Liverpool fans broke with their tradition of cheering for the opposition goalkeeper during the Merseyside derby on Saturday afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s side beat city rivals Everton 2-0 on Saturday, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice in the second half of the game. Their task was made much easier in the first half when Ashley Young received two yellow cards for a late tackle on Luis Diaz.
Liverpool fans broke with tradition to cheer Jordan Pickford as he ran towards the Kop as the team entered the second half. This is a centuries-old tradition at Anfield dating back to the 1960s and a sign of respect for the top opposition.
They refused to cheer and started booing because Pickford didn’t cheer when he ran towards the goal. Football statistician Dave Ball spoke to Anfield about this tradition.
“I always remember the game after England won the World Cup in 1966 when Liverpool played Everton in the Charity Shield and then the first game here (at Anfield) was against Leicester City in the league.” he said “Gordon Banks came to Leicester and I think Shankly sent him on early to get a feel for the Kop.
But when he came up against Liverpool, the Kop was absolutely explosive. This is the first time I’ve seen Cope act like this.“Some people say it was the 1950s and 1960s, but I’ve spoken to people and they don’t really remember, but they definitely remember it was Gordon Banks. “He was a great man from Merseyside, loved by the police.”
