Liverpool began their Merseyside derby against Everton without a single English player in their starting XI, creating club history.
When Liverpool’s team was announced for their Premier League Merseyside derby clash against Everton at Goodison Park on 12 February 2025, it broke a record. Arne Slot’s selection saw Liverpool start a top-flight league game without an English player in it for the first time in the club’s history.
Across none of their previous 4,347 league games in England top division had the Reds began without a single Englishman in their starting XI.
Liverpool head coach Slot started with three fellow Dutchman in his starting XI, alongside eight players of different nationalities: Brazilian, French, Scottish, Northern Irish, Argentinian, Hungarian, Egyptian and Colombian.
It was Gianluca Vialli who named the first-ever starting line-up to not contain a single English player in Premier League history.
His Chelsea side didn’t even contain a British player as they defeated Southampton 2-1 at The Dell on Boxing Day 1999 with a starting XI containing players from nine different nationalities: France (2), Italy (2), Netherlands, Nigeria, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, Romania and Norway.
Just over four years later, it was in a match against Chelsea that the first-ever Premier League starting XI containing 11 different nationalities was witnessed.
Harry Redknapp saw his Portsmouth team lose 2-0 at Fratton Park on 11 February 2004 with his starting XI containing players from Trinidad & Tobago, Finland, Serbia, Netherlands, England, Czech Republic, Israel, Senegal, Scotland, Croatia and Nigeria.
The last all-English Premier League starting XI came on 27 February 1999, when John Gregory’s Aston Villa side hosted Coventry City and lost 4-1.
Middlesbrough supporters are still adamant that their club achieved this on the final day of the 2005-06 season at Fulham, but not so based on national team affiliation.
Boro fans are rightly proud of the fact that Steve McClaren’s starting XI on 7 May 2006 contained 11 players with an average age of 20 years and 181 days – the youngest starting XI in Premier League history.
Unfortunately for Boro, James Morrison was capped by Scotland two years later in May 2008, which means their total of 11 English players is downgraded to 10 and the joint record voided for statistical purposes.
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