The former Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe reminisces about past FA Cup ties between his club and Liverpool as the teams prepare to face each other in the third round at Anfield on FridayMy first experience of a Merseyside derby was also my first win over Liverpool – the FA Cup fourth round tie of January 1981 – but it is remembered for different reasons. We won 2-1 with Imre Varadi scoring our second goal and he celebrated by running straight over to the paddock at Goodison Park where the Evertonians would usually be. He didn’t realise that, because it was an FA Cup tie and Liverpool had been given more tickets than usual, the paddock had been given over to...
Without the injured striker the French midfielder stylishly took on the burden of being Manchester United’s main threat against EvertonBoth these sides have lost their way a little over the festive period, though not to the extent suggested midway through the first half when Wayne Rooney looked up in search of a team-mate to pass to and proceeded to pick out Juan Mata. The Manchester United fans in the Bullens Road stand were singing one of their old songs in Rooney’s honour at the time, yet the Everton captain has been back in blue for several months now and Sam Allardyce was rather hoping his distribution would be a help rather than a hindrance.Allardyce believes Everton have become more solid...
Carvalhal needs immediate impact at Swansea, Schmeichel seeks redemption and Chelsea’s Azpilicueta-Morata combination threatens StokeThe wisdom of appointing Carlos Carvalhal as Swansea’s new manager is, to say the least, questionable: a man who was dismissed on Christmas Eve for underachieving with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship does not inspire confidence. Still, he may prove successful: many doubted him when he arrived at Wednesday in 2015, and he started well there, reaching the play-offs in his first two seasons. But if he is to change things at the Liberty Stadium, he needs to do it immediately. After Saturday’s game at Watford, three of Swansea’s next four league games are against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool. If they do not beat the...
How will Arsenal cope with Liverpool’s fearsome foursome, the Mark Hughes ultimatum and whether Sam Allardyce will ever win over Everton fansIt would be a dereliction of duty if Arsène Wenger has not spent the past few days coming up with a way to stop Liverpool’s fearsome attack from running riot at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night. Arsenal’s manager cannot say that he has not been warned. He knows how much his team has suffered against these opponents since Jürgen Klopp’s arrival on Merseyside in October 2015 and nobody could say it was a surprise when Liverpool hammered Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield in August, with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah inspired and Philippe Coutinho not even involved....
Many thought the former Manchester United player was finished when he rejoined Everton but the 32-year-old’s position among the Premier League’s top scorers – while not really playing as a striker – proves otherwiseFourteen-goal Mohamed Salah may be the standout player of the first half of the Premier League season on Merseyside, and Manchester City are the undisputed goal kings with two players (Raheem Sterling and Sergio Agüero) reaching double figures before Christmas. Related: Sam Allardyce backs Wayne Rooney to prolong his career in a deeper role Continue reading...