Everton chairman 'kicked' Liverpool icons out of stadium after late drama

Gary McAllister recalls how late Everton chairman Bill Kenwright jokingly told Liverpool legends Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush to "get out" of Goodison Park after a dramatic late winner

Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush are two of Liverpool's greatest ever players(Image: Getty Images)

Gary McAllister was once shown the door at Goodison Park by the late Everton chairman Bill Kenwright following a dramatic Liverpool triumph in the Merseyside derby.

Sadio Mane proved to be the hero at Goodison back in December 2016, securing a slender 1-0 win for Jurgen Klopp's side with a 94th-minute tap-in. McAllister was among the spectators that day, joined by fellow Liverpool greats Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush.

Rush netted 20 goals against Everton throughout his career, with 10 of those coming at Goodison, including a remarkable four-goal haul in a 5-0 thrashing in November 1982. Dalglish, meanwhile, struck five times against the Blues during his time at Liverpool, with two of those efforts coming on Everton's turf, including an opening-minute strike in an unforgettable 3-2 triumph in September 1985.

As for McAllister, he etched his name into Kopite folklore with a dramatic last-minute winner at Goodison as Liverpool came out 3-2 victors on this day in April 2001. Much like Rush's four-goal masterclass, it remains a moment Liverpool fans still celebrate to this day.

So, with the Blues having just suffered a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in December 2016, Kenwright was hardly in the mood to be confronted with reminders of Everton's painful history against their city rivals. The sight of Dalglish, Rush and McAllister together in the hospitality lounges proved simply too much for the chairman to stomach.

"We were in (Goodison) after a game once, I think it was when Mane did it as well," McAllister recalled at a Forever Reds Christmas lunch at Anfield. "Five or six seasons ago, he scored a last-minute winner too.

Bill Kenwright was Everton's chairman for many years(Image: Getty Images)

"Bill Kenwright walks in and Kenny, Ian and myself were all stood together. He says, 'Look at you! Look at the f------ three of you! You three are the same! Every f------ time you come here. Not just Mane. You've done it! You've done it! You've done it! (Now) Get out!'"

McAllister, who claimed four major trophies with the Reds before departing to take up the player-manager role at Coventry City on this day in 2002, also fondly recounted his own Merseyside derby winner against Everton, detailing how he outwitted Blues goalkeeper Paul Gerrard despite Jamie Carragher's well-meaning interference.

"How is that fella by the way? How is Paul Gerrard? Is he still around?" McAllister joked. "I watch the goal every time I get the opportunity to watch it. I never tire of watching it, I've got to say. Each year, when the Reds go across the road to play against Everton, obviously that goal comes out, and I just sit there, and the smile won't budge.

"Prior to taking the free-kick that we'd scored the goal from, we had a free-kick in the exact same spot, literally a minute before. So I put the ball down, 40 or 50 yards away from goal, and I'm signaling up to (Sami) Hyypia, (Ryan) Babbel and (Emile) Heskey that I'm just going to sit the ball up at the back post for them to come crashing in and try and get on the end of it.

"I deliver it, float it up to the far post, and I think it's Sami Hyypia who flashes a header wide. A minute goes past, and we're into stoppage time. We get a free-kick in the exact same spot, and I can see Paul Gerrard thinking he was going to kill the game and just take the cross.

"Because I'm signaling again that I'm going to replicate the free-kick I took the minute before, and hopefully this time we'll score. Sit it up to the back post for Babbel, Heskey, and Hyypia to attack. Just as I take two or three yards back from the ball, Carra's walking up behind me and goes, 'F--- off, Macca lad. Don't even f------ think about it, lad.' He can see that Gerrard is going to try and anticipate the cross.

"So I take another wee step back, and it's one of those magical moments for somebody who takes free-kicks or takes penalties. If you see a goalie making an early decision and going early, you've got that split second to change your mind.

"And just as I was about to take the free-kick, I could see Gerrard moving. So I thought, 'Why not?' And then to see Sammy (Lee) and Phil's (Thompson) faces when that ball hits the net, and then the likes of Carra and Steven in the dressing room, who just love beating that mob across there. Seeing their faces and then the contrast to the Everton fans who were absolutely spewing! You're doing it for the Scousers!"