Match postponed: Onions floating on Waterlogged Pitch
Match: Liverpool v Everton Rearranged for Wednesday 20 November 1996
 League Position: 10th
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Previous Match: Everton v West Ham United - Next Match: Nottingham Forest v Everton
Daily Mail Soccernet: The shock postponement of the Mersey derby with the Anfield pitch waterlogged plunged Liverpool into fixture chaos less than a quarter of the way into their Premiership programme.
Managers Roy Evans, of Liverpool, and Joe Royle, of Everton, endorsed the decision of Mossley referee Roger Dilkes to call the match off just 55 minutes before the scheduled 3pm kick-off.
They expressed their disappointment, particularly for the fans who had snapped up all 41,300 tickets and were looking forward to the first meeting of the season between the two great rivals.
But they also agreed it would have been 'a farce' to play the game. Evans and his vice chairman and chief executive Peter Robinson immediately turned their attentions to fixture problems ahead.
Liverpool were already seeking new dates for games against Nottingham Forest on December 14 and Middlesbrough on March 29 because of international commitments. If they overcome Sion in the European Cup winners' Cup next week - they hold a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Switzerland - they will also have to rearrange their match with Leeds on March 5.
In addition they now have to fit in the Everton game at a future date. All these Premiership fixtures are at Anfield. Following the first postponement of a Mersey derby through adverse weather since the Goodison Park fixture in January 1965, Robinson said: 'It now gives us a big headache.'
William Johnson, Electronic Telegraph: THE 155th Merseyside derby was postponed yesterday less than an hour before kick-off following incessant rain which left the normally immaculate [Must be shum Mishtake - Ed] Anfield surface waterlogged.
Roger Dilkes, the referee, made his final inspection with a ball, which he was unable to manoeuvre through pools of water. He took into consideration the forecast of further downpours. The decision disappointed both managers, although they admitted that to have gone ahead would have reduced the showpiece to farce.
Roy Evans, the Liverpool manager who had been hoping to regain the Premiership leadership in advance of the Newcastle v Manchester United match, said: "Our ground staff have been working hard to get the pitch playable but the referee said no and I think that was probably right. It is very disappointing for the players and the fans."
Dilkes, who expressed sympathy for the disappointed sell-out crowd of 41,300, commented: "As fast as they were taking the water off it was coming down even faster. It was getting worse and I had to look at the players' safety."
Evans, who maintained that his players were in good shape following their European Cup-Winners' Cup tie in Switzerland on Thursday night, expressed concern even at this early stage of the season over having to rearrange such an important fixture.
"With all the blank weekends because of internationals, a postponement causes us an awful lot of problems," he said, mindful that dates already have to be found for matches against Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. Progress into the quarter-finals of the Cup-Winners' Cup will mean they will also have to rearrange a match against Leeds United.
The delay appears to favour Everton, who had their top striker, Duncan Ferguson, injured and several other doubts. But their manager, Joe Royle, was frustrated that the chance to extend his personal unbeaten record against the old enemy was taken away from him so late.
Report Copyright The Electronic Telegraph
Sunday, 20 October 1996
LIVERPOOL P-P EVERTON (Rearranged for Wed 20 Nov) NEWCASTLE UNITED 5-0 MANCHESTER UNITED 36,579 Peacock (12) Ginola (30) Ferdinand (63) Shearer (75) Albert (83)
Saturday, 19 October 1996
ARSENAL 0-0 COVENTRY CITY 38,140
ASTON VILLA 2-0 LEEDS UNITED 39,051
Yorke (58) Johnson (65)
CHELSEA 2-4 WIMBLEDON 28,020
Minto (9) Vialli (pen 84) Earle (4) Ardley (16)
Gayle (64) Ekoku (78)
MIDDLESBROUGH 0-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 30,215
Sheringham (21, 90) Fox (23)
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-1 DERBY COUNTY 27,771
Saunders (1) Dailly (64)
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 1-1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 22,191
Booth (3) Bohinen (74)
SOUTHAMPTON 3-0 SUNDERLAND 15,225
Dodd (38) Le Tissier (pen 58) Shipperley (89)
WEST HAM UNITED 1-0 LEICESTER CITY 22,285
Moncur (78)
Table after 20 October 1996
Club P W D L GF GA Pts Newcastle United 10 8 0 2 20 10 24 Arsenal 10 6 3 1 19 8 21 Wimbledon 10 7 0 3 20 11 21 Liverpool 9 6 2 1 18 7 20 Manchester United 10 5 4 1 19 11 19 Chelsea 10 4 4 2 16 15 16 Aston Villa 10 4 3 3 13 10 15 Tottenham Hotspur 10 4 2 4 10 8 14 Sheffield Wednesday 10 4 2 4 12 16 14 Everton 9 3 3 3 10 11 12 Middlesbrough 10 3 3 4 16 18 12 Derby County 10 2 5 3 9 12 11 West Ham United 10 3 2 5 9 14 11 Leicester City 10 3 2 5 7 13 11 Sunderland 10 2 4 4 8 11 10 Leeds United 10 3 1 6 8 15 10 Southampton 10 2 3 5 14 13 9 Nottingham Forest 10 1 5 4 10 17 8 Coventry City 10 1 4 5 4 14 7 Blackburn Rovers 10 0 4 6 6 14 4
This League Table Update not provided by Lawrence "Leagueman" Breakey