Everton v Manchester City

A fixture spanning three centuries began before Manchester City even had a name.

Everton, founded in 1878, and Ardwick AFC (who would become Manchester City in 1894) were both part of the early fabric of organised English football. Everton had joined the Football League as a founding member in 1888; Ardwick entered the newly formed Second Division in 1892. Their first competitive meeting came in the 1891-92 season, setting in motion a fixture that would span three centuries.

The first purpose-built football ground in England, born from a landlord's quarrel and 130 years of fortress mentality.

After a dispute over rent at Anfield, Everton moved across Stanley Park to a new ground on Mere Green Field. Goodison Park became the first major purpose-built football stadium in England, and it would host this fixture for over 130 years. The ground's tight, atmospheric stands became a defining feature of the matchday experience, with visiting sides always aware of the proximity of the Gwladys Street End.

Two title-winning clubs, one decade; the 1930s belonged to Everton and City in equal measure.

The 1930s saw both clubs at the height of their pre-war powers. Everton won the First Division title in 1931-32 and the FA Cup in 1933. Manchester City, meanwhile, won the FA Cup in 1934 and the league title in 1936-37. Meetings between the two were genuine clashes of heavyweights, played in front of packed terraces at Goodison and Maine Road alike.

Nine points clear; Everton's Holy Trinity made recent champions look ordinary.

Harry Catterick's Everton side, built around the midfield brilliance of Alan Ball, Howard Kendall, and Colin Harvey, won the First Division title in 1969-70 by nine points. Manchester City, who had won the league just two years earlier under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, were among the sides left trailing. The fixture during this era carried real weight: two clubs with recent titles, packed with internationals, and playing football that drew neutrals.

Everton lifted two trophies in 1984-85; City were heading in the opposite direction entirely.

Howard Kendall's Everton won the league title and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984-85, playing some of the finest football the club has ever produced. Manchester City, by contrast, were relegated from the First Division that same season. It was a stark illustration of how fortunes can diverge. The fixture would continue through the divisions, but the balance of power had shifted decisively towards Merseyside.

A Commonwealth Games stadium as their new home; ambition written in concrete, even if the league table told a different story.

Manchester City left Maine Road, their home since 1923, and moved into the City of Manchester Stadium, built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The increased capacity and modern facilities signalled ambition, though the club was still a mid-table Premier League side at this point. Everton, under David Moyes, were quietly building a team that would qualify for the Champions League in 2005. The fixture remained competitive, with neither side yet aware of the seismic shift about to come.

One British-record signing told you everything about where Manchester City were headed.

The Abu Dhabi United Group's acquisition of Manchester City in September 2008 changed the landscape of English football. The deadline-day signing of Robinho for a British record fee announced the new owners' intentions. Within four years, City would win the Premier League title. The fixture with Everton, once a meeting of relative equals, began to tilt heavily in City's favour as their spending power dwarfed anything the Toffees could match.

A century of points; Everton shipped eight goals across two matches that season and barely noticed the view from the summit.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City won the 2017-18 Premier League with 100 points, a record that still stands. Everton were beaten 3-1 at Goodison and 5-0 at the Etihad that season. The gulf between the two clubs had become a chasm. City would go on to win six of the next seven league titles, including an unprecedented four in a row from 2021 to 2024, while Everton battled relegation and points deductions.

A ground that staged this fixture in the 1890s will host it for the final time before Everton trade history for a 52,888-seat future on the waterfront.

The 2024-25 season marks Everton's final campaign at Goodison Park before the club moves to its new 52,888-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool's waterfront. The last Everton v Manchester City match at Goodison carries a particular poignancy: a farewell to a ground that has hosted this fixture since the 1890s. The new stadium represents a fresh start for a club that has endured turbulent years of ownership uncertainty and on-pitch struggles.