Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Under the leaden skies of Walton, on the corners of City Road and Stanley Park, Goodison Park stands as it has since 1892-a weathered sentinel of football history, its brick facade absorbing the stories of generations. Now, as spring unfolds across Merseyside in 2025, the grand old lady prepares for her final curtain call.
The countdown has begun. With each passing match, the turnstiles click with added poignancy, each goal celebrated with the bittersweet knowledge that these moments are numbered. Supporters arrive earlier and linger longer, tracing familiar routes through streets named for Victorian politicians, touching brickwork worn smooth by decades of anticipatory fingertips, inhaling the unique alchemy of scouse pies, cold ale, and tradition.
For many, Goodison isn't merely architecture but autobiography-the backdrop against which life's milestones have played out. Their chairs will come unbolted with them when they leave, and the programmes will be collected.
Children who once stood on milk crates to glimpse Howard Kendall's champions now bring grandchildren to these same terraces, explaining how a football ground becomes sacred space.
As Everton prepare to migrate to the sleek modernity of Bramley-Moore Dock, these final fixtures have become pilgrimages-not just to watch football, but to commune with something deeper: a collective memory, a shared inheritance, a tangible link to what came before.
In this article, we travel back in time through the treasure trove of Toffees' history, exploring when a free bet for the title would often include Everton in the run in, and now how they plan to say goodbye to a ground etched in history.
A year on from Liverpool's European successes in Rome, Everton hosted Bayern Munich in the second leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final at Goodison.
After a goalless first leg in Munich, Bayern took the lead through Dieter Hoeneß in the first half. However, Everton mounted a spirited comeback in the second half, with goals from Graeme Sharp, Andy Gray, and Trevor Steven securing a 3–1 victory.
This remarkable turnaround propelled Everton to their first European final, which they went on to win 3-1 against Rapid Vienna.
February 20, 1991, delivered a Merseyside derby that defied logic and tested cardiac health across the city-a night when Goodison showcased its capacity for sheer, unscripted drama.
Four times Liverpool led; four times Everton found equalisers, the emotional oscillation in the stands matching the chaotic energy on the pitch as hope, despair, and disbelief cycled through the crowd with each ripple of the net.
Peter Beardsley's hat-trick for Liverpool should have been the story, but instead became merely a subplot in a narrative too rich for single heroes.
As the final whistle confirmed a 4-4 stalemate, exhausted fans filed out into the night, emotionally spent yet spiritually nourished, unaware that the next day Kenny Dalglish would shock football by resigning as Liverpool manager, citing the emotional toll of recent events including this extraordinary night at Goodison.
Now a modern-day classic. With relegation fears haunting Everton yet again, the visit of title-chasing Liverpool carried an air of foreboding as the stadium that afternoon felt like a fortress preparing for siege.
What followed was Goodison distilled to its essence-not the silky football of the mid-80s, but the defiant, backs-against-the-wall spirit that has defined Everton's more recent identity.
Jarrad Branthwaite's opener unleashed decades of frustration, the young defender's celebration expressing something raw and authentic that connected with the crowd.
When Dominic Calvert-Lewin powered home the second, the stadium responded with a noise that echoed that famous night against Bayern, providing supporters too young to remember European glory with their own reference point-their story to pass down.
The victory lifted Everton away from relegation danger and damaged Liverpool's title ambitions, but more importantly, it offered one final derby triumph to carry to the new stadium-proof that Goodison's spirit remained undimmed even in its twilight years.
On 12 February 2025, the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ended in a dramatic 2–2 draw. Beto scored the opening goal in the 11th minute, but Liverpool responded with goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah. In the 98th minute, James Tarkowski equalised for Everton, sparking wild celebrations.
The ensuing melee, resulting in dismissals for players from both sides and Liverpool's manager, Arne Slot, seemed almost fitting-a final release of the passionate intensity that had always defined this fixture at this venue.
As fans streamed onto the pitch at the final whistle, the stewards made only token efforts to stop them-this was their moment, their farewell, their last communion with sacred ground.
My daughter's first ever football match - Orlando City v Atlanta United, August 2019. Written for Izzy to read when she gets old enough. Vamos Orlando
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