Liverpool haunted by 26-year Anfield curse as Merseyside derby heartbreak continues

When Matt Beard addressed the media ahead of the Women's Merseyside derby, it was clear the Liverpool boss was under no illusions about the scale of the challenge facing his side at Anfield.

"In these derbies, the form book goes out the window," he said. "I genuinely mean that. I’ve been involved in so many over my time at the football club. You’ve got both sets of players wanting to earn the bragging rights for their supporters."

While the immateriality of form ahead of derby days might be exaggerated in some quarters, history dictates Beard was right to temper the burgeoning expectation surrounding his side with a note of caution. Liverpool's start to the season had admittedly been very impressive ahead of Sunday's clash.

The Reds had defied the odds to score back-to-back victories against Arsenal and Aston Villa and had the opportunity to go to the summit of the Women's Super League (WSL) table with a win against their city rivals. That Everton had failed to triumph in either of their opening two clashes - they were beaten by both Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City - only compounded the notion this was Liverpool's derby to lose.

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'Sick to death' - Liverpool boss slams 'embarrassing' decision in defeat to Everton

And yet, Beard and his players had been here before. After all, it was only 12 months ago that Brian Sorensen's side put Liverpool to the sword in L4, scoring three without reply to stifle the early season momentum generated by the Reds' sensational opening day win over Chelsea.

And while the wounds inflicted by that bruising defeat are still raw, the origins of Liverpool's Anfield hoodoo actually predate this millennium. In