1983–84 Liverpool F.C. season

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Liverpool F.C.
1983–84 season
Chairman John W Smith
Manager Joe Fagan
First Division Champions
European Cup Winners
FA Cup 4th Round
League Cup Winners
Top goalscorer League: Ian Rush (32)
All: Ian Rush (47)
Home colours
Away colours

The 1983–84 season was the 92nd season in Liverpool F.C.'s existence, and their 21st consecutive year in the top-flight.

It was Liverpool's first season under the management of Joe Fagan, who was promoted from the coaching staff after the retirement of Bob Paisley, their manager of the last nine seasons who had won at least one major trophy in all but the first of his seasons as manager (including six league titles and three European Cups). Fagan's first season as manager ended with Liverpool becoming the first team in England to win three major trophies in the same season as they won the league title, European Cup and League Cup. They beat Roma on penalties to win the European Cup for the fourth time (their sixth European trophy win overall), and defeated Merseyside rivals Everton in the League Cup final replay, and fought off a challenge from the likes of Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Queen's Park Rangers to win their 15th league title, and their third consecutive title.

The undoubted star of the season was striker Ian Rush, who scored 32 goals in the league and 47 in all competitions.[1]

It was the last season at the club for midfielder Graeme Souness, who was sold to Italian side Sampdoria at the end of the campaign.[2]

Events of the season

August Bob Paisley, the most successful manager in English football, retired as Liverpool's manager at the end of the 1982-83 season after nine glorious years at the helm. His successor was 62-year-old "boot room" veteran Joe Fagan.

The Fagan era began with the FA Charity Shield at Wembley Stadium on 20 August 1983. Liverpool, defending league champions, lost 2-0 in front of a 92,000 crowd, with Bryan Robson scoring both of the goals for FA Cup winners Manchester United. The league campaign began unspectacularly seven days later with a 1-1 draw at newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers.

September Liverpool's bid for a fourth European Cup triumph began on 14 September with a 1-0 away win in the first round first leg over Danish champions Odense. Qualification for the next stage was confirmed two weeks later when the Reds won 5-0 in the return leg at Anfield.

They had a decent month in the league as well, finishing the month in fourth place behind West Ham United, Manchester United and Southampton.[3]

October October saw Liverpool's League Cup quest begin in the second round, where they eliminated Third Division Brentford by a comfortable margin. Their European Cup campaign thrown into question with a goalless home draw with Atletico Bilbao of Spain in the second round first leg, leaving them to need at least a score draw in the return leg in order to progress to the quarter-finals. In the league, however, excellent wins over West Ham United and Luton Town helped them to attain second place as the month drew to a close, two points short of leaders Manchester United. As well as the surprise challenge from West Ham United, they also had a race for the title mounting from fellow London side QPR, who like West Ham had never won the title before, but were also playing their first top division season since promotion the previous campaign.[4]

November November was a rocky month for the Reds. They did manage to dispose of Atletico Bilbao in the European Cup, but were held to two draws by Fulham in the League Cup third round, finally winning the second replay. They did, however, climb to the top of the First Division, though the challenge from West Ham United and Manchester United remained intense, while a surprise challenge was springing from Tottenham Hostpur and unfashionable Luton Town - the latter who had been on the receiving end of a 6-0 demolition (and five goals by Ian Rush) by the Reds a month earlier. [5]

December 10 December 1983 brought one of the most embarrassing defeats ever inflicted on Liverpool Football Club. They travelled to Highfield Road for a First Division clash with a Coventry City side who were emerging as surprise title challengers under young manager Bobby Gould, and found themselves on the receiving end of a 4-0 defeat. However, they pulled together the following weekend to demolish Notts County 5-0 at Anfield, and entered 1984 still in pole position and three points ahead of their nearest rivals Manchester United.[6]

The League Cup quest continued with a replay win over Birmingham City in the fourth round.

January The first Liverpool game of 1984 was a 1-1 home draw with Manchester United in the league, billed by many as a championship decider - the outcome of which left the top two unchanged. The FA Cup quest began with a 4-0 home win over a Newcastle United led by former Liverpool striker Kevin Keegan, but ended later in the month with a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of the previous season's losing finalists Brighton & Hove Albion. They also achieved a League Cup quarter-final replay win over Sheffield Wednesday, like Keegan's Newcastle on the way to promotion to the First Division. There was a real chance of a treble this season.

February Liverpool maintained top place in the First Division throughout February.[7] In the League Cup semi-finals, they were held to a surprise 2-2 draw by Third Division minnows Walsall in the first leg at Anfield before winning the return leg 2-0 at Fellows Park, to secure a place in the League Cup final a month later against Merseyside rivals Everton, who were on a run in the cup competitions despite dismal league form which had seen repeated calls from fans for manager Howard Kendall to be sacked.

March March saw Liverpool seal their first trophy of the season when they won 1-0 in the final replay at Maine Road on 28 March 1984, three days after the first game saw them draw 0-0 with Everton at Wembley Stadium. The European adventure resumed with an excellent 5-1 aggregate win over Portuguese champions Benfica. They were still going strong in the league as well, and by the end of March only Manchester United (two points behind them) were looking able to catch them.[8]

April A succession of wins could have wrapped up Liverpool's 15th league title before the end of April, but a shock defeat to relegation threatened Stoke City and a 3-3 draw with Leicester City meant that April ended with Liverpool still just two points ahead of Manchester United with four games remaining. And a late surge from QPR and Southampton suggested that the title might not end up at Anfield or Old Trafford.[9]

Liverpool reached their fourth European Cup final by eliminated Dinamo Bucharest in the semi-finals.[10]

May May 1984 was one of the most glorious months ever experienced by Liverpool Football Club, but it began with a result that suggested the month could turn out to be one of the most disappointing. A goalless draw at relegation threatened Birmingham City (who soon went down thanks to a late escape act by Stoke City) could have been enough for Liverpool to lose their lead to Manchester United on goal difference, but Ron Atkinson's side also managed only a draw that weekend, and there was still a mathematical chance of either QPR or Southampton winning the title.[11]

Two days after the scare in the midlands, another midland side - Coventry City - took on Liverpool, this time at Anfield. Any talk of a repeat of the December humiliation at Highfield Road was quickly silenced as the Reds crushed the Sky Blues 5-0 (with Ian Rush scoring four goals and pushing them to the edge of the relegation zone just five months after they had been pushing for the title) and opened up a five-point lead to a Manchester United side who were beaten by Nottingham Forest on the same day. Southampton were now the only side other than Manchester United who could catch Liverpool, but the Reds only needed two points from their final two games to be sure of the title.[12]

Liverpool drew their penultimate league game of the season with doomed Notts County at Meadow Lane, but Manchester United and Southampton were only able to draw their games as well - meaning that Liverpool had become only the third English club to win three successive league titles.[13][14]

The championship trophy was presented to the club on 15 May 1984 after the final league game of the season - a 1-1 draw with Norwich City at Anfield.

The European Cup final was played on 30 May 1984. Veteran defender Phil Neal put the Reds ahead against AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, but the Italians later equalised to force a 1-1 draw which remained the score as full-time and then extra time loomed. The match went to a penalty shoot-out, which the Reds won 4-2, becoming the first English club to win three major trophies in the same season. It was their fourth European Cup triumph - a record only bettered by Real Madrid who won it six times between 1956 and 1966.

Squad

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Attackers

Table

P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Liverpool 42 22 14 6 73 32 +41 80
2 Southampton 42 22 11 9 66 38 +28 77
3 Nottingham Forest 42 22 8 12 76 45 +31 74
4 Manchester United 42 20 14 8 71 41 +30 74
5 Queens Park Rangers 42 22 7 13 67 37 +30 73
6 Arsenal 42 18 9 15 74 60 +14 63
7 Everton 42 16 14 12 44 42 +2 62
8 Tottenham Hotspur 42 17 10 15 64 65 −1 61
9 West Ham United 42 17 9 16 60 55 +5 60
10 Aston Villa 42 17 9 16 59 61 −2 60
11 Watford 42 16 9 17 68 77 −9 57
12 Ipswich Town 42 15 8 19 55 57 −2 53
13 Sunderland 42 13 13 16 42 53 −11 52
14 Norwich City 42 12 15 15 48 49 −1 51
15 Leicester City 42 13 12 17 65 68 −3 51
16 Luton Town 42 14 9 19 53 66 −13 51
17 West Bromwich Albion 42 14 9 19 48 62 −14 51
18 Stoke City 42 13 11 18 44 63 −19 50
19 Coventry City 42 13 11 18 57 77 −20 50
20 Birmingham City 42 12 12 18 39 50 −11 48
21 Notts County 42 10 11 21 50 72 −22 41
22 Wolverhampton Wanderers 42 6 11 25 27 80 −53 29

Results

First Division

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Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
27-Aug-83 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 1–1 Rush Goal 46' 26,249 Report Report
31-Aug-83 Norwich City A 1–0 Souness Goal 29' 23,859 Report Report
03-Sep-83 Nottingham Forest H 1–0 Rush Goal 84' 31,376 Report Report
06-Sep-83 Southampton H 1–1 Rush Goal 60' 26,331 Report Report
10-Sep-83 Arsenal A 2–0 Johnston Goal 17' Dalglish Goal 67' 47,896 Report Report
17-Sep-83 Aston Villa H 2–1 Dalglish Goal 73' Rush Goal 79' 34,246 Report Report
24-Sep-83 Manchester United A 0–1 56,121 Report Report
01-Oct-83 Sunderland H 0–1 29,534 Report Report
15-Oct-83 West Ham United A 3–1 Robinson Goal 15'24'74' 32,555 Report Report
22-Oct-83 Queens Park Rangers A 1–0 Nicol Goal 83' 27,140 Report Report
29-Oct-83 Luton Town H 6–0 Rush Goal 2'5'36'55'88' Dalglish Goal 38' 31,940 Report Report
06-Nov-83 Everton H 3–0 Rush Goal 16' Robinson Goal 60' Nicol Goal 85' 40,875 Report Report
12-Nov-83 Tottenham Hotspur A 2–2 Robinson Goal 6' Rush Goal 65' 45,032 Report Report
19-Nov-83 Stoke City H 1–0 Rush Goal 67' 26,529 Report Report
26-Nov-83 Ipswich Town A 1–1 Dalglish Goal 62' 23,826 Report Report
03-Dec-83 Birmingham City H 1–0 Rush Goal 86' 24,791 Report Report
10-Dec-83 Coventry City A 0–4 20,586 Report Report
17-Dec-83 Notts County H 5–0 Nicol Goal 12' Souness Goal pen 22'83' Own Goal Goal 35' Rush Goal 50' 22,436 Report Report
26-Dec-83 West Bromwich Albion A 2–1 Nicol Goal 16' Souness Goal 62' 25,139 Report Report
27-Dec-83 Leicester City H 2–2 Lee Goal 74' Rush Goal 83' 33,664 Report Report
31-Dec-83 Nottingham Forest A 1–0 Rush Goal 28' 29,692 Report Report
02-Jan-84 Manchester United H 1–1 Johnston Goal 32' 45,122 Report Report
14-Jan-84 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–1 23,325 Report Report
20-Jan-84 Aston Villa A 3–1 Rush Goal 46'70'80' 19,566 Report Report
01-Feb-84 Watford H 3–0 Rush Goal 10' Nicol Goal 41' Whelan Goal 45' 20,746 Report Report
04-Feb-84 Sunderland A 0–0 25,646 Report Report
11-Feb-84 Arsenal H 2–1 Kennedy Goal 12' Neal Goal 78' 34,642 Report Report
18-Feb-84 Luton Town A 0–0 14,877 Report Report
25-Feb-84 Queens Park Rangers H 2–0 Rush Goal 80' Robinson Goal 55' 32,206 Report Report
03-Mar-84 Everton A 1–1 Rush Goal 17' 51,245 Report Report
10-Mar-84 Tottenham Hotspur H 3–1 Dalglish Goal 41' Whelan Goal 43' Lee Goal 88' 36,718 Report Report
16-Mar-84 Southampton A 0–2 19,698 Report Report
31-Mar-84 Watford A 2–0 Wark Goal 58' Rush Goal 80' 21,293 Report Report
07-Apr-84 West Ham United H 6–0 Rush Goal 6'18' Dalglish Goal 12' Whelan Goal 28' Souness Goal 62'70' 38,359 Report Report
14-Apr-84 Stoke City A 0–2 24,372 Report Report
18-Apr-84 Leicester City A 3–3 Whelan Goal 14' Rush Goal 59' Wark Goal 81' 26,553 Report Report
21-Apr-84 West Bromwich Albion H 3–0 Own Goal Goal 20' Souness Goal 25' Dalglish Goal 29' 35,320 Report Report
28-Apr-84 Ipswich Town H 2–2 Kennedy Goal 31' Rush Goal 37' 32,069 Report Report
05-May-84 Birmingham City A 0–0 18,809 Report Report
07-May-84 Coventry City H 5–0 Rush Goal 43'45'57 pen'81' Hansen Goal 71' 33,393 Report Report
12-May-84 Notts County A 0–0 18,745 Report Report
15-May-84 Norwich City H 1–1 Rush Goal 30' 38,837 Report Report

FA Charity Shield

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GK 1 England Gary Bailey
DF 2 England Mike Duxbury
DF 3 Scotland Arthur Albiston
MF 4 England Ray Wilkins
DF 5 Republic of Ireland Kevin Moran
DF 6 Scotland Gordon McQueen
MF 7 England Bryan Robson (c)
MF 8 Netherlands Arnold Mühren Substituted off
FW 9 Republic of Ireland Frank Stapleton
FW 10 Northern Ireland Norman Whiteside
MF 11 Scotland Arthur Graham
Substitutes:
DF 12 England John Gidman Substituted in
MF 13 Scotland Lou Macari
GK 14 England Jeff Wealands
MF 15 England Remi Moses
Manager:
England Ron Atkinson
GK 1 Zimbabwe Bruce Grobbelaar
RB 2 England Phil Neal
LB 3 England Alan Kennedy (c)
CM 4 Republic of Ireland Mark Lawrenson
CB 5 England Phil Thompson Substituted off 61'
CB 6 Scotland Alan Hansen
CF 7 Scotland Kenny Dalglish
RM 8 England Sammy Lee
CF 9 Wales Ian Rush
LM 10 Republic of Ireland Michael Robinson Substituted off 61'
CM 11 Scotland Graeme Souness
Substitutes:
MF 12 England Craig Johnston Substituted in 61'
FW 13 England David Hodgson Substituted in 61'
GK 14 England Bob Bolder
Manager:
England Joe Fagan

Match rules

  • 90 minutes, no extra time
  • Four named substitutes
  • Maximum of two substitutions

FA Cup

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Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
06-Jan-84 Newcastle United H 4–0 Robinson Goal 8' Rush 2 Goal 28'86' Johnston Goal 63' 33,566 Report Report
29-Jan-84 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–2 19,057 Report Report

League Cup

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Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
05-Oct-83 Brentford A 4–1 Rush Goal 23'70' Robinson Goal 51' Souness Goal 57' 17,859 Report Report
25-Oct-83 Brentford H 4–0 Souness Goal pen 38' Hodgson Goal 65' Dalglish Goal 69' Robinson Goal 87' 9,902 Report Report
08-Nov-83 Fulham A 1–1 Rush Goal 64' 20,142 Report Report
22-Nov-83 Fulham H 1–1 Dalglish Goal 50' 15,783 Report Report
29-Nov-83 Fulham A 1–0 Souness Goal 114' 20,905 Report Report
20-Dec-83 Birmingham City A 1–1 Souness Goal 26' 17,405 Report Report
22-Dec-83 Birmingham City H 3–0 Nicol Goal 39' Rush Goal 53'pen 74' 11,638 Report Report
17-Jan-84 Sheffield Wednesday A 2–2 Nicol Goal 20' Neal Goal pen 60' 49,357 Report Report
25-Jan-84 Sheffield Wednesday H 3–0 Rush Goal 37'85' Robinson Goal 74' 40,485 Report Report
07-Feb-84 Walsall H 2–2 Whelan Goal 14'73' 31,073 Report Report
14-Feb-84 Walsall A 2–0 Rush Goal 13' Whelan Goal 52' 19,591 Report Report

Final

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25 March 1984
15:00
Liverpool 0–0 (a.e.t) Everton
Report
Report
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 100,000
Referee: Alan Robinson
GK 1 Zimbabwe Bruce Grobbelaar
RB 2 England Phil Neal
LB 3 England Alan Kennedy
CB 4 Republic of Ireland Mark Lawrenson
LM 5 Republic of Ireland Ronnie Whelan
CB 6 Scotland Alan Hansen
CF 7 Scotland Kenny Dalglish
RM 8 England Sammy Lee
CF 9 Wales Ian Rush
CM 10 England Craig Johnston Substituted off 91'
CM 11 Scotland Graeme Souness (c)
Substitute:
FW 12 Republic of Ireland Michael Robinson Substituted in 91'
Manager:
England Joe Fagan
GK 1 Wales Neville Southall
DF 2 England Gary Stevens
DF 3 England John Bailey
DF 4 Wales Kevin Ratcliffe (c)
DF 5 England Derek Mountfield
MF 6 England Peter Reid
MF 7 Scotland Alan Irvine
FW 8 England Adrian Heath
FW 9 Scotland Graeme Sharp
FW 10 England Kevin Richardson
MF 11 Republic of Ireland Kevin Sheedy
Substitute:
DF 12 England Alan Harper
Manager:
England Howard Kendall

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Replay if scores still level.
  • One named substitute.
  • Maximum of one substitution.

Replay

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28 March 1984
19:30
Liverpool 1–0 Everton
Souness Goal 21' Report
Report
Maine Road, Manchester
Attendance: 52,089
Referee: Alan Robinson
GK 1 Zimbabwe Bruce Grobbelaar
RB 2 England Phil Neal
LB 3 England Alan Kennedy
CB 4 Republic of Ireland Mark Lawrenson
LM 5 Republic of Ireland Ronnie Whelan
CB 6 Scotland Alan Hansen
CF 7 Scotland Kenny Dalglish
RM 8 England Sammy Lee
CF 9 Wales Ian Rush
CM 10 England Craig Johnston
CM 11 Scotland Graeme Souness (c)
Substitute:
FW 12 Republic of Ireland Michael Robinson
Manager:
England Joe Fagan
GK 1 Wales Neville Southall
DF 2 England Gary Stevens
DF 3 England John Bailey
DF 4 Wales Kevin Ratcliffe (c)
DF 5 England Derek Mountfield
MF 6 England Peter Reid
MF 7 Scotland Alan Irvine Substituted off
FW 8 England Adrian Heath
FW 9 Scotland Graeme Sharp
FW 10 England Kevin Richardson
MF 11 England Alan Harper
Substitute:
MF 12 England Andy King Substituted in
Manager:
England Howard Kendall

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • One named substitute.
  • Maximum of one substitution.

European Cup

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Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
14-Sep-83 Odense BK A 1–0 Dalglish Goal 14' 30,000 Report Report
28-Sep-83 Odense BK H 5–0 Robinson Goal 14'72' Dalglish Goal 32'40' Own Goal Goal 65' 14,985 Report Report
19-Oct-83 Athletic Bilbao H 0–0 33,063 Report Report
02-Nov-83 Athletic Bilbao A 1–0 Rush Goal 66' 47,500 Report Report
07-Mar-84 Benfica H 1–0 Rush Goal 66' 39,096 Report Report
21-Mar-84 Benfica A 4–1 Whelan Goal 9'87' Johnston Goal 33' Rush Goal 79' 70,000 Report Report
11-Apr-84 Dinamo Bucharest H 1–0 Lee Goal 25' 36,941 Report Report
25-Apr-84 Dinamo Bucharest A 2–1 Rush Goal 11'84' 60,000 Report Report

Final

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Liverpool
Roma
GK 1 Zimbabwe Bruce Grobbelaar
RB 2 England Phil Neal Booked 32'
LB 3 England Alan Kennedy
CB 4 Republic of Ireland Mark Lawrenson
LM 5 Republic of Ireland Ronnie Whelan
CB 6 Scotland Alan Hansen
SS 7 Scotland Kenny Dalglish Substituted off 94'
RM 8 England Sammy Lee
CF 9 Wales Ian Rush
CM 10 England Craig Johnston Substituted off 72'
CM 11 Scotland Graeme Souness (c)
Substitutes:
FW 12 Republic of Ireland Michael Robinson Substituted in 94'
GK 13 England Bob Bolder
DF 14 Scotland Steve Nicol Substituted in 72'
FW 15 England David Hodgson
DF 16 Scotland Gary Gillespie
Manager:
England Joe Fagan
GK 1 Italy Franco Tancredi
RB 2 Italy Michele Nappi
CB 3 Italy Sebastiano Nela
CB 4 Italy Ubaldo Righetti
CM 5 Brazil Paulo Roberto Falcão
LB 6 Italy Dario Bonetti
SS 7 Italy Bruno Conti Booked 15'
CM 8 Brazil Toninho Cerezo Substituted off 115'
CF 9 Italy Roberto Pruzzo Substituted off 64'
DM 10 Italy Agostino Di Bartolomei (c)
CF 11 Italy Francesco Graziani
Substitutions:
GK 12 Italy Astutillo Malgioglio
DF 13 Italy Emidio Oddi
MF 14 Italy Mark Tullio Strukelj Substituted in 115'
FW 15 Italy Odoacre Chierico Substituted in 64'
FW 16 Italy Francesco Vincenzi
Manager:
Sweden Nils Liedholm

References