RUSHIE’S UBER FOURMIDABLE!

EVERTON were humiliated by four-goal Ian Rush – but afterwards Goodison legend Kevin Ratcliffe still had to play taxi driver and take his Wales pal home, complete with his signed match ball.

It was November 1982 and Liverpool travelled across Stanley Park to administer a 5-0 thrashing, with a young Rush going on the rampage and Mark Lawrenson the other Kop marksman.

Ratcliffe, who was to become Everton’s most successful captain, could only watch painfully from the sidelines after manager Howard Kendall had attempted to go for experience by signing Blackburn’s Glenn Keeley the day before.

“That proved to be a disaster because Glenn was sent off in the first half and it went downhill from there,” said Ratcliffe (left).

And, with him admitting the gulf between the two sides is currently the greatest he has known, he is just praying that history doesn’t repeat itself at Goodison today.

But, if Mo Salah does a Rush and creates a goal storm to sink the Blues, Ratcliffe couldn’t see the Egyptian being given a lift home by an Everton player!

“It had always been the plan to take Rushie home,” explained Ratcliffe. “He had been banned from driving and we lived in the same area. I used to drive him into training at Liverpool every day.

“They reported to the ground, but I refused to drive through the Shankly Gates, so I’d drop him off before them, and pick him up after training.

“After those four goals, I should have dropped him off in the Mersey tunnel! I had to be pleased for him in a way because it had been an amazing achievement – but I think he was taking the mickey by asking me to get the match ball signed by the Everton players!”