13 April 2008 - Tonight, He Dines At Anfield!

On 13 April 2008, Steven Gerrard made his 300th appearance for Liverpool. And he did it in style, scoring one goal and assisting another in a 3-1 win over Blackburn.

Born on Merseyside in 1980, Gerrard has been with Liverpool since joining them as a youth player in 1987. He became a professional in 1997 and made his first appearance in a 2-0 win over Blackburn in November 1998.

He became a regular starter in the 1999-2000 season, then won his first silverware the following season as the Reds claimed the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup. He then became team captain in October 2003.

His 300th appearance came at Anfield, where the midfielder delivered the opening goal in the 60th minute, passing through two defenders and sending the ball through the legs of a third before putting it into the back of the net. He helped double the lead 22 minutes later, providing a cross that was knocked home by striker Fernando Torres. Forward Andriy Voronin added a third in the 90th minute before Rovers got one back in stoppage time to end the day as a 3-1 Liverpool victory.

Gerrard remains with Liverpool and has since pushed his appearance count to 577.

31 January 2011 - All Those Pounds Bring A Lot Of Pressure

On 31 January 2011, the last day of the British transfer window saw a flurry of activity that resulted in two records being broken for the sales of strikers Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll.

The transfer domino was started by Chelsea, who bought Spanish striker Fernando Torres (center) from Liverpool. Torres, who joined Liverpool in 2007, had scored 65 goals in 102 league appearances for the Merseysiders. His performance drew the attention of defending league champions Chelsea, who made a bid of £35M which Liverpool rejected, even though Torres had submitted a transfer request. But faced with an impending release clause due to be triggered in the summer, they eventally accepted Chelsea's second bid, reported to be approximately £40M--a record amount paid by a British club.

In order to fill the void left by the departure of Torres, Liverpool acted quickly to sign strikers Andy Carroll (right) from Newcastle for £35M and Luis Suárez (left) from Ajax for £22.7M, to reach a grand total of £94.7 spent on the three players. Carroll's fee was the highest ever paid for a British player.

But although Torres and Carroll set the records, Suárez turned out to be the best purchase of the trio, providing four goals and five assists for the remainder of that season. To date, he has twelve goals and eleven assists for Liverpool in 35 appearances across all competitions. Both Torres and Carroll have struggled at their new clubs, scoring a total of eleven goals between them (six from Carroll and five from Torres).

25 October 2009 - There's Something To Be Said For Consistency

On 25 October 2009, Manchester United center back Nemanja Vidić received a 90th-minute red card against Liverpool--his third ejection in three consecutive games against the Reds.

In both of the teams' meetings the previous season, Vidić failed to make it to the final whistle and both ended as Liverpool victories. The first, at Anfield in September 2008, saw the defender receive a second yellow card in the 90th minute as the Reds edged to a 2-1 win. In the return fixture in March, he drew a straight red for a 76th-minute foul on Steven Gerrard, who had gotten through on a clear goalscoring opportunity. Liverpool won 1-4.

Things got no better for Vidić in the next meeting. Playing at Anfield, Fernando Torres put the hosts up 1-0 in the 65th minute after fending off pressure from Rio Ferdinand and driving the ball over Edwin Van der Sar into the roof of the net. Ten minutes later, Vidić earned his first yellow card of the day.

His second came in the 90th minute. With Dirk Kuyt about to blow past him to latch onto a deep ball, the Serbian defender delivered a flying challenge that stopped Kuyt cold. Referee Andre Marriner then produced a yellow and a red card in quick succession. (It was the first of two reds on the day, as Javier Mascherano joined Vidić with a stoppage-time exit.) And David N'Gog's strike in the sixth minute of stoppage time sealed the 2-0 win for Liverpool.

4 July 2007 - Liverpool Breaks The Bank

On 4 July 2007, striker Fernando Torres completed a move from Atlético Madrid to Liverpool, becoming the Anfield club's most expensive signing at the time.

Up to that point, Torres had spent his entire career with Atlético. From 2001 to 2007, he made a total of 249 appearances in all competitions, scoring 91 times. His most prolific season there was in 2003-04, when he scored 21 goals, 19 in the league. During that season, he also made his first appearance for Spain's senior side.

His scoring prowess drew the attention of Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez, who completed the signing in July 2007. Neither club announced the fee, but it is believed to have been close to £20 million, setting a new club transfer record. Torres proceeded to enjoy the best season of his career, scoring a total of 33 goals in all competitions as Liverpool finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the semifinals of the Champions League.

After three and a half seasons at Anfield, Torres moved to Chelsea for an undisclosed fee reported to have been approximately £50 million. The move opened the door for Liverpool to break their transfer fee record on successive days with the signing of strikers Luis Suárez (£22.8 million on 30 January 2011) and Andy Carroll (£35 million on 31 January 2011).

14 June 2009 - Spain's Better-Than-Magical Moment

On 14 June 2009, Spain beat New Zealand for their 33rd consecutive unbeaten match, surpassing the previous record of 32 set by the Magical Magyars of Hungary.

Hungary's streak ran from June 1950 to June 1954 and included the 1952 Olympic gold medal and a trip to the 1954 World Cup Final. After losing 0-1 to Romania in Cadiz on 15 November 2006, Spain started their unbeaten run on 2 February 2007, beating England in a friendly played in Manchester, 0-1. Their streak carried them through qualification for Euro 2008, then through the tournament itself, which they won by beating Germany in the Final. That was their 22nd unbeaten match.

The record-breaking match came in the FIFA Confederations Cup, played in Rustenburg, South Africa. Spain got goals from Fernando Torres (pictured) (6', 14', 17'), Cesc Fabregas (24'), and David Villa (48') en route to a comfortable 0-5 victory. It was their second biggest scoreline during the streak, coming after a 6-0 win over Azerbaijan in a friendly five days earlier.

Spain followed their record victory with wins over Iraq (1-0) and South Africa (2-0) to stretch their unbeaten run to 35 consecutive matches before it ended in the semifinals with a 2-0 loss to the United States.

29 December 2009 - El Niño Turns Fifty

On 29 December 2009, Spanish striker Fernando Torres scored his 50th league goal for Liverpool, reaching that milestone faster than any other player in the club's history.

Nicknamed "El Niño," Torres arrived in Liverpool from Atlético Madrid in July 2007 when he was only 23. He made his league debut for the Reds on 11 August 2007, then scored his first league goal one week later in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea. He provided a total of 33 goals in all competitions that first year, helping Liverpool to a 4th-place league finish and the Champions League semifinals. His 24 league goals tied him for second in the Premier League.

Injuries hampered his second season on Merseyside, limiting him a still-respectable haul of 14 league goals as Liverpool secured a second-place finish.

The record 50th goal came the following season, his third with Liverpool. Deep into stoppage time at Aston Villa with the match scoreless, Torres latched on to a 93rd-minute rebound and slotted it past Villa keeper Brad Friedel for the win. It was Torres' 72nd league match for Liverpool, eight matches fewer than the club's former record-holder Sam Raybould and 12 matches fewer than Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer, Ian Rush.

4 September 2007 - Put Another Way, That's 6.25 Ronaldos

On 4 September 2007, Deloitte announced that English transfer spending for the 2007 summer window exceeded £500 million, up from £300 million the previous summer. The figure includes spending for the Premier League and all three levels of the Football League.

Manchester United spent the most at £51 million, with Liverpool a close second at £50 million. Tottenham was a surprising third at £40 million, while newly-promoted Sunderland was fourth at £35 million.

More than half of Manchester United's fees--£30 million--went to Porto in exchange for midfielder Anderson and winger Nani. They also signed midfielder Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich for £17 million.

Liverpool's major signing was striker Fernando Torres, whom they prised from Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed fee believed to be over £20 million, making Torres the most expensive signing in England that summer. They also pulled winger Ryan Babel from Ajax for £11.5 million and midfielder Yossi Benayoun from West Ham for £5 million.

Tottenham's most expensive purchase was striker Darren Bent, whom they acquired from Charlton Athletic for £16.5 million. Spurs also brought in midfielder/back Younes Kaboul from Auxerre for £7 million and left back Gareth Bale from Southampton for £5 million.

Sunderland brought keeper Craig Gordon in from Hearts for £9 million, striker Kenwyne Jones from Southampton for £6 million, striker Michael Chopra from Cardiff City for £5 million and midfielder Kieran Richardson from Manchester United for £5.5 million.

The results on the pitch for those four clubs were mixed. United won its second consecutive Premier League title, with Anderson, Nani, and Hargreaves each playing significant roles. Liverpool finished fourth, with Torres contributing 15 League goals.

Spurs, on the other hand, failed in their push for a top-4 finish, ending the season in 11th place. Darren Bent lasted only two season at White Hart Lane before transferring to Sunderland in the summer of 2009 for an initial fee of £10 million, with clauses that could raise the value to £16.5 million.

Sunderland achieved their primary goal of avoiding relegation, finishing 15th, and have remained in the Premier League since.