Abel Xavier (right) in 2015 Photo: VCG

By the time Monday night rolls around on Merseyside, Liverpool could be the champions of England for the first time in three decades.

Manchester City needed to ensure that they did not follow up their 2-0 defeat in the Manchester derby with defeats to Arsenal and Burnley but they (and Everton fans) were given a reprieve. The Arsenal game was postponed because of the coronavirus and Juergen Klopp's side could no longer celebrate this weekend.  

Should they need to win a game, their first opportunity to do so is against the old enemy Everton, who host the champions elect at Goodison Park on Monday.

There was a time when these two clubs battled it out to become champions of England, with the old First Division title being handed from one side of Stanley Park, which separates Anfield and Goodison, to the other during the 1980s. Neither has won it since 1990, of course, when Liverpool's run of 18 top flight titles and counting stopped just before the foundation of the English Premier League.

While neither side has been crowned the champions, the silverware has not stopped at Anfield but the trophy cabinet at Everton has been barren. Dust has gathered since it was last opened with the win over Manchester United in the 1995 FA Cup.

Sadly for the Blues, this is the closest they will get to a cup final this season, with a win or a draw serving the dual purposes of delaying the inevitable title procession and stopping Liverpool "doing the double" by winning both Premier League meetings in a season.

When the teams last met in January, Liverpool won 1-0 in the FA Cup third round. That came on the back of their only other meeting this season when a second-string Liverpool side beat Everton 5-2 at Anfield.

The current gulf in fortunes is a far cry from the days past, when not only did both sides regularly win but players often turned out for both clubs in their careers. 

In fact, some 38 players have worn the red of Liverpool and the blue of Everton in the 127 years that both clubs have co-existed just a mile or so apart.

That bonhomie was a large part of the reason why the Liverpool-Everton rivalry was long known as the "friendly derby" even during the 1980s when the teams were battling it out for trophies, although those days, much like the years where players would switch sides, are long gone. 

Maybe such days will return, but in the meantime, here are the five most recent players that have "crossed the park."

Gary Ablett - Liverpool (1986-92), Everton (1992-96)

The local Liverpool lad came through the academy at Liverpool and eventually found himself first choice, three years after making his debut.

Those six years and 147 appearances at the Anfield club saw him lift the First Division twice, including Liverpool's most recent title in 1990, and an FA Cup.

He would lift the trophy again with Everton in 1995, three years after "crossing the park" for a 750,000 pound fee. 

That made history as Ablett became the only player to win the cup with both Liverpool and Everton. As well as a cup win, Ablett would become a mainstay for the Toffees. 

Sadly, Ablett died on January 1, 2012, after losing a battle with cancer.

Nick Barmby - Everton (1996-2000), Liverpool (2000-02)

It seems bizarre to think in the megamoney days of the Premier League in 2020 that Barmby was signed for a club record 5.75 million pound fee when he arrived at Everton from Middlesbrough in 1996. 

While there was to be no glory for Barmby at Goodison, he was almost ever present as he helped the club escape relegation to the second tier on the final day of the 1999-2000 season. 

Not everyone was pleased when Barmby "crossed the park" - becoming the first player to leave Everton for Liverpool since Dave Hickson some four decades earlier. 

The England midfielder would win a treble of trophies under Gerard Houllier, including the UEFA Cup. 

Barmby would leave for Leeds United before finding his way to boyhood club Hull City, who he would also go on to manage. His son Jack plays for US side Phoenix Rising.

Peter Beardsley - Liverpool (1987-91), Everton (1991-93)

The England forward is the answer to the football trivia question: Who has played for both Manchester and both Liverpool sides? He arrived at Liverpool via Carlisle United, Manchester United, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Newcastle United to partner John Aldridge and John Barnes. 

The 1.9 million pound English record transfer won two titles and the FA Cup, playing 175 times for the Reds and scoring 59 goals. Then he "crossed the park" to play 95 times in Everton blue and score 32 goals. 

Beardsley scored in the derby for Everton so is also another piece of footballing trivia as one of only three players to score for both sides in a Merseyside derby. 

He returned to Newcastle United and eventually retired, after several more clubs, aged 38. Beardsley would later return to Newcastle as a coach but was sacked in 2019 amid allegations of racism.

Sander Westerveld - Liverpool (1999-2001), Everton (2006)

The goalkeeper arrived from Vitesse Arnhem in his native Netherlands and won the treble in 2001 before being sold to Real Sociedad. 

He was back in Liverpool with Everton on loan from Portsmouth in 2006 where he made two appearances.

Abel Xavier - Everton (1999-2002), Liverpool (2002-03)

The last player to "cross the park" was another to swap Everton for Liverpool. The Portugal fullback had made 45 appearances for the Toffees since he arrived from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. 

In the 2002-03 season Xavier would make history as the only player to appear for opposing sides in Merseyside derbies in the same season. He quit football aged 37 and turned to Islam after ending his career at the LA Galaxy.


Newspaper headline: Crossing the Park