As Everton have spent more seasons in the top flight than any other side, Arsenal have played more away League fixtures at Goodison Park than at any other ground. Arsenal’s first away trip to Everton came in April 1905, where the Gunners crashed to a 0-1 defeat in front of just 12,000 fans. Everton’s goal came from Sandy Young, who a year later would reach notoriety through scoring Everton’s winning goal in the 1906 FA Cup Final. Sandy later left Everton for Spurs but if you think that’s infamy enough, after emigrating to Australia he killed his own brother by shooting him after an argument. It’s also said that Young turned the gun on himself afterwards but miraculously survived the blast. Had Young been found guilty of murder he would have faced the death penalty, however the former Everton star was saved after an intervention from Goodison Park.

After a plea from members of Young’s immediate family, Everton sent written evidence to Australia from two doctors who were Everton board members, which stated that Young had received help for mental health issues during his time at Goodison Park, which saw his charge reduced from murder to manslaughter. This Guardian article, which tells the story of Sandy Young, explains that he spent his jail time at Australia’s own version of Alcatraz, which is now Kylie Minogue’s £1 million holiday home. Ten months after release, Young returned to Britain and later died in a mental home in 1959 and buried in an unmarked grave.

Back to the football, Arsenal had to wait until after the First World War before winning away at Anfield, though their first win at Goodison Park came at just the second attempt, with a 1-0 win resulting from a Billy Garbutt goal in March 1906. Arsenal clearly fared much better at Goodison Park than Anfield during this time with a 3-0 win in September 1908. In the immediate aftermath of the First World War Arsenal managed back to back wins at Goodison with a 3-2 win in October 1919 and a 4-2 win on Christmas Day 1920. Arsenal’s last visit to Goodison before Herbert Chapman’s appointment brought a 3-2 win in November 1924, while Chapman’s first Visit to Everton brought another Arsenal win by the exact same score line with a hat-trick for Jimmy Brain in March 1926.

Everton dropped into the Second Division in 1930, though won the Second tier title in 1930/31 by a thirteen point margin under a two points for win system. This Pathe News piece posed the question of whether Everton could win a Second Division and FA Cup double, though the Toffees lost the semi-final to West Brom at Old Trafford. On Everton’s return to the top tier of English football in 1931/32 they would pip Arsenal to the title by two points, though Arsenal beat Everton both home and away, winning 3-2 at Highbury in September, as well as a 3-1 win at Goodison in February with Bob John, Cliff Bastin and Joe Hulme on target for the Gunners. The only other time in which Arsenal would beat the eventual champions in both League meetings was with Man United in 2006/07 (though if Leicester win the title this season, Arsenal will obviously repeat this feat again).

During the 1930s, Arsenal would only lose at Goodison Park twice. After suffering a 1-3 defeat in September 1933, Arsenal achieved three victories out of four away at Everton. With Petr Cech’s calf injury against Swansea caused by his efforts to pose a threat at the opposite end still fresh in the memory, in March 1935 at Goodison Park Arsenal goalkeeper Frank Moss dislocated his Shoulder. However, in the days before substitutes were permitted Moss carried on playing outfield on the left wing and incredibly he actually scored Arsenal’s opening goal. Sadly for Moss, this injury put paid to his career in top level football, very rarely playing after this and forced to retire from the game at the end of the 1936/37 season at the age of just twenty seven. Arsenal however secured a 2-0 win with the other goal scored by Ted Drake.

Exactly seven months on, Arsenal won again by the exact same score line, with Cliff Bastin and Ted Drake both on the score line. After a 1-1 draw on Boxing Day 1936, Arsenal secured a 4-1 win at Goodison at the end of August 1937 with goals from Cliff Bastin and a hat-trick for Ted Drake. On their way to the 1938/39 League title however, Everton achieved their first win over Arsenal at Goodison for five and a half years after inflicting a 0-2 defeat with goals from future Arsenal striker Tommy Lawton and the excellently named Wally Boyes. After waiting seven years to defend their title, Everton inflicted a 2-3 defeat on the Gunners in their first season back after the war in 1946/47.

Sadly for Everton though, after the interruption of the Second World War the Toffeemen couldn’t pick up from where they left off and spent five successive seasons in the bottom half of the table, before dropping out of the top flight at the end of 1950/51. Between the end of the war and Everton’s relegation however, Arsenal would achieve two further wins at Goodison with a 2-0 win on the way to the League title in March 1948 with two goals for Brylcream Boy Dennis Compton, as well as a 1-0 win in late February 1950 with a goal from Freddie Cox.

After Everton’s return to the top flight in 1954/55, Arsenal only achieved one more victory at Goodison Park before the end of the decade with a thumping 6-1 win in September 1958 secured with goals from Jimmy Bloomfield, Vic Groves and four goals for David Herd. It would however be Arsenal’s last victory at Everton for over two decades. On their way to the League title in 1962/63, while in April drew 1-1 with Arsenal at Goodison Park with Geoff Strong on target for Arsenal and Roy Vernon scoring for the Toffeemen. Everton’s defence the following August saw a 3-0 win over Fulham at Goodison Park on the opening day of the season.

In 1965, Arsenal would reach their first ever FA Youth Cup Final against Everton. A crowd of 5,000 turned out for the first leg at Highbury, which Arsenal won 1-0. However 29,908 turned out for the second leg which saw Everton inflict a 1-3 defeat (2-3 on aggregate) on the Gunners. In the Everton goal would be future Arsenal understudy to Bob Wilson - Geoff Barnett - who stayed at Highbury between 1969 and 1976. Not downhearted, Arsenal’s youth side reached the final again the following year and a side which included future first teamers Pat Rice and Sammy Nelson defeated Sunderland 5-3 on aggregate to win their first FA Youth Cup.

The Everton first team’s other triumph of the 1960s was winning the FA Cup in 1966. On route to Wembley, the Toffees beat Man United 1-0 in the Semi Final at Burnden Park in Bolton with a goal from future manager Colin Harvey. On the opening day of the 1967/68 season, Everton pulled off a 3-1 win over reigning Champions Man. United. That same season Everton were to reach Wembley again, beating Leicester 3-1 in the Quarter Final at Filbert Street and winning 1-0 against Leeds United in the semi-final.

The Toffees had Paul McCartney of The Beatles in attendance in the 1968 FA Cup Final (it was also believed that John Lennon also joined him in attendance). McCartney’s family were Evertonians, but after striking up a friendship with Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish Macca decided to support both Merseyside clubs, in stark contrast to George Harrison who was once quoted as saying on the subject of Football: ‘there are three clubs on Merseyside and I support the other one’. Ringo Starr on the other hand is believed to be an Arsenal fan as his London born Stepfather took him to Arsenal games at Anfield or Goodison Park during his childhood. Despite having Merseybeat’s finest in attendance, Everton were to lose the 1968 FA Cup Final 0-1 to West Brom.

Everton went on another FA Cup run again in 1968/69, beating Man United 1-0 in Quarter Final at Old Trafford with a goal from Joe Royle, though losing 0-1 to Man City in the Semi Final at Villa Park with a goal from Tommy Booth three minutes from time. Everton won the League title again in 1969/70, along the way beating Wolves 3-2 at Molineux in October, a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November and a 1-0 win over West Ham at Upton Park in December.

Everton’s defence of their title in 1970/71 started at Goodison Park in August against Arsenal. The game ended in a 2-2 draw with Charlie George and George Graham on the scoresheet, however Charlie George would break his ankle in a collision with Everton keeper Gordon West which would put him out of action for five months, before his Wembley heroics to secure the Double the following May. Three bottom half finishes followed for Everton after their 1970 title win, before finishing fourth in 1974/75. That season Everton received a visit from Leeds United just over two weeks on from sacking Brian Clough and ran out 3-2 winners.

Everton had a good run in both the Cups in 1977/78, losing a thrice played League Cup Final with Aston Villa 2-3 in the Second replay at Old Trafford, as well as an FA Cup Semi Final against neighbours Liverpool, where in the first game they drew 2-2 at Maine Road, though losing the replay at the same venue 3-0. Everton’s best League finish during the 1970s outside of their 1970 title win was finishing third in 1977/78, with results such as a 5-1 win away at Leicester in September, a 5-1 win away to QPR in October and a 6-0 win at home to Coventry in late November. Everton finished fourth the following season, but fell back into the bottom half of the table in 1979/80 finishing just one place above relegation in nineteenth place.

It was in late March 1980 when Arsenal finally achieved their first victory at Goodison Park since 1958. A goal from Steve Gatting gave Arsenal a 1-0 win. Everton though would reach the FA Cup Semi-Final that season against West Ham at Villa Park for the right to meet Arsenal in the Final. The Toffees took the lead with a penalty from former Arsenal striker Brian Kidd from the penalty spot, however West Ham were let back into the game after Brian Kidd was later sent off, with West Ham equalising through a Stuart Pearson goal, the first match ending in a 1-1 draw. In the replay though, Everton would lose 1-2 with the winning goal scored by Frank Lampard senior.

The following season, Everton played triple Cup Finalists Arsenal in the third round and denied the Gunners a fourth successive final by inflicting a 0-2 defeat with two late goals from Kenny Sansom putting the ball into his own net and a second from Mick Lyons with Everton’s joker left back John Bailey hugging the linesman after his deeming the ball to be over the line after a consultation with the referee @07.49. Arsenal would however return a week later in the League and grab a second successive League victory at Goodison Park with a 2-1 win secured by goals from Steve Gatting and Paul Vaessen.

In the next round of the FA Cup, Everton drew their neighbours Liverpool and this piece ahead of the tie for Granada includes a slanging match between comedian George Roper and Merseyside radio presenter Billy Butler, as well as a Roger McGough poem read out by actor Pete Postlethwaite in 1981. Everton won the tie 2-1, as well as seeing off Kevin Keegan and Southampton in the fifth round only to be eliminated to that year’s runners up Man City in the Quarter Final.

Five months on, Howard Kendall would take over from Gordon Lee as manager at Goodison Park and in December with Kendall in the starting line-up beat reigning League Champions Aston Villa 2-0 on Match of the Day. Arsenal’s first visit to Goodison Park during the Kendall era ended in a 1-2 defeat for the Gunners, with Billy Wright and Adrian Heath on the scoresheet for Everton and Graham Rix scoring for Arsenal. In 1982/83, as both Arsenal and Everton were languishing in mid-table, Arsenal pulled off a 3-2 win at Goodison Park with goals for Stewart Robson, Alan Sunderland and Tony Woodcock, while Alan Ainscow and Adrian Heath had been on target for Everton.

The season when Everton returned to prominence however came in 1983/84, reaching Wembley in both Cup competitions, winning the FA Cup against Watford. In the League that season Everton only finished seventh, just one point behind Arsenal however their Cup exploits were enough to spur them on to the title the following season, despite actually losing the opening game 1-4 to Spurs at home. A replay of that year’s FA Cup Final at Vicarage Road saw a 5-4 victory for Everton over Watford in late September, followed a month later by a 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield (their first win there for fourteen years) and 5-0 win over Man United at Goodison Park in successive weeks.

After a 3-4 home defeat to Chelsea a week before Christmas, Everton put together a run of eighteen League games unbeaten which included sixteen wins, which lasted until the final Saturday of the season. Arsenal had an early involvement in the title race in 1984/85, however by the time of the Gunners visit to Goodison Park in late March their title challenge had all but collapsed, with the Gunners falling six points behind Everton in fourth. At Goodison, the Gunners suffered a0-2 defeat with goals from Andy Gray and Graeme Sharp.