Liverpool will not contemplate a ground share with Everton, despite the belief at Goodison Park that such a project would offer salvation following the government's rejection of a new 50,000-capacity stadium integral to the struggle to stay among the Premier League elite.

Everton, four points off the relegation zone after the dire 3-2 defeat at Hull City on Wednesday, have always been open-minded about the idea of a ground share and their chief executive Robert Elstone said yesterday that it was now an option for a club with such a history of “creativity and innovation.”

The idea would be the most radical of its kind in British football, though Elstone said: “We're not scared of making those decisions.”

But Liverpool are not prepared to contemplate that kind of partnership with their neighbours, despite problems getting their own new Stanley Park stadium off the ground.

Liverpool's position leaves Everton, who entertain their neighbours at Goodison in two days' time, back at the drawing board in their attempts to build a stadium.