third England appearance--a record 11 years and 49 days after his previous one.

A Liverpool player since the start of his professional career in 1960, Callaghan (pictured at far left) earned his first England cap at he age of 24 in a June 1966 friendly against Finland (England won 3-0). His second came the following month in the World Cup, as England beat France 2-0 in the group stage. It was his only appearances of the tournament, which England went on to win. Although his failure to take part in the final meant that he did not receive a winner's medal at the time, he eventually received one in 2009, along with all of the other squad members.

Despite his perfect record, he then went over a decade without playing for the national team. He continued to star for Liverpool, however, winning a total of five league titles, two FA Cups, two UEFA Cups, and two European Cups between 1964 and 1978.

In 1977, after missing England's previous 108 games, he returned to the national team for a friendly against Switzerland, which ended as a scoreless draw. The gap of 11 years and 49 days between caps remains an England record.

He made a fourth and final appearance the following month in a 2-0 win over Luxembourg.

28 August 1947 - The Captain Of The Kop

On 28 August 1947, Liverpool and England captain Emlyn Hughes was born in Lancashire. He went on to win four league titles and two European Cups while being named England's Footballer of the Year in 1977.

Hughes started his professional career with Blackpool in 1964, but made only 28 league appearances there before moving to Anfield in 1967 for a transfer fee of £65,000. Although Liverpool had won the league title in 1966, they went without silverware in Hughes' first four seasons.

They returned to their winning ways in the 1972-73 season, winning both the league and the UEFA Cup. Hughes took over as skipper and more honors followed, including three more league titles (1976, 1977, 1979), another UEFA Cup (1976), back-to-back European Cups (1977, 1978) and an FA Cup (1974). In the meantime, he made 60 appearances for England, wearing the armband for several games in 1974.

In 1977, Liverpool narrowly missed out on a treble, losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Later that year, Hughes became the second consecutive Liverpool player (and third in four years) to win the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year Award.

He left Liverpool in 1979 and spent time with Wolves, Rotherham (as player-manager), Hull City, Mansfield Town, and Swansea City before retiring in 1984. He died of cancer in 2004 at the age of 57.

14 August 1971 - Keegan Gets Off To A Flying Start

On 14 August 1971, 20-year old Kevin Keegan debuted for Liverpool, scoring in a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest. He went on to score a total of 100 goals for them over six seasons, winning three league titles, an FA Cup, and the European Cup.

Keegan started his professional career with Fourth Division Scunthorpe in 1968 and made 141 appearances there before moving to Liverpool in the summer of 1971 for a transfer fee of £35,000. Initially a midfielder, his scoring ability prompted manager Bill Shankly to move him to forward.

He made 42 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions that first season, scoring a total of 11 goals as the Reds finished third in the league table. He doubled that tally the next season, winning his first league title and the UEFA Cup. Although that was his most prolific scoring season at Anfield, he won the FA Cup in 1974, then won a league and UEFA Cup double in 1976, followed by another league title and the European Cup in 1977.

In the summer of 1977, after making 323 appearances, he moved to Hamburg for a fee of £500,000.

28 July 2008 - Making £7M The Easy Way

On 28 July 2008, Tottenham confirmed the £19M sale of striker Robbie Keane to Liverpool, but his stay at Anfield lasted barely 6 months.

Keane had already been well-traveled, playing for Wolves (1997-99), Coventry City (1999-2000), Inter (2000-01), Leeds United (2001-02) before joining Spurs in August 2002. He had a very successful six years at White Hart Lane, scoring 82 times in 197 league appearances and helping to victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup Final.

His success drew the attention of Liverpool, who pried him away from Spurs. The four-year deal included £1.3M in performance incentives that raised the total value to a potential £20.3M. Upon arriving in Liverpool, Keane announced that he had "been a Liverpool fan all [his] life" and that the move was "a dream come true."

But it was a short-lived dream, as he failed to replicate his previous form. After only five goals in nineteen league appearances, Liverpool sold him back to Spurs for £12M. He later went on loan to Celtic and West Ham before joining the LA Galaxy in 2011.

3 July 2001 - Farewell, Billy Liddell

On 3 July 2001, former Liverpool winger Billy Liddell passed away at the age of 79.

A Scottish international, he spent his entire career at Anfield, joining the youth team in 1938 when he was sixteen, then signing a professional contract in 1939. But the FA's suspension of league play for the duration of World War II limited his appearances to unofficial regional competitions, internationals, and friendlies until the end of the war.

His official debut came against Chester City in the third round of the FA Cup in January 1946, with Liddell scoring in the 2-0 victory. His league debut came the following September as he scored twice in a win over Chelsea and he went on to help Liverpool to the league title--their fifth--that season.

Liddell remained with Liverpool until his retirement in 1961, making a total of 534 appearances in all competitions and scoring 228 goals which, at the time, ranked him second on the club's all-time scoring chart (behind Gordon Hodgson at 241). He has since fallen to fourth behind Roger Hunt (286) and Ian Rush (346). In the nine seasons from 1949 to 1958, he was Liverpool's leading scorer eight times.

After his retirement, he remained in Liverpool and later became president of the Supporters Club. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 1990s and died in 2001.

10 May 1986 - Twice The Joy For Liverpool, Twice The Agony For Everton

On 10 May 1986, Liverpool completed their Double by beating rivals Everton in the FA Cup Final, 3-1.

The Reds had already beaten their Merseyside neighbors to the league title one week earlier, finishing the season with eleven wins and a draw in their last twelve matches to claim their sixteenth title in club history. Their last match was a 1-0 win over Chelsea that pushed them two points clear of runners-up Everton in the final table.

The Toffees were looking for redemption in the FA Cup Final, played before a crowd of 98,000 at Wembley. And an early goal from forward Gary Lineker put them on the right track, sending them up 1-0 in the 27th minute. Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar parried Lineker's first attempt, but knocked it back into the path of the striker, who converted with a follow-up shot.

Then Liverpool took over in the second half. Forward Ian Rush beat Everton keeper Bobby Mimms to provide the 56th-minute equalizer, followed six minutes later by the go-ahead goal from midfielder Craig Johnston. Rush then sealed the win with a second goal of the day, a low angled shot from six yards out in the 83rd minute.

The win was also notable for the fact that Liverpool's team was the first in an FA Cup Final not to have a single Englishman in their starting XI.

8 May 1971 - The Gunners Double Their Pleasure

On 8 May 1971, Arsenal completed the Double with an extra-time win over Liverpool in the FA Cup Final, 2-1.

They had taken the league title five days earlier with an away victory over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, then met Liverpool at Wembley. The two teams had split their two league meetings that season, with each team winning 2-0 at home.

A capacity crowd of 100,000 watched as they played the first 90 minutes to a scoreless draw. Liverpool controlled the better part of the first half, but were unable to beat Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson, while his Liverpool counterpart, Ray Clemence, denied a handful of chances at the other end. In the second half, the hot sun began to take its toll as both sets of players began to suffer cramps and fatigue. The best chance of the half came in the 77th minute, when Arsenal midfielder George Graham sent a header off the post.

But it was Liverpool who took the lead in just the second minute of extra time, as left winger Steve Heighway fired the ball past Wilson from the edge of the penalty area, beating the keeper at the near post. Just nine minutes later, though, Arsenal leveled the score after striker John Radford, facing away from goal, sent a speculative ball over his head and into the area, where Arsenal substitute midfielder Eddie Kelly got to it and prodded it toward the goal. At the time, it appeared that Graham took the last touch before the ball crossed the line, but replays later confirmed the goal as Kelly's, making him the first substitute to score in an FA Cup Final.

Then, in the 111th minute, Arsenal striker Charlie George delivered the winner with a right-footed blast from outside the penalty area. It was Arsenal's fourth FA Cup, but their first since 1950.

16 April 1905 - Liverpool Runs The Table

On 16 April 1905, Liverpool secured their second league title. It was the first time in league history that a newly-promoted team won the top flight.

Liverpool won their first league title in 1901, but three seasons later, they finished the season as the seventeenth-placed team out of eighteen and were relegated to the Second Division. But they returned at the first opportunity and were back in the top flight for the 1904-05 season.

Their return started poorly, with three losses in their first three matches. They turned things around quickly, however, winning twelve of their next fifteen to reach the top of the table by mid-December. Their good form continued into the second half of the season, with Preston North End in hot pursuit.

At the start of the day on 16 April, Preston were five points back with three games left to play. Liverpool were away to Bolton, where they lost 3-2. But fortunately for them, Preston also lost, falling 2-0 at Sunderland. That result put the title out of Preston's reach and made Liverpool the champions.