Some of the iconic Moments at Goodison Park

With Everton relocating to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the summer, Saturday’s game at Goodison Park will be Manchester United’s 107th and final visit to the Blues’ old home.

‘The Grand Old Lady’ has staged no fewer than 106 United fixtures since 1892, including three FA Cup semi-finals and even a home league game against Liverpool in 1948.

Goodison Park has witnessed many memorable scenes from our perspective and, in advance of this weekend’s encounter, six members of our editorial team have selected matches against the Toffees that hold personal significance…

BEN ASHBY

Alejandro Garnacho’s overhead surely wears the crown as our best-ever goal at Goodison Park. But when it comes to United goals scored at that venerable stadium, I’d also fly a little flag for Lee Sharpe’s effort in October 1993 – also a volley, but with standing foot very much planted. An Everton clearance looped high up and dropped inside the D, and Sharpey just met it on the full, lashing one into the corner. Big Neville Southall didn’t even move. It was a peach, and enough to win the game 1-0.

The memory is elevated by the era: that was a great team including Cantona, Hughes, McClair, Keane, many of my favourites. We were in a cool kit as well, and wearing the black shorts and socks option, which I liked. And it was the dawn of a golden age, of course – we’d just won the league, and that season (1993/94) we would go on to our first Double. I always liked Sharpey. I was a kid at school when he came through, and his youthful looks and raw speed were really appealing. He liked it at Goodison, as well – he’d scored a previous 1-0 winner there in 1990, and he’d bag a brace there in a 3-2 win in 1995.

Goodison has such an identity as a stadium, it’s instantly recognisable. Those distinct criss-cross panels you can see on one side have a United connection, as well – they were the work of Archibald Leitch, the architect who designed Old Trafford.

Everton 0 United 1 Video

Everton 0 United 1

23 October 1993: Lee Sharpe was our man on the scoresheet at Goodison Park…

STEVE BARTRAM

United have always had an innate ability to provoke the full gamut of emotions without warning, and so it proved in 2004’s last-gasp win at Goodison. From calm to smug to terrified to livid to some kind of cocktail of joy and relief, which we’ll call ‘joylief’, it took just 90 minutes to put years on the lives of every onlooker.

The first half went swimmingly, with Everton befuddled by the movement of newcomer Louis Saha, who thundered home two unerring finishes either side of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s typically predatory effort. Apparently home and hosed by the half-hour, both forwards then missed presentable chances and drew a stern half-time lecture from Sir Alex Ferguson for their profligacy. The Scot’s mood darkened with each passing minute in the second half as the hosts, identifying an aerial weakness in United, clawed their way back to parity with three headers, including one at the wrong end from John O’Shea.

All-square with 15 minutes left, anything could happen, such had been the shift in momentum. Thankfully, Ruud spared blushes – and possibly saved lives – by powering home a back-post header in the final minute from Ronaldo’s brilliant cross, to leave the count at three points and innumerable emotions.

Everton 3 United 4 Video

Everton 3 United 4

7 February 2004: Louis Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy each scored twice during an incredible game at Goodison Park…

SAM CARNEY

United’s first game back after the Treble triumph was also my maiden one as a supporter. My dad is an Evertonian and a veteran of many Goodison games during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and so the home of the Toffees was a fitting place for me to be introduced to live sport at the age of six.

We sat with the home fans, in the Family Enclosure and while for large spells those around me were frustrated, I was delighted as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men seemed to be getting the campaign off to a winning start. Dwight Yorke picked up where he left off in 1998/99 by opening the scoring just seven minutes in.

I have little memory of the game’s other incidents – a quarter of a century has passed! – but watching the highlights now, I’m struck by how threatening the Blues were, given the apparent gap in quality between the sides back then. It looked like Yorke’s goal was going to be enough to give me a first-ever taste of an ‘away-day’ three-pointer, but Jaap Stam unfortunately diverted a Nick Barmby header into his own net in the dying minutes. It was a valuable early lesson not to expect football to always go your way.

I’ll be there on Saturday – this time in the press box – so I’m hoping my best moment there watching United is yet to come!

Everton 1 United 1 Video

Everton 1 United 1

6 August 1999: The treble winners get their season underway against Everton at Goodison Park…

JOE GANLEY

It’s still probably my favourite away game of all: April 2007, and we’re locked in a tense and knotty title battle with Jose Mourinho’s seemingly indomitable Chelsea. It’s a glorious spring day at Goodison, and the air tingles with anticipation. But by half-time we’re one down. Within minutes of the restart, it’s two.

To make matters worse, I’m in the home end, to the side of a small pocket of Reds tucked away in the Bullens Road. As the Toffees’ goals go in, I have to stand up and blend in, however crushed I feel inside. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are ahead. I love Goodison Park’s intimacy but, let’s be honest: it’s not pleasant when Everton are on top. It feels claustrophobic. The players seem rushed on the ball. Every home pass and tackle are urged on with spiteful intent. But then the magic happens: a classic Fergusonian siege begins.

John O’Shea scores, then former Red Phil Neville bizarrely smashes into his own net, as the pressure mounts. With just over 10 left, Wayne Rooney deceives Tony Hibbert and slides United into a breathless lead. For the first time, countless Reds around me – silent up to this point – bravely go up. When Chris Eagles curls home the fourth in stoppage time, it feels like half the stand is on its feet, celebrating! ‘Reds are here, Reds are there…’

Brilliantly, Bolton are holding Chelsea in London, and we’re going five points clear. Half an hour earlier, Mourinho’s lads were joint-top. There’s always one away game, on a title race run-in, that becomes the proving ground for potential champions. In 2007, Goodison was it, and Rooney, Ronaldo and co stood up in thrilling fashion. In retrospect, it was the start of one of the greatest periods in United history. Halcyon days.

Everton 2 United 4 Video

Everton 2 United 4

28 April 2007: A huge result at Goodison as United came from 2-0 down to take another step towards title glory…

ADAM MARSHALL

I’ve been to Goodison on a handful of occasions and was at the game where Nemanja Vidic scored the winner a couple of years later, but this FA Cup tie from 2005 sticks most in my mind. It wasn’t a game for the faint-hearted as it marked Rooney’s first return to his former home ground and how the locals let him know their feelings on the subject. ‘Once a Blue, always a Red’ was the chant from the away end as the Everton faithful made it clear they felt let down by the budding superstar. (He was eventually ‘twice a Blue’ of course).

From what I remember, there was a police helicopter swirling overhead as I made my way into the ground, and a real air of hostility, that was maintained from the moment Rooney warmed up and appeared to get involved in some kind of verbal altercation with somebody on the pitch as he made his way towards the tunnel. The tone was set and he was mercilessly jeered and taunted with a ferociousness rarely seen, making the pig’s head thrown at Luis Figo by Barcelona fans appear tame in comparison.

We won 2-0 to progress to the quarter-finals, thanks to goals from Quinton Fortune and Cristiano Ronaldo, but things started to get uglier as the result became a foregone conclusion. Rooney was denied a goal by Nigel Martyn but that didn’t stop missiles raining down on him from the terraces. I think our ‘keeper Roy Carroll was even struck by one late on. The natives had grown increasingly restless and ‘Wazza’ was the focus for virtually all of their ire. From a United perspective, I think this was one to put in the ‘get the job done and get out’ category!

90 in 20: Everton v United Video

90 in 20: Everton v United

90 in 20 | Watch extended highlights from the Reds’ most recent trip to Goodison Park, featuring Garna’s great goal…

MIKEY PARTINGTON

I’ve had the privilege of attending two Goodison games over the years: an Everton win over Dagenham & Redbridge nearly 10 years ago, and last season’s United victory at the Blues’ iconic ground – so the latter is the obvious choice for me here!

Half of my family are Evertonians, so I’m often reminded of the ear-splitting atmosphere that ‘The Grand Old Lady’ can produce and I thought the incredible noise that greeted the teams emerging from the tunnel before kick-off – coupled with the home fans’ display of pink cards to protest a Premier League points deduction – would be my overriding memory from a first working visit to L4.

But Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning Puskas Award-winning overhead kick that followed, no more than 10 minutes later, meant I couldn’t have been more wrong. It inspired an eventually comprehensive 3-0 triumph and is a goal that still gives me goosebumps to recall today.