The history of Liverpool FC is one of, if not the most distinguished in English football. 20 times league champions and six times European champions, their history is one of massive success. There have, of course, been barren periods but so many triumphant moments that selecting the best is a tough task. I’ve tried my best to pick out the most significant, memorable or enjoyable. Fans will doubtless disagree with the selection or the order, but hopefully all will enjoy reliving these incredible moments from one of the greatest clubs in the world.
12. The slaughter of the not-so-innocents – Liverpool 7-0 Man United, March 2023
2022/23 was not a great season for Liverpool. Expected to contend for the league title, they started the season slowly, and had they not enjoyed an unbeaten run from April they would have finished in mid-table. They did, though, have a handful of consolations. One was a Premier League record-equalling 9-0 win in early season against Bournemouth. Another was the record win they inflicted against Manchester United in March.
United were actually sitting above Liverpool in the table, and had just a week earlier given under-pressure manager Erik Ten Haag a lifeline by winning the League Cup final. The start of the game to some extent reflected United’s new-found confidence. There were presentable chances for Fernandes and Rashford, and United were actually first to have the ball in the net, although Casemiro’s effort was clearly offside. Liverpool, though, went into the lead when Gakpo curled in a shot from the left after some neat footwork.
The second half was one-sided to say the least. The goals just kept coming. On 47 minutes a sharp header from Darwin Nunez; on 50 a breakaway move finished smartly from Gakpo; on 66 another breakaway and a clinical volleyed finish from Salah; a second headed goal from Nunez on 75; a second for Salah on 83 after a goalmouth scramble; then finally a lovely turn and finish for Firmino with only two minutes remaining. 7-0 and it could have been more. This was not a vintage United by any standards, but it was a vintage performance from Liverpool.
11. The thriller – Liverpool 4 – 3 Newcastle, April 1996
For a player who became England’s most expensive player, Stan Collymore got off to a relatively slow start in his footballing career. Released as a teenager from Wolves’ academy, he was almost 20 years old before he made his football league debut for Crystal Palace. He soon, though, showed his worth as a goal scorer, scoring better than a goal every two games for first Southend, then Nottingham Forest. It was from the latter that he was signed, for an English transfer record of £8.5m, by Liverpool on 1995.
At Liverpool he quickly formed a potent striking partnership with 20-year-old wunderkind Robbie Fowler, the two sharing 42 goals between them in Collymore’s first season. Fowler famously scored home and away doubles against Man United, but it was a Collymore brace towards the end of the season that had perhaps most impact.
The venue was Anfield, the visitors Newcastle United. The Magpies, under the inspirational leadership of Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan, had led the league for most of the season, but had begun to falter in the face of relentless pressure from Manchester United. They came to Anfield desperately needing a win to keep their title pursuit alive. Liverpool, although statistically still in the race, were playing mainly for pride.
The game was a classic, one of the greatest Premier League games ever. Liverpool got off to a flier, a superb Collymore cross from the left converted by a Fowler header after only two minutes. Newcastle responded on 10 minutes, as Les Ferdinand turned and shot after an Asprilla dribble. Four minutes later and the visitors were ahead, David Ginola running onto a long ball from the back and firing past David James. Despite plenty of goalmouth action, half time arrived with the score still at 1-2.
After Newcastle’s Rob Lee missed a great chance early in the second half to put his team 3-1 ahead, Liverpool equalised when Fowler connected first time with a cross-ball from McManaman. Newcastle, though, went ahead soon after when Asprilla ran onto an incisive through ball from Rob Lee, and spun his first-time shot past James. Parity, though, was restored in the 68th minute when Collymore got onto the end of a cross from Jason McAteer. 3-3 and still more than twenty minutes to go.
Either team could have shut up shop, but neither did. Both wanted a decisive goal. As the game entered added time, Liverpool mounted a final attack. An interplay between Barnes and Rush on the edge of the box looked to have run aground when Barnes spotted Collymore unmarked on the left of the goal area. Collymore had time to take a touch with his right, then fired home with his left. There was no time for United to reply so an absolute thriller had ended 4-3.
In retrospect, some Liverpool fans may have preferred their side to have lost, as they inadvertently helped deliver the title to big rivals Manchester United. Was it worth it? Possibly not, but it was a great game and a memorable win.
10. The late late ‘treble’ – 2000/01 season
Liverpool’s third season under Frenchman Gerard Houllier was not a vintage one in the league, but did see three cups come to Anfield in a tribute to the side’s never-say-die attitude, a precursor perhaps to Jurgen Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters’.
The first trophy to be captured was the League Cup. The team had shown signs of their resilience in the second and fourth rounds, both won in extra time against London opposition. There was also a come-from-behind win in the semi, this time recovering from a first leg deficit to convincingly defeat Crystal Palace 5-0 (6-2 on aggregate) at Anfield. After all that drama, the final should have been relatively straightforward, the Reds taking on First Division Birmingham City, but this too proved to be a tense affair.
After an early Liverpool opener, the game looked over and done with, but the lower division side managed to equalise with a penalty in the last minute of normal time. City actually looked the more likely to score in extra time, but could not break through so it went to penalties. The first instalment of Liverpool’s late-late show saw Dutch keeper Sandor Westerveld make two saves to win his team the trophy.
Next came the FA Cup. Liverpool’s progress to the final here was a little more serene, although it took two late goals to get past Leeds in Round 4, and they were given a scare by third tier Wycombe in the semi-final. The final pitted them against Arsenal, then close to the peak of their powers, and full of quality. The Gunners had much the better of things and could have been ahead well before Freddie Ljungberg scored in the 72nd minute. They were to regret their missed chances. In the 83rd minute, Michael Owen pounced on a loose ball in the Arsenal box and hooked a right-foot finish past David Seaman. Then with only two minutes of normal time remaining, the young forward ran onto a speculative long ball from Patrick Berger and outpaced Tony Adams before firing low into the opposite corner. After posing little threat for most of the game, Liverpool had once again come to life late in the game to win.
Four days later, the late-late triple was completed when Liverpool took on Spanish side Alaves in the UEFA Cup Final. Alaves were the surprise package of that year’s UEFA Cup, enjoying their first taste ever of European competition with a run to the final. Liverpool were expected to walk it, but the final proved to be a minor classic. A great start saw Liverpool go 2-0 up, but after an exchange of goals for 3-1, Alaves scored two themselves to level at 3-3. A late goal from Fowler looked like it might be decisive, but a headed equaliser in the 88th minute from ex-Man United player Jordi Cruyff sent the game into a golden goal extra-time. Alaves did their best to help Liverpool, getting two players sent off before they scored an unfortunate own goal to settle the tie with only four minutes to go before penalties.
Liverpool had won a treble, with extra time, penalty and come-from-behind wins. For those with a nervous disposition, it had probably been a little too much; for others it provided great excitement and enjoyment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNqFuw6YQZQ
9. The bitter-sweet success – Liverpool 3-2 (a.e.t) Everton, May 1989
On 15th April 1989 Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest had been abandoned after six minutes due to the catastrophe unfolding at Hillsborough. In the aftermath of the tragedy there was some debate as to whether Liverpool should withdraw from the competition, but it was decided that they should continue as a form of unity and catharsis.
It seemed fitting that if they won the rescheduled semi-final, their opponents in the final would be city rivals, Everton. They duly beat Forest, so on 20th May 1989 both the blue and the red sides of the city of Liverpool met in London for an intensely emotional FA Cup final. Jeff Goulding from This Is Anfield put it nicely, “It was a year when we realised that football wasn’t more important than life and death, but it did have the power to unite and lift people from despair.”
Both teams wore black armbands and the minute silence at the start of the game was immaculately observed by both sets of fans. The rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, led by Gerry Marsden, has perhaps never been sung with more passion by Everton fans. If the players were knocked a little off-balance by the occasion, they still managed to settle into a game that became a classic.
It was Liverpool who started best, a quick length-of-the-field move on four minutes being finished smartly by John Aldridge from near the penalty spot. The Reds had the best of the play and several great chances to add to their score, but with the full-time whistle about to be blown they suffered a sucker punch when Everton’s Stuart McCall forced the ball over the line after a goalmouth scramble.
Extra time was a thriller. In the 95th minute Ian Rush, on as a substitute, received a ball in the box from Steve Nicol. He controlled it, swivelled sharply and shot first time past Southall’s left. Everton responded with a stunner from McCall who, just outside the box, controlled a defensive header on his chest and volleyed in past Grobbelaar. Liverpool came straight back, a cross from Barnes cleverly directed by Rush with his head to slide past Southall. There were chances for Liverpool to extend their lead, but 3-2 was enough to secure an emotional victory.
Did Liverpool or Everton really care who won? You bet they did, but the real winner was the city of Liverpool, united in both grief and solidarity, and finding some small amount of joy within the heartache.
8. Paisley’s finale – Liverpool 2-1 Man United, League Cup Final, 1983
When Bob Paisley stepped into the enormous shoes of Bill Shankly in 1974, he must have wondered whether he could live up to the standards that his charismatic predecessor had set. When he stepped down as manager nine years later, he had not only surpassed Shankly’s achievements, he had also become the most successful English manager in history.
Paisley, although hailing from the North East, became a Liverpool man through-and-through. He joined the club as a 20-year-old in 1939, but the war intervened and he had to wait a full seven years (and survive his Army service) before he made his first appearance for the first team. He was an instant success, featuring in the title-winning side of 1946/47, before later becoming club captain. When he retired from playing in 1954, he joined the club’s staff as reserve team coach and physio. He was promoted to assistant manager when Bill Shankly came in manager in 1959, and became an integral part of Shankly’s legendary boot room, alongside Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett.
When Shankly retired in 1974, the then 55-year-old Paisley reluctantly took over as manager. If Shankly had laid the foundations, then Paisley, over the next nine years, built the fortress that stood upon them. His record was remarkable – six League Championships, three League Cups, three European Cups and one UEFA Cup plus one UEFA Super Cup and six Charity Shields. No Englishman before or since had led his teams to such a haul of silverware.
In 1982 the great man announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season. He figured that by giving a year’s notice he would allow the club to manage the succession most smoothly (which they did, appointing his great colleague Fagan). He probably did not anticipate (or indeed desire) that the season would also become a lap of honour for himself, but it gave the fans a chance to say a long, heartfelt goodbye.
It was not a season in which everything went well – there were early exits from the FA Cup and the European Cup – but there were two huge highlights. The first was a very convincing sixth League title. The Reds finished 11 points ahead of second-placed Watford with an extraordinary goal difference of +50. Incredibly, they did this despite not winning any of their last seven games.
The second was the League Cup final against the old enemy, Manchester United. United were yet to become the powerhouse that they became under Alex Ferguson, but were still one of the top sides in England and featured a team full of internationals. They had earned draws home and away against Liverpool during the regular season.
On the day, it was United who took the lead, a superb turn and shot from 17-year-old Norman Whiteside beating Grobbelaar in the 12th minute. Liverpool, though, were the stronger side and began to dominate possession in midfield and create chances for Rush and Dalglish. It still took until the 75th minute for them to equalise, the goal coming from the boot of Alan Kennedy. Kennedy, a scorer of rare but crucial goals (equaliser in the 1981 League Cup final, winner in the 1981 European Cup final, decisive penalty in 1984 European Cup final) took aim and fired from outside the box and his shot beat United keeper Gary Bailey just inside his left post.
Kennedy was also involved in the extra time winner. A Dalglish shot was blocked but fell to the Geordie who once again was up supporting the attack. He passed to Ronnie Whelan, positioned just outside the box on the left, who tried to play a one-two. When the ball was blocked back to the Irishman he hit an instinctive first time shot that curled into the far corner of the net. It was the definition of a ‘worldie’ and gave Bailey no chance at all. Liverpool had chances to add to the score (‘supersub’ David Fairclough could easily have helped himself to a hat-trick) but 2-1 proved to be enough.
Fittingly, Paisley himself was given the honour of picking up the trophy and raising it to the fans. He did not normally crave the spotlight, but he surely would have enjoyed this triumphant finale.
7. Unstoppable – Liverpool 7-0 Tottenham, 2 Sept 1978
The 1977/78 season had perhaps been something of a disappointment for Liverpool fans. Yes, they had retained the European Cup, the first British club to achieve this, but Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest had denied them not only the League title but also the Football League Cup. Liverpool’s clear target for 1978/79 was to beat Forest and recapture the league title.
The starting XI for the season was arguably the strongest in the club’s history. Kevin Keegan had departed in 1977 but his replacement somehow managed to represent an improvement, Kenny Dalglish, arguably Liverpool’s greatest ever player. The side had been further strengthened in January 1978 when another great Scot arrived, Graeme Souness. The team had no discernable weaknesses, super solid in defence, skilful and hardworking in midfield and capable of scoring goals throughout the team.
A player who epitomised everything good about the team was midfielder Terry McDermott. McDermott had been one of Bob Paisley’s first signings but had a slow start at the club. By the 78/79 season, though, he had established himself in the first XI. His team set off like a train. Three wins out of three and nine goals scored. Game four brought newly promoted Tottenham to Anfield. Spurs were a decent side featuring recently0-signed Argentinians Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa alongside Glenn Hoddle, Peter Taylor and Steve Perryman. They were, however, no match for a rampaging Liverpool side.
It took only eight minutes for the home side to break the deadlock, Dalglish converting smartly after a diagonal pass from Case. The second goal, on 20 minutes featured the same two players. Next Ray Kennedy headed in from the edge of the six yard box to give Liverpool a 3-0 advantage. David Johnson added two more in the first 13 minutes of the second half and had a hat-trick goal narrowly cleared off the line. Spurs might have felt that the pain was over when Barry Daines saved a Phil Neal penalty, but the ref judged (harshly) that the keeper had moved early, and Neal slotted home the retake. 6-0 and the best was yet to come.
Enter McDermott. Spurs had a rare foray into the Liverpool goal area, but the ball was cleared to Ray Kennedy just inside his own box. He nodded it on to Dalglish who took one look up and passed first time to Johnson free on the half way line. He took one touch then sent a long diagonal to Steve Heighway sprinting up the left wing. Heighway crossed first time to the far post where Terry McDermott was steaming in, having literally run the length of the pitch. McDermott powered his header into the back of the net for one of the greatest team goals of all time. Bob Paisley, not a man known for hyperbole, said “That must be the best goal Anfield has ever seen”. Michael Charters in the Liverpool Echo was effusive about the overall performance, “This display confirmed for me … that the current Liverpool team is playing better, more exciting, attacking football than any side I’ve seen since the war”.
Charters’ judgement proved to be prescient. The team scored freely throughout the season, totting up 85 goals, but even more impressively, conceding only 16 goals, the lowest ever in a 42-game season. Liverpool finished a commanding eight points ahead of second-placed Forest (there were still only two points for a win) and had their fourth title in seven years. It would not be their last, but few would be as dominant as this one.
6. Dalglish’s double – Liverpool 3-1 Everton, May 1986
On 22nd February 1986 Liverpool hosted the old enemy Everton at Anfield. The Everton side, as strong as it has ever been in recent history, were riding high at the top of Division One and looking odds-on to successfully defend their crown from the previous season. Second half goals from Kevin Ratcliffe and Gary Lineker saw the Blues stretch out their lead at the top, a full eight points ahead of third-placed Liverpool.
Liverpool, whilst not exactly in transition, were under new leadership. The great Bob Paisley had gone as had his successor, Joe Fagan, and the man chosen to pick up the mantle on was 34-year-old Kenny Dalglish, still a great player but now in the dual role of player-manager. His team was a decent mix of seasoned pros, such as Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson at the back, plus a group in their early to mid-20s coming to their peak, such as centre forward Ian Rush and Danish midfielder Jan Molby. And, of course, he could still select himself. Despite this, some judged his team to be ‘the worst Liverpool team for 20 years’. It soon became clear that they were not.
While the loss to Everton was disappointing, it may well have been just the spark that Liverpool needed to reinvigorate their season. They squeaked past Spurs in their next match, but thereafter were unstoppable. In their last 12 games they won 11 and drew one, scoring 32 goals and conceding only four. Everton themselves finished pretty well, but two defeats and three draws were enough to allow Liverpool overhaul them and give Dalglish a title in his first season in charge.
The Scotsman then had a chance to create history. Incredibly, despite all of their league titles and cup wins, Liverpool had never yet managed to win the League title and the FA Cup in the same season for the coveted double. In 1986 they had a great chance and the only team standing in their way was… Everton. The final was set for 10th May, just one week after Liverpool had clinched the title.
Given the storied history of both clubs, it’s surprising that this was the first ever all-Liverpool FA Cup final, and it could not have been more significant. The sides were comfortably the top two in the country (Everton could easily have been the ones trying to complete a double) and were very evenly-matched. Everton got off to a stronger start in the final and on 27 minutes their star centre-forward, Gary Lineker, put them ahead with a sharp shot from just inside the box. Both sides had chances, but no more goals were scored before the break.
Liverpool came out stronger after half time, with Jan Molby taking control of the midfield and pulling all manner of strings. On 56 minutes, he threaded a superb ball through to Ian Rush who rounded the Everton keeper, Mimms, and slotted in. Six minutes later and he skipped through the Everton defence and pulled a ball across the box where Craig Johnstone was on hand to tap it in. Everton had chances to level, but with six minutes remaining another smart pass from Molby found Whelan, who chipped over the back-tracking Everton defenders to find Ian Rush. The Welshman converted clinically. He could and perhaps should have had a hat-trick but it was not needed. Liverpool were 3-1 victors and had their first ever double.
Dalglish had followed in the footsteps of greatness and had lived up to his predecessors. Indeed, when he stepped down from the role in 1991 he had the ‘winningest’ record of any Liverpool manager ever. King Kenny had proven himself to be great off the pitch as well as on it.
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/223785-gallery-we-salute-the-double-winners-30-years-on
5. Champions of Europe – Liverpool 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach May 1977
The 1970s and 1980s were pretty decades in which to be a fan of Liverpool. A side with the foundations built by Shankly, then further developed by Paisley and Fagan and built upon by Dalglish, established itself as clearly the best in England. Over a 19-year period, apart from a rogue year in which they finished fifth (1980/81), Liverpool finished either first or second in every Division One season. There were multiple domestic cups, and a stunning six European titles.
The first European Cup title came in 1977. Liverpool had already shown that they could compete effectively in Europe by twice winning the UEFA Cup, but had had few chances to shine in the big one. They embarked on their campaign in 1976/77 with a strong squad and a lot of confidence.
In the 1970s the premier European competition was years away from being the bloated competition that we have today, so Liverpool had only four rounds, home and away, to negotiate in order to make the final. The draw was pretty kind to them. The first round saw an easy tie against minnows Crusaders of Northern Ireland, before Trabzonspor of Turkey were despatched in the second. There was then a huge scare in the third round against French side Saint Etienne, where Liverpool needed to score twice in the final 40 minutes in the second leg to go through. In an epic night at Anfield, it required a great performance from Clemence in goal and an 84th minute goal from, who else but, super-sub David Fairclough for Liverpool to scrape through. After that drama, the semi, against Zurich, was a more straightforward affair, meaning Liverpool had made it through to a final against Borussia Monchengladbach of Germany.
Liverpool fielded a side made up almost entirely of current or future club legends. Seven of the 11 starters feature in the list of the club’s top 30 appearance makers ever. Their German opponents featured Dane Allan Simonsen who would go on to win that year’s Ballon D’Or, and a host of German internationals, but Liverpool were rated favourites to win.
The Reds went into the lead when Terry McDermott produced one of his trademark penetrating runs from midfield to get onto a clever through ball from Steve Heighway and score. Simonsen scored an equaliser with a stunner early in the second half, but Liverpool kept on coming. The second goal came from an unexpected source, centre back Tommy Smith, who had announced he would retire after the game. (He later changed his mind and played for another season.) He met a corner from Heighway with a thundering header that the German keeper was unable to touch never mind save. The coup de gras was applied in the 83rd minute when Keegan was pulled down bearing down on the goal, and Phil Neal sent the keeper the wrong way with the penalty.
Liverpool under Paisley became nigh-on unstoppable after this win. They would retain the trophy in 1978 and win it again in 1981. There would be four more league titles, making it six in total for the Geordie, and three League Cups although strangely no FA Cup. No other English manager has come close to Paisley’s record. Not bad for someone who had not really wanted the job.
4. The unbelievable comeback – Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona, Champions League semi-final, May 2019
In May 2005 Liverpool achieved one of the greatest comebacks of all time in the Champions League when they came from 3-0 behind to beat AC Milan in the final on penalties. They arguably went one better in 2019 when they faced Barcelona in the semi-final of the same competition.
Liverpool had ridden their luck a little to get as far as the semis. A record of won three, lost three in the group stage was hardly the stuff of champions, and it was only by dint of goals scored (nine to Napoli’s seven) that they qualified for the knockout stages. They had then made life tough for themselves in the round of 16 by only drawing at home to Bayern, but had stormed to a 3-1 win in the away leg at the Allianz Arena. They looked to be coming into their stride by the quarters with a comfortable win against Porto, but this brought them up against La Liga champions and European powerhouse, Barcelona.
The Spanish team boasted a team of all talents including a front three of Suarez and Countinho, both former Liverpool stars, and the great Lionel Messi. Barca had dominated their qualifying group then cruised past Lyon and Man United in the knockout stages. In the first leg at the Bernabeu it looked as if they would do the same against Liverpool. Goals from Suarez and Messi (two) gave them a 3-0 advantage to take to Anfield. Liverpool could take some heart from a solid performance – they actually had more possession, corners and shots than their hosts – but only three teams (one of them Barcelona) had ever recovered from such a first leg deficit previously.
Liverpool got off to a great start. In the seventh minute, Barcelona defender Jordi Alba, one of the best defenders in world football, misdirected a header to Sadio Mane. Mane found a charging Jordan Henderson whose shot was palmed out to a grateful Divock Origi. The Belgian, not a huge fan favourite at this point, converted. It remained 1-0 until half time with Alisson making a number of crucial saves.
The second half started with two great chances, one at either end, before Liverpool made their second breakthrough. Trent Alexander-Arnold, still just 20, pulled a great ball from the right across the box where Georginio Wijnaldum had timed his run perfectly and stroked home an accurate first time shot. Two minutes later and Liverpool were level in the tie. This time the ball came from the left, a superbly weighted cross from Xherdan Shaqiri, met by Wijnaldum, again, this time with a perfect header that the Barca keeper, Ter Stegen was powerless to keep out.
At 3-3 Liverpool were right back in it but a goal for Barca might have been decisive. Instead, it was Liverpool who struck. A corner had been won on the right. Trent made to take it, then moved away. As he did so, he noticed that the Barcelona defence was still preparing, so he quickly stepped back to the ball and whipped a low cross towards the six-yard box. Origi was paying attention, and connected sweetly to beat the fast retreating Ter Stegen. Liverpool held on to win 4-0 on the night, and achieve an incredible 4-3 aggregate win.
After this, the final was something of an anti-climax. Liverpool’s opponents were Tottenham Hotspur, who had also come back from an impossible position (if anything even more unlikely than Liverpool’s) to win their semi-final. Liverpool could not have got off to a better start, a Spurs handball in the first minute handing them a penalty that Salah converted. It was not a classic final, but Liverpool clinched their sixth title with another goal from the unlikely hero, Origi. The Belgian never entirely convinced in his time on Merseyside, but became an eternal cult hero for the part(s) he played in the 2019 Champions League.
3. The coming of the messiah – Shankly appointed in 1959
For a relatively small country, Scotland has punched well above its weight in terms of producing world-class football managers. George Graham, Walter Smith and David Moyes all had long and distinguished careers; Kenny Dalglish achieved great things at Liverpool and Blackburn; and all-time greats Matt Busby, Alex Ferguson and Jock Stein each led their teams to the European Cup alongside multiple other silverware. Earning his place alongside these greats is the legend that was Bill Shankly.
Shankly came from a small Scottish coal mining village in Ayrshire. The ninth of 10 children, William was the youngest of five brothers, all of whom played professional football. After a brief spell down the mines, he got signed by Carlisle for whom he played for one season before transferring to Preston North End where he spent the rest of his playing career. He earned five caps for his country, and would have had many more had not the war robbed him of his best playing years.
When he left the club, somewhat acrimoniously after 16 years service, it was to take his first job in management, at Carlisle United, then in the Third Division North. Shankly’s place in the Preston team was taken by Tommy Docherty, himself a future manager of some repute. Displaying the wit he was to become famous for, Shankly told Docherty that he should “just put the number four shirt on and let it run round by itself because it knows where to go”.
Shankly learnt his trade in the lower leagues moving from Carlisle to Grimsby then to Workington and on to Huddersfield. Although promotions and silverware eluded him, all of these clubs improved under him, and his reputation grew. So, in 1959, when second division Liverpool decided to dispense with manager Phil Taylor, it was Bill Shankly who they turned to.
Shankly immediately set about improving the playing and training facilities, and overhauling what he judged to be a weak squad. With a strong coaching team in place – the legendary ‘boot room’ of Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Reuben Bennett – he started on his plan to completely revolutionalise the club.
Key signings – in particular Ron Yeats and Ian St John – were made and home-grown players were nurtured. Strength was added in all areas and after successive third-placed finishes, Liverpool managed to gain promotion to Division One in only Shankly’s third season. There was to be no looking back. It took only two years back in the top flight for Liverpool to win the league, goals from Roger Hunt, St John and the unfortunate Alf Arrowsmith (he was injured in the 1964 Charity Shield and never really recovered) propelling the team to the title. The FA Cup followed in 1965 and they were only narrowly denied a place in the European Cup final. Another title followed in 1965/66 as did a place in the Cup Winners Cup final, where they lost in extra time to Borussia Dortmund.
To be fair, there was then a bit of a lull before Shankly set about rebuilding the team again. Shopping around mainly in the lower leagues, he signed players who would form the nucleus of the great team of the 70s – Emlyn Hughes, Ray Clemence, John Toshack and Steve Heighway all came from smaller clubs to join the likes of Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith and Chris Lawler who had come up through the youth scheme. Silverware returned to Anfield with the league title in 72/73, the 1973 UEFA Cup and the 1974 FA Cup.
It was after the FA Cup final victory that Shankly surprised the football world by announcing his retirement from management. Aged 60 the great man was tired. He soon regretted his decision and tried to stay involved, but eventually he had to accept that the new guard, under his protégé Paisley, were now in charge. He had, though, left a superb legacy, reflected in the club going from success to success in the years that followed.
Sadly, Shankly died in 1981, aged only 68. His death was mourned across the world of football and beyond. He is commemorated at Anfield in the Shankly gates, the Shankly plinth and, of course, the statue that stands proudly outside the Kop.
Six great Shankly quotes:
- A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure that you are.
- In my time at Anfield we always said we had the best two teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool reserves.
- A football team is like a piano. You need eight men to carry it and three who can play the damn thing.
- At a football club, there’s a holy trinity – the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don’t come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques
- Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool.
- … and of course … Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.
2. Back where we belong – Premier League title, 2019/20
In 2015 a charismatic German with big teeth and big glasses arrived at Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp had been a solid but not exceptional footballer for Mainz05 in the 2. Bundesliga. Describing himself as having “fourth-division feet and a first-division head”, he felt destined for management and when the opportunity, on his retirement from playing, came to manage his club, he jumped at the chance. He soon proved himself, taking his club to the Bundesliga, for the first time in their history, in only his second full season. More success followed at Borussia Dortmund, whom he led to a rare Bundesliga title in 2010/11 (for good measure he also added the DFB-Pokal Cup), then to a Champions League final the following year.
When in 2015 Liverpool decided to part company with manager Brendan Rodgers, Klopp was the man the club’s owners selected to replace him. It wasn’t just about character and record, they used statistical modelling to assess the person most likely to improve the club. They could not have got it more right.
His first season was not a resounding success in the league, but he did guide the club to two finals – the League Cup and the Europa League – although both were lost. There was even more progress in seasons two and three, with consecutive fourth positions in the Premier League and a superb run to the Champions League final (sadly also lost). The big breakthrough came in 2018/19, Klopp’s fourth season. He added arguably the critical piece in the team jigsaw with the acquisition of Virgil Van Dijk, and his team strode to a runners-up spot in the Premier League that in any other season in history would have made them champions. Oh, and they captured a stunning sixth Champions League title as well.
Could Klopp and his team go one better in 2019/20. You bet they could! The team’s performance during the season almost defies description. They simply could not stop winning. There were convincing wins, narrow wins, wins from behind, last minute wins, the odd lucky win, but above all, wins! After 27 games, the record was 26 won, one drawn, NONE lost. It was the best start and middle to any season anywhere ever. The run came to an end with a shock 3-0 defeat at Vicarage Road at the end of February, but the title was almost won by then. Even the biggest interruption of them all, a three-and-a-half month break for COVID, was not enough to throw Liverpool off-track. They finished the season with a stunning tally of 99 points, and a margin of 18 points between them and second-placed Manchester City.
Liverpool had reassumed their place at the top of the tree after a gap of exactly 30 years. Klopp had earnt himself a place among the club’s greatest managers – Shankly, Paisley and Dalglish. For man fans of younger vintage he may even surpass them.
1. The miracle of Istanbul – Champions League Final, May 2005
In May 2005 Liverpool achieved perhaps the most remarkable feat in their storied football history. With a team that was a long way from being amongst their best, after a season of general mediocrity and underachievement, they won the biggest title available to them, the Champions League. And they did so in a manner that will never be forgotten by anybody lucky enough to have witnessed it.
Liverpool were somewhat fortunate to be in the Champions League at all. They had gained England’s fourth and final place despite finishing a distant 30 points behind champions Arsenal, so had to qualify to reach the group stage. They managed this with a narrow aggregate win (2-1) against Grazer AK of Switzerland, then needed an 86th minute goal (scored by Gerrard of course) in their last group game, against Olympiacos, to squeak through their group. A more convincing win against Bayer Leverkusen took them into the quarter final against Juventus, the first time the two clubs had met since Heysel twenty years previously. Liverpool prevailed 2-1 at home, despite coming under considerable pressure, then drew 0-0 away to go through to the semis. Although the attack was not exactly firing, the defence, built upon Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher, was beginning to look rock solid.
The semi-final saw Liverpool come up against big-spending domestic rivals Chelsea. Chelsea had already clinched the Premier League title and had three wins against Liverpool to their name, but they were unable to score at Stamford Bridge. In the return at Anfield, a questionable goal from Luis Garcia was enough to see Liverpool through to an unlikely final.
The final brought together two of the most successful teams in European competition. Four-times winners Liverpool against six-times champions Milan. Aside from a scare in their semi-final against PSV, Milan had looked impregnable in the competition. Strong in all departments they were clear favourites to win the final. They were even clearer favourites after an utterly dominant first half performance. It took less than a minute for them to get off the mark, captain Paolo Maldini sweeping in a rare goal (for him) from a cross. They nearly added a second through Hernan Crespo then a goal from Andrei Shevchenko was ruled out for a narrow offside. Their dominance paid off, though, with two goals from Uruguayan Crespo, the second an exquisite flick over Jerzy Dudek. Three-nil at half time and, to be honest, Liverpool were lucky to have nil.
Manager Rafa Benitez knew things had to change if his team were to have any chance so he switched formation for the second half and brought on Didi Hamann to add some ballast to a midfield that had been badly overrun in the first. There were chances at both ends, but the first goal of the half came Liverpool’s way in the 54th minute. A cross from John Arne Riise on the left was met by who else but Steven Gerrard, and his superbly placed header found the corner of the net. Two minutes later and Vladimir Smicer made enough space on the edge of the box to get a shot off. Milan keeper Dida should have done better, but failed to stop it, and suddenly it was 2-3. Liverpool were right back in it, and with the fans acting as a twelfth man they kept coming forward. On 60 minutes, Jamie Carragher, looking uncannily like he was Alan Hansen, made a penetrating run through the Milan midfield and found Baros on the edge of the box. A smart backheel from the Czech fell straight into the path of a charging Gerrard who was brought down by Gattuso for a penalty. Xabi Alonso’s first effort was saved, but he scored on the follow up. Unbelievably, in the space of eight minutes Liverpool had come back from a seemingly insurmountable three-goal deficit.
There was plenty more drama in normal time, with Shevchenko being denied great opportunities twice, first by Traore then by Carragher, but Liverpool held fast as the game finished 3-3. The Reds were equally dogged in extra time, none more so than keeper Dudek who made an incredible double save from Shevchenko with only three minutes remaining. There may never have been a better save made in such an important match.
So, it came to penalties. With Dudek channeling his inner Bruce Grobbelaar, both of Milan’s first two, from Serginho and Pirlo, were missed. Meanwhile, Hamann and Cisse both converted coolly for Liverpool. Riise then missed to introduce some peril, but when Andrei Shevchenko stepped up for his penalty and Milan’s fifth he knew he had to score for his team to stay in it. His shot was weak and directed straight at Dudek who saved easily. Liverpool were the 2005 Champions League winners.
There have been better Liverpool teams and better performances than this, but there has never been a better night than this.