Gary Neville has been proven statistically wrong with Everton and Liverpool’s disciplinary record after he claimed the Merseyside Derby is a ‘myth’ of football rivalries.
Everton and Liverpool hold a deep history of bitter rivalry, which Neville has clearly overlooked when making his comment.
The Merseyside Derby goes all the way back to 1894, with some naming the meeting between the two sides as the ‘Friendly Derby’.
However, it is a fixture that has proven anything but friendly over the years, with more red cards (27) showing in the fixture than any other Premier League rivalry.
Despite this, Neville has dismissed the Merseyside Derby as one of the biggest in the UK, but he could not be more wrong if he tried.
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What Gary Neville said about the Merseyside Derby
During a social media game with The Overlap, Neville was asked to name the best derby game fixture.
“The best atmosphere I’ve seen whilst I’ve been commentating is Tottenham and Arsenal,” said Neville.
“The Liverpool vs Everton thing is a myth.”
Ironically, you only have to go back less than two years to find Neville describing the Merseyside Derby as one of the biggest games of the season.
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“The Merseyside Derby has always been one of the biggest games on the calendar,” he told Sky Sports ahead of Everton’s 2-0 win back in 2024.
Why the Merseyside Derby most definitely is not a ‘myth’
It is clear that Neville is trying to insinuate here, by harking back to the ‘Friendly Derby’ term which is often branded on the fixture.
However, the rivalry between these two sides simply cannot be denied, with Peter Crouch stunned by Everton’s atmosphere vs Liverpool in the very final derby at Goodison Park.
This is a city that has been brought together by tragedy in the past, but when it comes to derby day, there is no room for sentiment.
You only have to go back to the final Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park to see there is nothing friendly once the whistle is blown in this fixture.
Abdoulaye Doucoure, Curtis Jones, Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were all sent off by referee Michael Oliver.
Recent Derby Red Cards Venue Player(s) Sent Off
Feb 12, 2025 Goodison A. Doucoure, C. Jones, A. Slot, S. Hulshoff
Oct 21, 2023 Anfield Ashley Young
Oct 17, 2020 Goodison Richarlison
Apr 20, 2016 Anfield Ramiro Funes Mori
Oct 1, 2011 Goodison Jack Rodwell
Feb 6, 2010 Anfield S. Kyrgiakos & S. Pienaar
Oct 20, 2007 Goodison Tony Hibbert & Phil Neville
The whole ‘Friendly Derby’ tag only goes to show just how intense the rivalry is given families are typically divided between the two sides.
On derby day, there is nowhere to hide for the losing set of supporters on Merseyside.
What has been said about the Merseyside Derby in the past
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has a long history of playing in the fixture, but even he has admitted that it caused him a lot of nerves.
“I’ve had fear going into every derby. The fear of losing, it is not nerves or a butterfly feeling, but it is there in the days leading up to the game. It can be energy sapping,” he told The Guardian.
Even recently, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall admitted there’s more Evertonians in Liverpool as he spoke about his arrival to Merseyside last year.
The next instalment of the Merseyside Derby is just a matter of months away, when Liverpool make their first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in April.
David Moyes will need no reminding just how big a fixture this is to both sets of supporters.
The Old Firm is often described as one of the most heated rivalries in world football, yet Moyes feels the Merseyside Derby is as important to the people of Liverpool.
“I was brought up amidst Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers and now I am in a city where football means as much as it does up there,” Moyes said during his first stint at Everton.
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