Danny Murphy has claimed that fixtures between Liverpool and Everton nowadays are a ‘far cry’ from the Merseyside derby clashes he used to watch as a kid.
Both sides from each side of Stanley Park used to regularly battle it out at the top of the league and for both domestic cups but the Blues have now gone 28 years without picking up any silverware after their FA Cup success back in 1995.
Despite the bitter rivalry between both sets of supporters, the 45-year-old believes that the majority of Reds fans will not want to see Sean Dyche’s side relegated to the Championship.
“This Merseyside derby with both Liverpool and Everton struggling is a far cry from the ones I attended as a fan, when they were the best two teams in the country,” Murphy told the Daily Mail.
“Everton are even in danger of losing their Premier League status. You may hear some taunts towards them on Monday night, but I don’t think the majority of Liverpool fans will want them to be relegated.
“For one thing, it will mean no derbies next season. But it goes deeper than that.
“I was also on the Gwladys Street End at Goodison for the 4-4 FA Cup draw that led to Kenny Dalglish’s shock resignation. Yet I was safe.
“You don’t have to go that far back to see the clubs helping each other. Everton helped support the Hillsborough families, and Liverpool were deeply affected when young Everton fan Rhys Jones was shot dead.
“Areas of the city aren’t split geographically between red and blue, they are mixed, and the support inside Anfield is a passionate one, while other derbies, in contrast, can be hate-fests.
“Liverpool will want the chance to beat Everton twice next season rather than see them in the Championship.”
The Merseyside derby is traditionally known as the ‘friendly derby’ with rival fans often sat together in both Anfield and Goodison Park in years gone by – something that’s not so common anymore.
Both sides are in need of three points tomorrow night and the Toffees will fancy their chances of causing another upset after defeating league leaders Arsenal last weekend.
Liverpool are yet to win a league game since the turn of the year but there’s no better game for us to return to winning ways.
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