LIVERPOOL, England -- The distance between Everton's iconic stadium, Goodison Park, and Liverpool's Anfield home measures at little more than half a mile.
Separated only by Stanley Park -- where Everton played during the club's most formative years -- Merseyside's footballing giants have spent more than a century as neighbours, bonded by a sense of territorial kinship, even as the fortunes of the two clubs have veered in drastically different directions.
Change, however, is on the horizon, with Everton set to move to their state-of-the-art new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season. It is for that reason that this weekend's Merseyside derby -- the 245th meeting between the two sides and the last in the league at Goodison Park -- feels particularly significant.
Liverpool are top of the Premier League table, having won 18 of their 21 games in all competitions this term. Everton, meanwhile, are languishing in 15th, with just two victories in their last eight matches. But, as the old cliché goes, the form book goes out of the window on derby day and, with this weekend's result set to be eternally preserved in the history books, both teams will be looking to make Goodison's derby farewell a memorable one.
"When the gantry shakes there's nothing like it"
When legendary Portugal striker Eusébio returned to Goodison -- where he had scored six goals across two games at the 1966 World Cup -- he made no secret of his admiration for the place. Appearing on the pitch ahead of Everton's Europa League clash with Benfica in 2009, he said: "Today for me, for my family, it's a good day, for Benfica to play here. This stadium for me is the best stadium in my playing life."
For Everton fans, Goodison is and will forever be the club's spiritual home. Having spent close to a decade playing at Anfield in the late 19th century, the Blues relocated in 1892 following a dispute with land-owner John Houlding -- who subsequently went on to form a rival team: Liverpool Football Club.
With Liverpool's inception having been born from acrimony, it is perhaps little wonder that the relationship between the two city rivals has always carried an extra edge. But, over the past 134 years, Goodison has become an institution in its own right, playing host to some of the world's greatest players, from Pelé to Franz Beckenbauer.
"It is a kind of a 'Last of the Mohicans,'" actor and lifelong Evertonian Andrew Gower tells ESPN. "If those walls could speak, they would tell you tales of Pelé and Eusébio, and of titles and relegations.
"It also speaks on behalf of the community. I grew up around Goodison Park and people have given their lives to the community there. We should be very proud as Evertonians of what goes on and how much goes into the community there."
Gower -- known for TV shows such as "Outlander" and "Being Human" -- was introduced to the title-winning Everton sides of the 1980s by his great-uncles and older brother, and his affinity with Goodison is such that his band, Gustaffson, have released a song in the stadium's honour. Named "Lights Under Goodison," the song is a love letter to the ground and its surrounding areas, written after Alex Iwobi's stoppage-time goal secured Everton an important win over Newcastle United in March 2022.
"As a band, you don't always want to try and speak on behalf of a fanbase because everybody has their own individual memories and relationship with Goodison Park, but the response from the fans has been incredible," Gower says. "They've welcomed it with open arms.
"When Everton unite as a fanbase, especially at Goodison, I personally feel that there's no other fanbase like us. Sometimes it takes a lot for us to unite but, when we do, as we have done in the last couple of years with back-to-back relegation battles, the scenes at Goodison Park and the collective energy I've felt at that stadium is unmatched.
"I always say imagine if Everton won something again, that united energy would be off the scale. Gary Neville, Gary Lineker -- they all talk about Goodison under the lights and say when the gantry shakes there's nothing like it."
One of the places referenced in Gustaffson's song is The Winslow Hotel, which is located on Goodison Road, in the shadow of the stadium. Nicknamed "The People's Pub" -- a reference to the moniker of "The People's Club," handed to Everton by former manager David Moyes -- the venue opened its doors in 1886 and has been home to the Everton Supporters (Goodison) Club for close to three decades.
"From the moment a first ball was kicked at Goodison in 1892, the pub has been a part of the fans' matchday ritual and it will be right up until the last game," David Bond, The Winslow's general manager, tells ESPN.
"Derbies are like no other game for us. The build-up is very similar for every game, except for the derby, when everything is taken to another level. We no sooner open the door than we're bombarded. There's no respite. It's a tough day but it's also a hugely enjoyable day -- especially if we get a result."
"Everton would love nothing more than to stop Liverpool winning the title"
Derby wins at Goodison have been relatively hard to come by for both Liverpool and Everton in recent years. The hosts clinched a famous victory over Jürgen Klopp's side last term, signalling the end of Liverpool's already-faltering title charge, while the Reds have secured just two wins in their last 10 league trips across Stanley Park.
Four of the last seven meetings between the two sides at Goodison have ended in a goalless draw, with the desire of both sets of players to claim the local bragging rights often leading to tense, highly-charged encounters.
"It means more as a local player because we know what it's about," former Liverpool striker John Aldridge, who was born and raised in the city, tells ESPN. "We live in the city so we know what it means.
"When I was a kid, I used to get so nervous for the Merseyside derby. I wouldn't sleep. You'd be going into school on the Monday and getting ripped by the Evertonians if you lost.
"This weekend is a really important game for both sides. Everton are struggling, they're fighting near the bottom of the table. Liverpool are obviously fighting to win the title so there's a lot riding on it. Everton would love nothing more than to stop Liverpool winning the league."
Last season, the Everton supporters took great pleasure in their team doing just that, as goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin secured a famous 2-0 win for the hosts.
Chants of "You lost the league at Goodison Park," could be heard echoing around the terraces -- a taunt first coined in 2019 when a goalless draw at Goodison saw Liverpool cede their grip on the title to eventual champions Manchester City -- and Aldridge is under no illusions about the fact Sean Dyche's side will be looking to repeat that trick again on Saturday.
"Goodison means a lot to Evertonians and we want to spoil the party, especially after what happened last year," he says. "We were outfought and outbattled so we need to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Merseyside derby win could be "platform" for Everton
So far this season, Everton and Liverpool have enjoyed vastly contrasting fortunes. Following Klopp's departure in the summer, new head coach Arne Slot seems to have reinvigorated a team that, by the end of last term, looked some way off competing with Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the table.
Liverpool are seven points clear of second-place Chelsea, with September's shock defeat to Nottingham Forest the only major blot on Slot's copybook. Everton, meanwhile, have just three victories in their 14 league games this season, though the fact that one of those came in the shape of a 4-0 demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday -- while Liverpool dropped points in a chaotic 3-3 draw at Newcastle -- has tentatively stoked some flames of optimism within the Blues' fanbase.
"Before the game against Wolves, we wouldn't have had any hope of pulling a rabbit out of the hat on Saturday," says Bond. "But we scored four goals and Liverpool conceded three so maybe there is a chance.
"If we got a derby win, I think that could be a platform to go on and get a string of results. I couldn't even put into words what a win would mean to Everton fans and, who knows, maybe the stars will align."
"Anything can happen" on derby day
While this weekend will mark the end of an historic chapter for Everton, it also signals the dawning of a new era. The club unveiled their plans to build a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock back in March 2017 and, against the backdrop of the club's myriad struggles on and off the pitch in recent years, the prospect of the move has remained a rare shining light for many supporters.
Everton remain a club in flux. Last season, they were handed two separate points deductions for breaching the Premier League's financial rules, while a need to avoid further infringements has left Dyche and his staff significantly stymied in the transfer market.
In September, Texas-based consortium The Friedkin Group agreed on a deal to take over Everton owner Farhad Moshiri's 94.1% controlling stake in the club, though that deal has not yet been officially ratified. There is hope that, when a takeover is finalised, Everton will be able to put some of their recent struggles behind them.
But taking a stride towards the future will inevitably have some repercussions for many of the businesses synonymous with the club's past, including The Winslow.
"The move to Bramley-Moore has been seven years in the making so I have been looking at different contingency plans and different options down there but I walked away from all of those because it just didn't stack up financially," Bond says.
"Obviously because of the connection between The Winslow and Everton it is extremely difficult but we're just going to have to adapt. We're going to run coaches on a matchday from the Winslow and a lot of the feedback from the fans has been quite positive.
"At the moment, we're in talks with Sefton City Council about a possible joint venture at Salt and Tar in Bootle to utliise it as an Everton matchday venue with a Park and Ride service to Bramley-Moore. But the whole ritual around the new stadium is going to be entirely difficult to how it is at Goodison Park."
For now, though, the focus remains firmly on the present and, from an Everton perspective, there would be no finer way to commemorate Goodison's final season than to put their city rivals to the sword.
"I know that for Liverpool fans, although we mock each other over Stanley Park, it will be special for a lot of those away fans coming to Goodison for the last time, because it's played a big part in their lives as well," Gower says.
"Anything can happen on derby day, and if we do get the three points it will be a special way to draw the curtain on the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park."