Aston Villa v Liverpool

Villa were a Football League founding member in 1888, five years before Liverpool even entered the competition.

Founded on 21 November 1874 in Aston, Birmingham, Villa were among the very first football clubs in England. They became a founding member of the Football League in 1888, winning the inaugural title in the 1893-94 season. By the time Liverpool entered the league in 1893, Villa were already established as one of the dominant forces in the English game.

Villa's Victorian Double came with a new home; Villa Park has hosted more FA Cup semi-finals than any ground in England.

In 1897, Villa achieved the league and FA Cup Double, one of only a handful of clubs to manage it in the Victorian era. That same year they moved to their permanent home at Villa Park in Trinity Road, Aston. The ground would go on to host more FA Cup semi-finals than any other venue in England, cementing its place in the fabric of the English game.

Two great industrial cities; one fixture that would never stop being played.

Liverpool had been elected to the Football League in 1893 and gained promotion to the First Division in 1896. The two clubs began meeting regularly in league fixtures from the late 1890s, establishing a rivalry between two of the country's great industrial cities. These early encounters set the tone for what would become one of English football's most frequently played fixtures.

McParland scored both Wembley goals as Villa claimed a record seventh FA Cup title.

Aston Villa defeated Liverpool in the 1957 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough, winning 2-1. Villa went on to beat Manchester United 2-1 in the final at Wembley, with Peter McParland scoring both goals. It was Villa's seventh FA Cup triumph, a record at the time, and a reminder of the club's deep roots in the competition's history.

Villa didn't just win the title; they ended four years of Liverpool collecting it almost by habit.

Under Ron Saunders, Aston Villa won the First Division championship in 1980-81, breaking Liverpool's stranglehold on the title. Liverpool had won four of the previous five league championships, and Villa's triumph was a genuine shock. The following season, under Tony Barton, Villa went one better and won the European Cup, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam.

Villa Park earned its place among England's finest stadiums just in time to host a European quarter-final.

Villa Park was selected as a venue for UEFA Euro 96, hosting group stage matches and a quarter-final. The ground's redevelopment through the 1990s had transformed it into one of England's finest stadiums. In the Premier League, Villa and Liverpool continued to produce memorable encounters, with both clubs regularly finishing in the top six during this period.

Benteke and Delph sent Villa to Wembley; the final, and relegation, were waiting just around the corner.

In the 2014-15 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, Aston Villa produced a stunning 2-1 victory over Liverpool. Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph scored the goals that sent Villa to the final. It was a rare bright spot in a difficult period for the club, though they would go on to lose the final 4-0 to Arsenal. The following season, Villa were relegated from the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins' hat-trick helped Villa hand Liverpool their worst league defeat in more than fifty years.

Promoted via the Championship play-offs in 2019, Villa returned to the top flight under Dean Smith. Their first home match against Liverpool that November ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat, but the fixture that season will be remembered for the 7-2 demolition of Liverpool at Villa Park in October 2020. Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick as Villa inflicted Liverpool's heaviest league defeat in over half a century.

Forty-two years between European campaigns; Villa now meet Liverpool not as underdogs, but as peers.

Under Unai Emery, Aston Villa finished fourth in the 2023-24 Premier League season, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since their European Cup triumph in 1982. The fixture against Liverpool now carries added weight, with both clubs competing at the highest level of European football. Villa Park's planned expansion to over 50,000 seats will ensure this fixture continues to be one of the most coveted matchday experiences in English football.