Danny Murphy has claimed that the matches between Liverpool and Everton today are “a far cry” from the Merseyside derby clashes he used to watch as a child.
Both teams from each Stanley Park side used to regularly battle for the top of the league and for both national cups, but the Blues have gone 28 years without winning a trophy after their FA Cup success in 1995.
Despite the bitter rivalry between the two sets of supporters, the 45-year-old believes that most Reds fans will not want to see Sean Dyche’s side relegated to the Championship.
“This Merseyside derby with Liverpool and Everton fighting is a far cry from the ones I attended as a fan, when they were the two best teams in the country,” Murphy told the Daily Mail.
“Everton are even in danger of losing their Premier League status. You might hear some taunting towards them on Monday night, but I don’t think most Liverpool fans want them to go down.
“On the one hand, it will mean that there are no derbies next season. But it goes deeper than that.
READ MORE: ‘Criticize me’: Jurgen Klopp takes full responsibility as he admits Liverpool are in a ‘crisis’
“I was also at the Gwladys Street End in Goodison for the 4-4 FA Cup draw which led to the shock resignation of Kenny Dalglish. However, he was safe.
“You don’t have to go that far back to see 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 are not divided geographically between red and blue, they are mixed, and the support within Anfield is passionate, while other derbies, by 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’ where rival fans used to sit together at both Anfield and Goodison Park in years gone by, something that is not as common anymore.
Both teams need three points tomorrow night and the Toffees will be enjoying their chances of pulling off another upset after defeating league leaders Arsenal last weekend.
Liverpool have yet to win a league game since the turn of the year, but there is no better game to get us back to winning ways.
40% of Liverpool’s summer loans failed: what happened to the club’s loan system?
