England’s festive footballing schedule might proceed to bemuse incoming abroad managers, but it surely stays among the finest days on the calendar for us as followers.
The Reds are the Christmas No. 1 for the fourth time within the final seven seasons and have been only one level off pace-setters Arsenal this time 12 months in the past.
A go to from Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester awaits us on Boxing Day this time round, with Arne Slot and his aspect seeking to preserve one foot down and depart the challengers in our wake heading into the New 12 months.
However how have we fared on at the present time in latest occasions?
Let’s check out the final 10 Boxing Day clashes and see which one ranks as our favorite of the lot!
10. Stoke 3-1 Liverpool – 2012
The Britannia Stadium wasn’t a very completely satisfied looking floor throughout Brendan Rodgers’ spell at Anfield and Boxing Day 2012 was a fairly gloomy affair so far as we have been involved.
Liverpool went in entrance inside two minutes when Steven Gerrard transformed from 12 yards however got here unstuck virtually instantly after when the unbearable Jon Walters levelled proceedings.
Kenwyne Jones then put the Potters forward after simply 12 minutes and it was Walters who doubled the benefit with a decisive third on a day when the Reds struggled to dwell with the customary long-ball soccer of a Tony Pulis aspect.
9. Man Metropolis 2-1 Liverpool – 2013
The 2013/14 season was among the many most enjoyable occasions to have ever been a Liverpool supporter, but it surely got here with a uncommon Boxing Day roadblock.
The Reds have been within the strategy of turning themselves into unlikely contenders beneath Rodgers, fuelled by the attacking firepower of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge with a reinvigorated Gerrard on the base of midfield.
Captained by Suarez and having simply picked up 4 straight wins, Liverpool obtained their noses in entrance via Philippe Coutinho and issues have been wanting rosy for the Christmas Day leaders.
However we have been pegged again by Vincent Kompany and Alvaro Negredo earlier than the interval, resulting in a defeat which noticed Rodgers’ aspect fall from first to fourth within the house of 24 hours.
8. Liverpool 1-1 Blackburn – 2011
Blackburn’s final league journey to Anfield noticed Liverpool ship a late Christmas current to then-manager Kenny Dalglish‘s former aspect.
Charlie Adam opened the scoring on the flawed finish with the guests rooted to the underside of the desk and it was left to Maxi Rodriguez to spare the Reds’ blushes with a header to proceed a sizzling goalscoring streak.
Anfield tried its trademark of sucking the ball into the Kop web however there was no such pleasure, with Liverpool discovering themselves sat sixth on the shut of play.
7. Liverpool 1-0 Leicester 2015
Leicester have traditionally been a well-liked festive selection for Liverpool by the fixture pc, as was the case when Jurgen Klopp obtained his first style of an English Christmas again in 2015.
Whereas it usually offers the tasteless sections of their fanbase a bemusing alternative to carry up poverty at a soccer match, the Reds have tended to take pleasure in greater than their justifiable share of success on the pitch.
We have been compelled to attend over an hour for the sport’s solely objective at a cold Anfield, however Christian Benteke’s winner was sufficient to halt the champions-elect of their tracks.
6. Burnley 0-2 Liverpool – 2023
From the primary to the final Boxing Day outing of the Klopp period, the Reds cemented their place on the prime of the pile with a 2-0 win at Turf Moor.
Liverpool have been made to work for it, although, with a late clincher from Diogo Jota sufficient to wrap up proceedings following Darwin Nunez‘s opener on six minutes.
Away wins are by no means simple to return by within the Premier League and it was a sign that the Reds meant enterprise of their quest to finish their legendary supervisor’s keep on the very best attainable observe.
In the end, it wasn’t to be and the watch for No. 20 was prolonged by no less than one other yr, however who is aware of how lengthy we must stay affected person for on that entrance.
5. Burnley 0-1 Liverpool – 2014
In latest occasions, Liverpool have twice taken the brief journey to Turf Moor whereas nonetheless digesting Christmas dinners and in 2014 it was Raheem Sterling’s flip to notch the decisive objective in a 1-0 victory.
Brad Jones (bear in mind him?) was compelled off after only a quarter of an hour with a thigh downside and changed by Simon Mignolet, who was himself getting back from a quick spell on the sidelines.
It was on no account fairly, however the Reds secured an all-important three factors at a stadium which isn’t any picnic at the most effective of occasions.
4. Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool – 2022
Liverpool’s spectacular 3-1 victory over Villa was uncommon in that it got here on the finish of a 44-day break from Premier League soccer.
High-flight duties had been briefly placed on maintain owing to the first-ever winter World Cup in Qatar, however the Reds picked up the place they left off courtesy of targets from Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and the primary of Stefan Bajcetic’s skilled profession.
It was additionally a giant evening for 17-year-old Ben Doak, who was handed his debut by the supervisor in what was a quick however spectacular cameo from the bench.
The evening was filled with positives but it surely was in any other case a marketing campaign to overlook for the Reds comparatively talking, falling out of the Champions League spots for the primary time in seven seasons.
3. Liverpool 5-0 Swansea – 2017
The 2017/18 season is finest remembered for the exhilarating run to Kyiv, however there have been greater than a handful of scintillating home shows to enrich the European fireworks.
The Reds confirmed no Christmas mercy towards the ultimately relegated Swansea at Anfield, hitting the entrance early doorways via Coutinho with what was a fairly brilliantly taken last objective for the membership.
He samba’d the evening away with compatriot Roberto Firmino, who delivered two of the 5 blows after the break to go alongside the efforts of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
2. Liverpool 4-0 Newcastle – 2018
Liverpool have been relentless of their pursuit of the league title in 2018/19 and the 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle at Anfield was no exception.
Xherdan Shaqiri stole the present in what was a comparatively uncommon begin for the Swiss worldwide, serving to to arrange Dejan Lovren‘s thunderous opener earlier than later making it 3-0 with a composed short-range end of his personal.
Shaqiri’s objective was sandwiched between a Salah penalty and late Fabinho header, with the Reds spurred on by Anfield at its finest and filled with festive cheer.
The win stored Liverpool on the prime of the pile en path to a record-setting 97-point tally that was agonisingly bettered by Man Metropolis in Might.
1. Leicester 0-4 Liverpool – 2019
There was solely ever going to be one winner when it got here to selecting the most effective of our Boxing Day choices from throughout the previous few years.
When the Reds travelled to the King Energy on December 26 2019, Rodgers’ Leicester have been sudden contenders to the throne that they had spectacularly occupied simply three years earlier.
Alexander-Arnold wreaked havoc as he and his teammates swatted apart an opponent that had been deemed their largest hurdle.
Whenever you win the league as convincingly as Liverpool did in 2019/20, it affords followers the luxurious of handpicking the second they allowed themselves to consider the title was destined to return to Anfield.
You’d battle to discover a extra vital step on that journey than the one Klopp’s aspect took on that evening within the East Midlands, one of many membership’s actually all-time nice away wins.
