It is quite an unnatural sight to see, when two great clubs with a vast history of success in the same city take a liking for one another. Take the Manchester derby for example, or the Derby della Madonnina (Milan derby) in Italy, or the Old Firm derby in Scotland, and one commonality is the hostility and acrimony shared between the two contesting sides. However, that's exactly what set the Merseyside side derby between Liverpool and Everton apart. Called the 'Friendly Derby', supporters of both sides used to share stands and each other's revelry in the olden days. Times have changed since, with games between the two sides in the more recent day marred with malevolence and spite. Not many stories in football however are as enriching, or as exciting, as the story of Merseyside.
Everton, having now competed a record 108 seasons in the English top division, was founded as a football club in 1878, with the side then playing their football at Anfield. Interestingly, the formation of Liverpool had a lot to do with their neighbour club, as Everton, after having a dispute with the owner of Anfield John Houlding over the fixed-rent they paid for using the ground, relocated to Goodison Park, where they've been based since 1892. Following that, Houlding, having no one playing at his ground, founded his own club called Everton Athletic. The Football League refused to acknowledge another side with the name of Everton, so the side were forcibly renamed Liverpool Football Club.