Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

Spurs' schoolboy founders were still in short trousers when Everton had already outgrown their church-hall origins.

Everton Football Club was formed in 1878 as St Domingo FC, a church team from the Everton district of Liverpool. They adopted the name Everton the following year. In north London, a group of schoolboys from Hotspur Cricket Club founded Hotspur Football Club in 1882, later adding 'Tottenham' to distinguish themselves from an existing club. Both would become founding pillars of English league football.

Everton were champions before Spurs had even found a proper pitch.

Everton were among the twelve founding members of the Football League in 1888 and won their first league title in 1891. By 1892 they had moved to Goodison Park, which would remain their home for over 130 years. Spurs, meanwhile, were still a non-league outfit playing on Tottenham Marshes, though their ambitions were growing rapidly.

The last non-league side to lift the FA Cup; a record that still stands well over a century later.

Tottenham Hotspur pulled off one of the great shocks in English football history by winning the 1901 FA Cup as a Southern League club, beating Sheffield United in a replayed final. It remains the last time a non-league side has lifted the trophy. Spurs joined the Football League in 1908, and the stage was set for regular meetings with Everton at the highest level.

The Double had been called impossible. Nicholson's Spurs simply ignored that.

Bill Nicholson's Tottenham became the first club in the 20th century to win the league and FA Cup Double in 1960-61, a feat many had considered impossible in the modern game. Everton, under Harry Catterick, hit back by winning the First Division title in 1962-63. The early 1960s saw both clubs at the peak of their powers, and their meetings carried genuine weight at the top of the table.

Everton claimed both the league and a European trophy in a single season; Spurs, no slouches themselves, brought Hoddle and Waddle to the contest.

Howard Kendall's Everton won the First Division title and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984-85, establishing themselves as the dominant force in English football. Spurs, meanwhile, were in the midst of their own strong period under Keith Burkinshaw and then David Pleat, with the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles and Chris Waddle gracing White Hart Lane. Meetings between the two sides during this era were full of flair and attacking intent.

Everton lifted the FA Cup in 1995, beating United in the final; their league form told a rather different story.

The Premier League era brought new challenges for both clubs. Everton won the FA Cup in 1995 under Joe Royle, beating Manchester United in the final, but spent much of the decade battling relegation. Spurs, under a revolving door of managers, were similarly inconsistent. Their league meetings became mid-table affairs, though no less competitive for it.

Spurs reached the Champions League for the first time in 2010; Everton spent most of the decade knocking on the same door.

David Moyes transformed Everton into consistent top-six challengers, while Spurs under Martin Jol and then Harry Redknapp were doing the same in north London. The fixture regained its significance as both clubs competed for Champions League and Europa League places. Spurs qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 2010, with Everton regularly finishing just behind them.

Sixty-two thousand seats, a Champions League final, and Everton's visit still to come; 2019 had no quiet months at N17.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened in April 2019, a 62,850-capacity ground that immediately became one of the finest in world football. Weeks later, Mauricio Pochettino's side reached the Champions League final in Madrid. Everton's first visit to the new ground came in the 2019-20 season, adding another chapter to a fixture that has now been played at venues from Tottenham Marshes to one of Europe's most advanced arenas.

A century and a third at Goodison, ended by a gleaming 52,888-seat stadium on the Mersey waterfront.

Everton's move to their new 52,888-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on Liverpool's waterfront marks the end of 133 years at Goodison Park. The fixture between these two clubs now features two of the newest and most impressive stadiums in English football. With over a century of competitive meetings behind them, Tottenham Hotspur versus Everton remains a fixture steeped in shared history and mutual respect.