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Liverpool F.C.


 

Liverpool Football Club is an English football club and the most successful team ever to have played in the English league. Since its founding in 1892, Liverpool has won five European Cups, the most recent in the 2004-5 season, and eighteen Football League titles. The club's home ground is the 45,362 capacity Anfield stadium, which is about three miles from the centre of Liverpool.

History

Early history

In 1891 Everton won the Football League Championship. Soon after John Houlding, the leaseholder, purchased the Anfield Road ground and proposed to increase the rent from £100 to £250 a year. The Everton members left Anfield for Goodison Park with just 3 players remaining. John Houlding determined to found his own football club and on March 15, 1892 Liverpool Football Club was born. ?Honest? John McKenna was appointed director, he went to Scotland and signed 13 professionals, unsurprisingly the team was labelled "the team of the Macs." The original name was to be Everton F.C. but was changed to Liverpool F.C. (after the F.A. refused to recognise the team as Everton).

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An ambitious application to join the Football League was rejected. After a 7-1 home friendly match victory on 1st September 1892 against Rotherham Town, Liverpool kicked off life in the Lancashire League with an 8-0 win at Anfield against Higher Walton. Malcolm McVean scored the first competitive goal. Ending the first season as champions and beating Everton 1-0 in the first derby match, the 1893 Liverpool Senior Cup final at Bootle F.C., Liverpool were elected to the Football League alongside Woolwich Arsenal.

Related Topics:
The Football League - Lancashire League - Derby match - Bootle F.C. - Woolwich Arsenal

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McVean scored the club?s first league goal in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough Ironopolis and the season ended unbeaten and Second Division Champions, winning a test match 2-0 against Newton Heath (soon to be renamed Manchester United) and promotion to Division 1.

Related Topics:
Middlesbrough Ironopolis - Manchester United

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Manager Tom Watson a championship winner 3 times at Sunderland arrived; the strip changed from blue and white quarters to the famous red and white; and in 1901 Scottish international Alex Raisbeck was the first Liverpool captain to collect the Football League championship. League champions again in 1906, when Everton also won the FA Cup, the ground capacity was increased with the building of a huge cinder bank behind the south end goal. It was christened the Spion Kop after a Boer War battle of 1900 when over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many from Liverpool.

Related Topics:
Sunderland - Spion Kop - Boer War - Lancashire Regiment

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Liverpool played their first FA Cup final, the last at Crystal Palace, and the first attended by the reigning monarch, George V, losing 1-0 to Burnley in 1914. In 1921-2 and again in 1922-3, captained by England full back Ephraim Longworth, Liverpool were champions.

Related Topics:
FA Cup - Crystal Palace - Burnley

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In 1946-7, the first season after World War 2, Liverpool were surprise League champions. In 1950 the club lost its second FA Cup final, 2-0 to Arsenal at Wembley.

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Goalkeepers

Matt McQueen one of the original ?team of the Macs? played in every position including goalkeeper and managed the club from 1923-8.

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The club has had more than its fair share of notable goalkeepers. Scotsman Ted Doig signed from Sunderland in 1904, and is still the club's oldest debutant at 37 years 11 months. Sam Hardy acquired from Chesterfield in 1905 played 219 games and became an England interational. In 1912 he was replaced by Scottish international Kenny Campbell who played in the 1914 FA Cup final and in March 1920 the opposing keepers in an international at Celtic Park were Liverpool?s Kenny Campbell (Scotland) and Elisha Scott (Ireland).

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The great Elisha Scott kept goal in 402 league games from 1913 until 1934. A Belfast man he was known for his distinctive long johns and knee pads, his agility, command of the penalty area and his profanity. This often led to admonishment from skipper Jimmy ?Parson? Jackson, a devout Presbyterian and later an ordained minister.

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Tommy Younger captained Scotland at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

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Tommy Lawrence, ?the flying pig? a Scot, was the first of the ?keeper sweepers?.

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Ray Clemence, 3 times a European Cup winner, and twice a UEFA Cup winner, was one of the finest English goalkeepers of all time.

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Bruce Grobbelaar, a showman and an eccentric Zimbabwean, made hair-raising dashes from his penalty area, not always successfully. His finest moment was the penalty shoot-out of the 1984 European Cup final in Rome. His wobbly legs antics distracted the Roma players, 2 of whom missed.

Related Topics:
Bruce Grobbelaar - Zimbabwe - Roma

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The club's telegraphic address was 'Goalkeeper Anfield.'

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Sources: The official Liverpool FC website and The Official Liverpool FC Illustrated History by Jeff Anderson with Stephen Done (ISBN 1842226657)

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The Bill Shankly era

Bill Shankly was appointed manager of Liverpool before the start of the 1959-60 season. The 45-year-old former Preston North End and Scotland player took charge of the Anfield side when they were in the Football League Second Division and were hardly among the biggest clubs in the English league despite having won the Football League Championship five times in the past.

Related Topics:
Bill Shankly - Manager - Preston North End - Scotland - Football League Second Division - English league - Football League Championship

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Promotion to the Football League First Division was achieved in 1962 when Liverpool won the Second Division championship. In that season, centre forward Roger Hunt scored 41 league goals - a club record which remains unbroken to this day. Liverpool won the First Division Championship in 1964 and regained it two years later, winning their first FA Cup in the season between their two title triumphs. Roger Hunt, Ian St John, Ron Yeats and Tommy Smith were key Liverpool players in this era. Liverpool won their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup, in 1973 - in that season they also lifted another Football League Championship. Shankly shocked the football world by announcing his retirement after Liverpool won the 1974 FA Cup. A local factory even threatened to go on strike in protest against Shankly's decision but Shankly would not be moved. He watched Liverpool play as a spectator from The Kop until his death from a heart attack in 1981 at the age of 67.

Related Topics:
Football League First Division - 1962 - Second Division - Centre forward - Roger Hunt - 1964 - Ian St John - Ron Yeats - Tommy Smith - UEFA Cup - 1973 - 1974 - Strike - The Kop - 1981

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The Bob Paisley era

Bob Paisley, Shankly's 55-year-old assistant, was promoted to the position of manager for the 1974-75 season after failing to persuade his predecessor to carry on. By the time he retired at the end of the 1982-83 season, Bob Paisley was the most successful manager in the history of Liverpool Football Club - he was even the most successful manager in English football, as far as winning trophies was concerned, for almost two decades after his retirement.

Related Topics:
Bob Paisley - Manager

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Some of the greatest names in English football turned out for Liverpool under Paisley's management. They included goalkeeper Ray Clemence, captain Emlyn Hughes and striker Kenny Dalglish. Liverpool won six Football League Championships in nine seasons while Paisley was manager, as well as lifting three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, three successive League Cups, one European Super Cup and three Charity Shields - a total of 21 trophies. Paisley's achievement remained unsurpassed in English football until Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premiership title with Manchester United in 2001.

Related Topics:
Goalkeeper - Ray Clemence - Emlyn Hughes - Striker - Kenny Dalglish - Manager - European Cup - UEFA Cup - League Cup - European Super Cup - Charity Shield - Alex Ferguson - Premiership - Manchester United - 2001

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Bob Paisley bowed out of management in May, 1983 after guiding Liverpool to their second successive Football League Championship/League Cup double. He died February 14, 1996 at the age of 77. After his death, he was honoured by the club with the opening of the Paisley Gates at one of the entrances to Anfield, complementing the existing Shankly Gates.

Related Topics:
May - 1983 - February 14 - 1996 - Anfield

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The Joe Fagan era

Joe Fagan, who at the age of 63 became Liverpool manager after Bob Paisley's retirement, was the club's second manager to be promoted from the coaching staff into the manager's seat. He remained in charge for just two seasons before handing in his retirement, but his first season (1983-84) saw Liverpool set some of the most impressive records in English football. They won their fourth successive League Cup and their third successive League Championship as well as winning the European Cup for the fourth time in eight seasons, thanks to the efforts of Fagan and his high quality squad which was mostly made up of players from the Bob Paisley era. A significant breakthrough star in the Liverpool team was young striker Ian Rush, who had been signed from Chester in 1980 and after a couple of seasons in the reserves had broken into the first team and established himself as a prolific goalscorer. Captain Alan Hansen had some of the finest leadership skills in European football. Zimbabwean goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was capable of pulling off some of the most impressive saves from opposition players' shots.

Related Topics:
Joe Fagan - Manager - League Cup - League Championship - European Cup - Striker - Ian Rush - Chester - 1980 - Alan Hansen - Zimbabwe - Goalkeeper - Bruce Grobbelaar

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Joe Fagan's second and final season as Liverpool manager had a traumatic ending. Liverpool lost out on the league title to local rivals Everton - with four matches to spare. They reached the European Cup final to face Italian champions Juventus at the decrepit Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. Before kick-off, violence between Liverpool and Juventus supporters resulted in the death of 39 (mostly Italian) supporters who were crushed to death, when a wall collapsed as they fled from Liverpool supporters.

Related Topics:
Everton - European Cup - Italian champions - Juventus - Heysel Stadium - Brussels - Belgium - Violence - Death of 39

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Fagan retired after the Heysel Disaster and handed over the reins to former Liverpool striker Kenny Dalglish, who was given the role of player-manager. He died at the age of 80 in July 2001 after a long illness.

Related Topics:
Striker - Kenny Dalglish - July - 2001

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The Kenny Dalglish era

Kenny Dalglish began his management career in style with Football League Championship/FA Cup double success in the 1985-86 season. The club finished top of the First Division ahead of neighbours Everton, and to round it all off Liverpool defeated Everton 3-1 in the FA Cup final.

Related Topics:
Kenny Dalglish - Everton - FA Cup

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Dalglish was still a top striker despite his advancing years, and his partnership with Ian Rush was the most prolific in the English league. Midfielders Craig Johnston and Ray Houghton were also putting on impressive performances. Liverpool's 1986 double success made history as they were only the fifth team in English football to achieve such a feat, and the first team to win the FA Cup without fielding a single English player.

Related Topics:
Striker - Ian Rush - Craig Johnston - Ray Houghton - 1986

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Liverpool ended the 1986-87 season trophyless and despondent as they lost the Football League First Division to Everton and the League Cup to Arsenal. Pundits were predicting further disappointment for the following season when star striker Ian Rush was off-loaded to Juventus. Dalglish responded by adding Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and John Aldridge to Liverpool's forward line. Liverpool secured the First Division Championship with a nine-point gap over runners-up Manchester United and just two league defeats all season. Twice in his career, Barnes was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. He has also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year. As ever, there was a downside to Liverpool's season, which came with a shocking 1-0 FA Cup final defeat against Wimbledon, who had been in the Football League for just eleven seasons and had just completed only their second season of top division football.

Related Topics:
Football League First Division - League Cup - Arsenal - Striker - Ian Rush - Juventus - Peter Beardsley - John Barnes - John Aldridge - Manchester United - Football Writers' Association - PFA Players' Player of the Year - FA Cup - Wimbledon

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Ian Rush returned to Liverpool for the 1988-89 season, after an unsuccessful spell at Juventus, and was crucial in getting the club to their third FA Cup final in four years. They narrowly beat Everton 3-2 but the triumph was overshadowed by tragedy in the FA Cup semi final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough.

Related Topics:
Ian Rush - Juventus - FA Cup - Tragedy - Nottingham Forest - Hillsborough

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Before the FA Cup semi final could kick off, 96 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death and around 766 others injured in the single worst disaster to affect British sport. Between 2.00pm and 2.45pm there was a considerable build up of fans in the small area outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane End, all eager to enter the stadium before the match started. A bottleneck developed with more fans arriving than entering the stadium. With an estimated 5,000 fans trying to get through the turnstiles and an increasingly dangerous situation, the police decided to open a second set of gates which did not have turnstiles (Gate C). The resulting inpouring of hundreds, or possibly thousands, of fans through a narrow tunnel at the rear of the terrace and into the already overcrowded central two pens caused a crush at the front where people were pressed against the fencing. The people entering were unaware of the problems being experienced at the fence and for some time the problem was not noticed by anybody (other than those affected), it was not until 3:06pm that the referee stopped the game. By this time a small gate in the fencing had been opened and some fans escaped the crush by this route ? others climbed over the fencing, and further fans were pulled up by fellow fans into the upper tier above the Leppings Lane terrace.

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The Taylor Report later ruled that the main reasons for the disaster were overcrowding due to a failure of police control.

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After the FA Cup final victory, Liverpool played their final league game of the season - a home fixture against their nearest challengers Arsenal, who were three points behind them and had scored two less goals. Liverpool went 1-0 down but still looked set to win the league until the last minute of the game, when a goal from Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas (who ironically joined Liverpool a few seasons later) deprived Liverpool of the chance to repeat the double for the second season running.

Related Topics:
FA Cup - Arsenal - Midfielder - Michael Thomas

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Kenny Dalglish guided Liverpool to their third league title in five seasons in 1989-90. Although the 5-year ban on English clubs in European competition was lifted for the following season, Liverpool had to serve an extra year and were unable to compete in the 1990-91 European Cup.

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On February 22, 1991, with Liverpool halfway through a two-horse race with Arsenal for the league title, Kenny Dalglish dropped a bombshell on the club by handing in his resignation as manager and claimed he could no longer cope with the pressure of managing the club. First-team coach Ronnie Moran took temporary charge of team affairs for several weeks before Graeme Souness was named the club's new manager. By that stage, Liverpool were slipping behind in the title race and finished runners-up to Arsenal who completed the season with just one defeat from 38 games.

Related Topics:
February 22 - 1991 - Ronnie Moran - Graeme Souness

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The Graeme Souness era

Graeme Souness had a reasonable start to his career as Liverpool manager. His first season as manager saw the club win the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Wembley, a success which ensured they would be competing in the European Cup Winners Cup for the 1992-93 season, which would also be the first season of the new Premier League. He spent recklessly on many new players who did not all prove to be successful, especially strikers Paul Stewart and Nigel Clough. Younger players like Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp were proving to be successful instead of these expensive acquisitions. The veteran striker Ian Rush, meanwhile, was still scoring goals as freely as ever despite being in his thirties. Long serving goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was often being kept out of the team by promising young shot-stopper David James.

Related Topics:
Graeme Souness - Manager - FA Cup - Sunderland - Wembley - European Cup Winners Cup - Premier League - Strikers - Paul Stewart - Nigel Clough - Robbie Fowler - Steve McManaman - Jamie Redknapp - Striker - Ian Rush - Goalkeeper - Bruce Grobbelaar - David James

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Liverpool finished sixth in the first-ever Premier League and had never looked like title challengers at any stage in the 1992-93 season. The 1993-94 season was no different and Souness was sacked in January 1994 after Liverpool suffered a shock defeat against Bristol City in the FA Cup Third Round.

Related Topics:
January - 1994 - Bristol City - FA Cup

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The Roy Evans era

Roy Evans, a boot room veteran who had been on the club's pay roll since the late 1950's, was promoted to the position of manager following the dismissal of Graeme Souness. He guided Liverpool to an eighth place finish in the 1993-94 Premier League campaign, and made two expensive additions to the squad for the following season - central defenders Phil Babb and John Scales. Young striker Robbie Fowler netted 29 goals in all competitions and was voted Young Player of the Year by the PFA, while veteran striker Ian Rush was still scoring vast numbers of goals in his 34th year. Liverpool made big progress during the 1994-95 season, finishing fourth in the Premiership and beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the League Cup final.

Related Topics:
Roy Evans - Premier League - Defenders - Phil Babb - John Scales - Striker - Robbie Fowler - Ian Rush - Bolton Wanderers - League Cup

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In the summer of 1995, Liverpool paid Nottingham Forest a British record fee of £8.5 million for striker Stan Collymore. The high fee initially looked to have paid off, but during his second season at the club, Collymore's form dipped (and he appeared to be wasting his talent with incidents off the pitch) and he was sold to Aston Villa for £7 million in May 1997.

Related Topics:
1995 - Nottingham Forest - Striker - Stan Collymore - Aston Villa - May - 1997

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Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore formed an impressive partnership for the 1995-96 season which saw the veteran Ian Rush relegated to the substitute bench for much of the season before his departure on a free transfer to Leeds United. Liverpool finished third in the Premiership and were within shouting distance of the title right up to the final weeks of the season. They reached the FA Cup final and were defeated by Manchester United. Liverpool still qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup, however, because United had won the Premiership/FA Cup double.

Related Topics:
Robbie Fowler - Stan Collymore - Ian Rush - Leeds United - FA Cup - Manchester United - European Cup Winners Cup

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Liverpool finished fourth in the 1996-97 season having frequently led the table for much of the early part of the season, and were defeated by Paris St. Germain in the semi finals of the European Cup Winners Cup.

Related Topics:
Paris St. Germain - European Cup Winners Cup

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1997-98 saw the emergence of a world class young player at Liverpool: Michael Owen. The 18-year-old Chester-born centre forward was a regular player in the first team almost all season long, relegating high profile German striker Karlheinz Riedle to the bench. He became the youngest-ever full England international in February 1998 and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year. Liverpool had an outside chance of winning the Premiership title for much of the 1997-98 season but were unable to catch champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester United, so their place in Europe for 1998-99 was 'merely' the UEFA Cup rather than the Champions League.

Related Topics:
Michael Owen - Centre forward - German - Karlheinz Riedle - February - 1998 - PFA Young Player of the Year - Arsenal - Manchester United - UEFA Cup - Champions League

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The Gérard Houllier era

Gérard Houllier, the former French national coach, was drafted into the Liverpool management team for the 1998-99 season to work alongside Roy Evans. But Evans found that the partnership did not suit him and he quit during the season, at the end of which Liverpool finished a disappointing seventh - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

Related Topics:
Gérard Houllier - Roy Evans - UEFA Cup

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Liverpool had their best season for years in 2000-01 when they won a unique treble of the League Cup (beating Birmingham City on penalties after a 1-1 draw), FA Cup (beating Arsenal 2-1 with two goals from Michael Owen in the last ten minutes) and UEFA Cup (beating Alavés 5-4). They became the first club in English football to achieve two 'trebles' of any kind. In 1999, Manchester United had become only the second English team to win a treble of any kind when they won the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League. The 2001 treble success confirmed Houllier's status as a world class manager.

Related Topics:
League Cup - Birmingham City - FA Cup - Arsenal - Michael Owen - UEFA Cup - Alavés - 1999 - Manchester United - Premiership - Champions League - 2001

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By now, Liverpool's side contained a new set of players including goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, defender and captain Sami Hyypiä, young midfielder Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen's strike partner Emile Heskey. The new generation of players was so impressive that even Robbie Fowler had left the club, joining Leeds United in an £11 million deal in November 2001.

Related Topics:
Goalkeeper - Jerzy Dudek - Sami Hyypiä - Midfielder - Steven Gerrard - Michael Owen's - Strike partner - Emile Heskey - Robbie Fowler - Leeds United - November - 2001

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2001-02 saw Liverpool progress even further. They ended the season without a major trophy, but finished league runners-up for the first time since 1991 - ironically ending Manchester United's 10-year run of top-two finishes which had begun when Liverpool's 10-year run had ended.

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Liverpool won another League Cup in 2003 but Houllier had failed to deliver the league title which had eluded Anfield since 1990, although they did qualify for the Champions League three times during his tenure. Fans saw Houllier's ultra-conservative and defensive tactics as sacrificing too much attacking impetus to challenge Arsenal and Manchester United for the top prize. During this period Liverpool had their longest streak of not winning any games in a first-division league. Houllier was eventually sacked at the end of the 2003-04 season and replaced by the Spaniard Rafael Benítez, who had just guided Valencia to the Spanish league title. Benítez's hopes of re-establishing Liverpool as a top club were dented when star striker Michael Owen moved to Real Madrid for £8 million plus winger, Antonio Nunez.

Related Topics:
League Cup - 2003 - 1990 - Champions League - Spaniard - Rafael Benítez - Valencia - Michael Owen - Real Madrid - Antonio Nunez

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The Rafael Benítez era

Rafael Benítez has so far guided Liverpool to a League Cup final—losing to Chelsea in extra time—and a Champions League Final in his first season as manager. The club played Chelsea, 2004-05 Premiership winners, in the Champions League semi-final. In the first leg on 27 April 2005 at Stamford Bridge, the clubs drew 0-0, setting up a winner-take-all return leg at Anfield on 3 May. Liverpool won the second leg and the tie 1-0. That set up Liverpool's Champions League final with A.C. Milan in Istanbul on 25 May, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the tournament's history after Liverpool fought back from 3-0 down at half-time to draw the match 3-3. The match moved to extra time, where Jerzy Dudek produced a sensational double save from 2004 European Footballer of the Year, Andriy Shevchenko, pushing the game into penalties. There Dudek continued his heroics by saving two penalties, including the match-winning save, again against Shevchenko. This result made Benítez the third manager (after Bob Paisley and José Mourinho) to win the UEFA Cup and Champions League in consecutive years, but the first to do it for two different clubs. Despite this success, the team stumbled their way to fifth place in the Premiership, lacking consistency throughout the campaign. Although they suffered from injuries to their squad, including long-term injuries to Xabi Alonso and captain Steven Gerrard, the 37 point difference between the top place and Liverpool's fifth place was too much and major changes were promised to restore the club's glory days.

Related Topics:
Rafael Benítez - League Cup - Chelsea - Extra time - Champions League - Manager - 2004-05 - Premiership - 27 April - 2005 - Stamford Bridge - Anfield - 3 May - A.C. Milan - Istanbul - 25 May - Jerzy Dudek - 2004 - European Footballer of the Year - Andriy Shevchenko - Bob Paisley - José Mourinho - UEFA Cup - Xabi Alonso - Steven Gerrard

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Champions League 2005-06

Main article: Liverpool F.C.'s European Cup triumphs

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As another ironic footnote, Liverpool will be able to keep the 2005 Champions League trophy permanently, but faced the situation that they might not have been able to defend their crown in the following season. England could only send four clubs into the next Champions League season, and Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League. In order to avoid the strange situation of starting the next season without the title defender, UEFA decided to give all future winners automatic qualification. Liverpool though were entered into the Champions League having to play in the first qualifying round and without any country protection. This meant they could have met their city rivals, Everton, in the third qualifying round as the latter had a much lower seed. In the event, they avoided each other.

Related Topics:
2005 - Champions League - Premier League - UEFA

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They defeated Welsh side TNS in both legs of their first qualifying round tie by identical 3-0 scorelines. The away leg was played at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground where the Liverpool reserves also play, after it was determined that TNS's own ground (Treflan) in the village of Llansantffraid did not meet UEFA standards. Liverpool finished off the Welsh side with another 3-0 victory (6-0 on agg), putting the European champions through to the 2nd qualifying round. Other venues that TNS had expressed interest in were Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and Everton's home, Goodison Park. In yet another irony, TNS had offered to play a two-legged match against Liverpool for TNS' own place in the qualifying round of the competition, but were rebuffed by UEFA.

Related Topics:
Welsh - TNS - Wrexham - Racecourse Ground - Llansantffraid - Cardiff - Millennium Stadium - Everton - Goodison Park

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Liverpool then defeated FBK Kaunas of Lithuania in the 2nd qualifying round. The Reds defeated Kaunas 3-1 away on 26 July; they won the return leg 2-0 on the 2 August at Anfield. The goals were scored in the second half by substitutes Steven Gerrard and Djibril Cisse.

Related Topics:
FBK Kaunas - Lithuania - 26 July - 2 August - Anfield - Steven Gerrard - Djibril Cisse

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Drawn against the CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria in the third qualifying round on the 10 August 2005, the Reds won 3-1 in the away leg with Cisse scoring the first and Fernando Morientes netting a brace. The home leg on 23 August 2005 saw Liverpool lose 1-0, but win 3-2 on aggregate allowing them entry to the Champions League draw, where they were placed in Group G with Chelsea, Anderlecht and Real Betis.

Related Topics:
CSKA Sofia - Bulgaria - 10 August - 2005 - Fernando Morientes - Brace - 23 August - Champions League - Chelsea - Anderlecht - Real Betis

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On 13 September2005 Liverpool got their Group Stage campaign underway with an impressive 2-1 win in Seville against Real Betis with early goals from Florent Sinama Pongolle and Luis García. Garcia Arzu pulled a goal back for Real Betis early in the second half but Liverpool kept their composure and held on to take 3 priceless points.

Related Topics:
13 September - 2005 - Real Betis - Florent Sinama Pongolle - Luis García

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On 28 September2005 in a match of few chances, Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Chelsea F.C. at Anfield in the first all-English Champions League Group Stage match.

Related Topics:
28 September - 2005

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UEFA Super Cup 2005

Liverpool went on to play for the European Super Cup, which is the match held annually between the UEFA Champions League winners (in this case, Liverpool) and the UEFA Cup winners (in this case, CSKA Moscow). CSKA Moscow's Daniel Carvalho scored early on in the 28th minute, after which Moscow retreated into a defensive position. Liverpool attacked for the rest of the game, but Moscow's 5-man defence was too much although Luis Garcia came close with four or five decent chances). With 10 minutes of normal time remaining, Rafael Benitez sent on Djibril Cisse, who needed only three minutes to find a goal. There was some controversy as to whether the ball had hit Cisse on the hand or not, but, if the referee did see it, he could have deemed it to be a case of 'ball to hand' rather than 'hand to ball'. The whistle blew with the teams deadlocked at 1-1, and extra time commenced. Within very little time, Cisse scored again, making the score 2-1. Moscow's strikers almost managed to take it to the penalties, but Pepe Reina made a timely save. Dietmar Hamann then managed to get in a long pass to Cisse, and Cisse, running up the wing, crossed the ball in right in front of Luis Garcia, who easily headed the ball home into the net, making the score 3-1. The cup was Liverpool's. Cisse was announced as man of the match, with only 40 minutes on the pitch, and Jamie Carragher (pronounced as captain because of Steven Gerrard's injury) cheerfully lifted the cup. It was Liverpool's second European trophy of 2005.

Related Topics:
European Super Cup - UEFA Champions League - UEFA Cup - CSKA Moscow - Daniel Carvalho - Luis Garcia - Djibril Cisse - Pepe Reina - Dietmar Hamann - Jamie Carragher - Steven Gerrard

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