Liverpool v Everton- FA Cup History

No prizes for guessing which was the glamour tie of the Fourth Round FA Cup draw. The Merseyside giants were the first two balls out of the bowl to set up a tie that's eagerly anticipated all over the country.

This is the first time the two have been paired since 1991- that tie ended a period when the two clubs were yoked together regularly. Between 1985/96 and 1990/91  they met four times, two of which were Finals.

Liverpool won both Wembley games (1986 and 1989) in the period when Ian Rush was in his pomp and setting records for goals in FA Cup Finals. The Reds also removed Everton in the 5th Round in 1988.

It was sweet revenge for the Blues to win the 1990/91 epic which ran to three games and included the 4-4 draw that lives long in the memory. It proved to be the game that persuaded Kenny Dalglish to quit the strains of top flight management for a time and arguably Liverpool have been struggling to regain their status as premier club in England ever since.

Altogether the Merseyside clubs have been paired 15 times previously and Liverpool have prevailed nine times to Everton's six. As well as the Cup Finals the tremendous 1977 semi-final stands out.

That was a time when Liverpool were the dominant force in European football and had usurped Everton as the city's most prominent side. However, the Toffees produced a great perfromance to force a 2-2 draw but it could have been so much better.

With three minutes to go Northern Ireland internationl Bryan Hamilton bundled home a cross from close range to give Everton the lead, only for the 1970s most controversial referee to step in.

Clive 'The Book' Thomas gave handball, although replays showed that Hamilton had forced the ball home off his body. Liverpool escaped with a draw and took the replay by a convincing 3-0 margin.

Between them Liverpool and Everton have won the Cup 12 times- 7 for the Reds and 5 for the Blues. Surprisingly, given their post-war eminence, Liverpool didn't win the competition until as late as 1965; Everton opened their account way back in 1906.

The Toffees made their first appearance in the Final as far back as 1893 while Liverpool didn't reach the Wembley showpiece until 1950. The Reds certainly made up for lost time since.