Everton v Manchester Utd

Born in a church, bound for the Football League; Everton's rise from parish kickabout to founding member took just a decade.

Everton's origins trace back to St Domingo FC, a cricket and football club formed by the congregation of St Domingo's Methodist Church in the Everton district of Liverpool. The club adopted the name Everton in 1879 and quickly established itself as one of the strongest sides in the north-west, becoming a founding member of the Football League in 1888.

Goodison was purpose-built for ambition before United even had their name.

Everton moved to their new home at Goodison Park in 1892, the same year Newton Heath (who would become Manchester United in 1902) joined the Football League's First Division. The two sides met for the first time that season. Goodison was already a ground of ambition; it became the first major football stadium in England to be purpose-built, complete with two covered stands.

Sixty goals in a single season; a record that has outlasted every challenger for nearly a century.

William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean's record of 60 league goals in the 1927-28 season remains one of football's most untouchable achievements. Everton won the First Division title that year, and Dean's prolific form made Goodison Park one of the most feared grounds in the country. Manchester United, by contrast, were relegated that same season, underlining the gulf between the two clubs at the time.

The only club ground outside London to host a World Cup semi-final; Goodison's place in football history was sealed in the summer of '66.

When England hosted the 1966 FIFA World Cup, Goodison Park was selected as one of the tournament venues, hosting five matches including a semi-final. It was the only club ground outside London to stage a semi-final, a mark of its standing in the English game. The ground's reputation as a proper football venue was cemented. Meanwhile, Manchester United were building the side that would win the European Cup two years later under Matt Busby.

Whiteside's curling finish denied Everton a treble in 1985; cruel timing for the finest Toffees side in living memory.

Howard Kendall's Everton side of the mid-1980s was arguably the finest in the club's history. They won the First Division title in 1985 and 1987, the FA Cup in 1984, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985. Matches against Manchester United during this period were genuine clashes of heavyweights. The 1985 FA Cup final saw United beat Everton 1-0 thanks to Norman Whiteside's curling extra-time winner, denying the Toffees an unprecedented treble.

Thirteen league titles for United; zero relegations for Everton. Two very different ways to write history.

Both Everton and Manchester United were founding members of the Premier League in 1992. While United went on to dominate the new era under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning 13 league titles, Everton endured a more turbulent period. The fixture remained a highlight of the calendar, though. Everton are one of only a handful of clubs never to have been relegated from the top flight since the Football League's formation.

United came for the Double; Rideout's header sent them home with nothing.

Everton met Manchester United in the 1995 FA Cup final at Wembley. United were chasing the Double, but Paul Rideout's first-half header secured a 1-0 victory for the Toffees. It was a result that meant everything to Everton, who had narrowly avoided relegation that season. Joe Royle's side produced one of the great cup final upsets, and the image of Neville Southall celebrating at the final whistle remains iconic.

Moyes led Everton to fourth place in 2004-05, qualifying for the Champions League on a limited budget.

Under David Moyes, Everton finished fourth in the 2004-05 Premier League season, qualifying for the Champions League. It was a remarkable achievement on a limited budget, and Moyes built a side that consistently punched above its weight. Matches against Manchester United during this period were tight, tactical affairs. Moyes would later succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2013, a move that underlined the respect United had for his work at Goodison.

132 years of Goodison memories, now carried inside dock walls that once held cargo ships.

After 132 years at Goodison Park, Everton moved to their new 52,888-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool's waterfront in 2025. The ground, now known as the Hill Dickinson Stadium, is a striking brick-clad structure built within the historic dock walls. It represents the most significant moment in the club's modern history. Hosting Manchester United at the new ground carries the weight of over a century of shared history into a bold new setting.