The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England. It is the longest currently running top-flight derby in England, having been played at that level every season since 1962–63.
Traditionally, the Liverpool derby was referred to as the friendly derby because of the large number of families who have both Reds and Blues supporters in them. The match had been referred to as the "Merseyside derby" in at least one national newspaper in 1955, 19 years before the county of Merseyside was formed. Locally it is known as simply 'the derby'.
It is one of the few local derbies that does not enforce total fan segregation. With so many families and friends supporting both clubs, it is not uncommon to see Evertonians and Liverpudlians sitting together during the derby. The 1984 League Cup final at Wembley had the strange sight of almost all sections of the ground being mixed and combined chants of "Merseyside, Merseyside" and "Are you watching Manchester?" Since the mid 1980s however, the rivalry has intensified on and off the field, and since the inception of the Premier League the Merseyside derby has had more red cards than any other game, thus has been referred to as "The most ill-disciplined and explosive fixture in the Premier League".
Read more about Merseyside Derby: History, Friendly Derby, Win-loss Totals, Records, Switching Sides - "Crossing The Park", Notable Games, Doing The Double, Full List of Results