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1987–88 Liverpool F.C. season

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Liverpool
1987–88 season
ChairmanEngland John Smith
ManagerScotland Kenny Dalglish
First DivisionChampions
FA CupRunners-up
League CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
John Aldridge (26)
All:
John Aldridge (29)
Highest home attendance44,798 (vs. Tottenham, League, 23 Apr)
Lowest home attendance29,994 (vs. Blackburn Rovers, League Cup, 6 Oct)
Average home league attendance42,267

The 1987–88 season was the 96th season in Liverpool F.C.'s existence, their 26th consecutive year in the top-flight, and covered the period from 1 July 1987 to 30 June 1988.

The squad had altered significantly from the previous season, with star striker Ian Rush now at Juventus and player-manager Kenny Dalglish concentrating largely on the manager's job, though he was still registered as a player. In Rush's place was John Aldridge, signed halfway through the previous season from Oxford United, complemented up front by £1.9 million national record signing Peter Beardsley. Following Aldridge to Anfield from Oxford was winger Ray Houghton.

Liverpool enjoyed a record 29-match unbeaten start to the season and finished as champions with just two defeats from 40 league games and a nine-point gap between them and runners-up Manchester United, sealing the top division title for a record 17th time. They were widely expected to secure a unique second double, but surprisingly lost 1–0 to underdogs Wimbledon in the FA Cup final, in which their top scorer John Aldridge missed a penalty.

Regular season

[edit]

Following the departure of Ian Rush to Juventus of Italy in the summer, and the decision of player-manager Kenny Dalglish to only occasionally select himself for the first team, Liverpool had a new look attack for the 1987–88 season. Filling Rush's boots was John Aldridge, who had actually joined the club halfway through the previous season when Rush was still at Anfield. Alongside him was Peter Beardsley, the England forward signed from Newcastle United over the summer for a national record fee of £1.9 million. Another new signing was fellow England international John Barnes, the Watford winger, for £900,000.

Liverpool began the season on a winning note, beating Arsenal – who had beaten them in the previous season's League Cup final and were also among the pre-season title favourites – 2–1 at Highbury. The next league action came two weeks later at the end of August, when Steve Nicol scored twice and John Aldridge and Peter Beardsley scored the other goals in a 4–1 win at FA Cup holders Coventry City.

By the end of September, any observers who doubted John Aldridge's suitability as successor to Ian Rush were silenced as he had now scored in all of the club's opening seven league games, capped by a hat-trick in the 4–0 home win over Derby County.[1] Liverpool were second in the table, but had two games in hand over surprise leaders Queen's Park Rangers, who had a three-point lead.[2]

Aldridge managed to score in nine successive games for Liverpool from the start of the season, bringing his league tally to 11 goals by the time of their 4–0 win over Queen's Park Rangers at Anfield on 17 October 1987, which put the Reds back on top of the First Division on goal difference, but still with a two-game advantage over the West Londoners.[3]

November began with the Merseyside derby at Anfield, in which Liverpool ran out 2–0 winners with goals from Steve McMahon and Peter Beardsley. Three successive draws followed, which saw Arsenal edge ahead of the Reds to the top of the table.[4]

Liverpool's League Cup challenge came to an end in the third round when they lost 1–0 to Everton at Anfield.

Back in the league, Liverpool had returned to their winning ways and back to the top of the First Division table by the end of November, as they were now five points ahead of their nearest rivals Arsenal and had a game in hand.[5]

Aldridge reached the 10-goal point in the league on 6 December with a penalty in the 2–1 home win over Chelsea. After a 2–2 draw at Southampton in the next game, came a six-match winning run which put the Reds 17 points ahead of their nearest challengers Nottingham Forest by 23 January 1988.[6]

The FA Cup quest started at the Victoria Ground in early January, with the Reds being held to a disappointing goalless draw by Second Division underdogs Stoke City. A Peter Beardsley goal won the replay 1–0 at Anfield, and the next round saw the Reds cruise to a 2–0 win at Aston Villa. The fifth round brought another Merseyside derby, and the Reds took revenge for the League Cup exit by winning 1–0 at Goodison Park with a Ray Houghton goal.

Liverpool's record unbeaten start to the league season finally ended on 20 March, when they lost 1–0 at Everton in their 30th game. They still had a 14-point lead and two games in hand over nearest rivals Manchester United, however.[7]

The wait for the league title was prolonged by a dramatic clash with Manchester United at Anfield on 4 April. After a Steve McMahon goal had put them 3–1 up in the 46th minute, a late surge by United saw the game end 3–3, but Liverpool were still 11 points ahead of Alex Ferguson's men, and had seven games left to play whereas United only had five. Even if United won all of their remaining games, Liverpool (with a vastly superior goal difference) only needed four points from their final seven games to seal the title.[8] A goalless draw at Norwich City on 20 April effectively confirmed Liverpool as champions; they only needed heavy defeats from their final four games and United four comprehensive victories from theirs for the title to slip out of Liverpool's grasp.[9] Three days later, Liverpool confirmed their 17th title triumph with a Peter Beardsley goal giving them a 1–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

With the exception of a 5–1 win at Sheffield Wednesday in the penultimate game of the season, in which Craig Johnston scored his final two goals for Liverpool, their remaining league games of the season all ended in 1–1 draws and they finished the season with just two league defeats from 40 games and a nine-point lead over runners-up Manchester United.

Liverpool were also on a run in the FA Cup. The quarter-final had seen them triumph 4–0 over Manchester City at Maine Road, and in the semi-finals two John Aldridge goals had given them a 2–1 win over Nottingham Forest to reach the final, where they would take on Wimbledon.

Their opponents, managed by Bobby Gould and containing the likes of bullish striker John Fashanu and hard tackling midfielder Vinnie Jones, were in only their second season as a First Division club and their 11th as Football League members. The Reds were overwhelming favourites to win the final and become the first team to do the double twice. But after Peter Beardsley put the ball past goalkeeper Dave Beasant and had his goal disallowed by the referee who had already awarded a free kick to Liverpool, Wimbledon took a 37th-minute lead with a goal from midfielder Lawrie Sanchez, a glancing header into the right of the net from a free-kick.[10] Liverpool were far from ready to admit defeat. On the hour, Liverpool were awarded a penalty and John Aldridge took it, only for his shot to be saved by Beasant diving to his left – the first penalty miss in an FA Cup final at Wembley. Liverpool continued to put pressure on the Londoners but could not find a way past Beasant, and when the final whistle blew Wimbledon had won the trophy in one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of all time.[11]

Squad

[edit]

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Attackers

Note that in line with wikipedia policy the flags used on this article represent sporting nationality rather than actual.

Squad statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals

[edit]
No. Pos Nat Player Total Division 1 FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
DF England ENG Gary Ablett 22 0 15+2 0 5+0 0 0+0 0
FW Republic of Ireland IRL John Aldridge 45 29 36+0 26 6+0 2 3+0 1
MF England ENG John Barnes 48 17 38+0 15 7+0 2 3+0 0
FW England ENG Peter Beardsley 48 18 36+2 15 7+0 3 3+0 0
FW Scotland SCO Kenny Dalglish 2 0 0+2 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
DF Scotland SCO Gary Gillespie 42 4 35+0 4 5+0 0 2+0 0
GK Zimbabwe ZIM Bruce Grobbelaar 46 0 38+0 0 5+0 0 3+0 0
DF Scotland SCO Alan Hansen 49 1 39+0 1 7+0 0 3+0 0
GK England ENG Mike Hooper 4 0 2+0 0 2+0 0 0+0 0
MF Republic of Ireland IRL Ray Houghton 35 7 26+2 5 7+0 2 0+0 0
MF Australia AUS Craig Johnston 35 6 18+12 5 1+2 1 2+0 0
DF England ENG Mark Lawrenson 19 0 10+4 0 2+0 0 2+1 0
MF Scotland SCO Kevin MacDonald 1 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF England ENG Steve McMahon 49 9 40+0 9 7+0 0 2+0 0
MF Denmark DEN Jan Mølby 8 0 1+6 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
MF Scotland SCO Steve Nicol 50 7 40+0 6 7+0 0 3+0 1
MF England ENG Nigel Spackman 33 0 19+8 0 5+0 0 1+0 0
DF England ENG Barry Venison 22 0 18+0 0 2+0 0 2+0 0
FW England ENG Paul Walsh 9 0 1+7 0 0+0 0 0+1 0
MF Scotland SCO John Wark 2 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 1+0 0
DF England ENG Alex Watson 2 0 2+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF Republic of Ireland IRL Ronnie Whelan 33 1 26+2 1 2+0 0 3+0 0

Transfers

[edit]

In

[edit]
Pos Player From Fee Date
MF England John Barnes England Watford £900,000 12 June 1987
FW England Peter Beardsley England Newcastle United £1,900,000 14 July 1987
MF England Mike Marsh England Kirkby Town Free 21 August 1987
MF Republic of Ireland Ray Houghton England Oxford United £825,000 19 October 1987

Out

[edit]
Pos Player To Fee Date
DF Scotland John McGregor Scotland Rangers £70,000 June 1987
FW Wales Ian Rush Italy Juventus £3,200,000 1 July 1987
FW Scotland Alan Irvine Scotland Dundee United £100,000 28 August 1987
DF Republic of Ireland Ken De Mange England Leeds United £65,000 September 1987
MF England Mark Seagraves England Manchester City £100,000 25 September 1987
DF England Brian Mooney England Preston North End £82,000 9 October 1987
MF Scotland John Wark England Ipswich Town £100,000 4 January 1988
FW England Paul Walsh England Tottenham Hotspur £500,000 16 February 1988
DF Republic of Ireland Mark Lawrenson N/A retired March 1988
MF England Craig Johnston N/A retired May 1988

League table

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Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Liverpool (C) 40 26 12 2 87 24 +63 90 Disqualified from European Cup[12]
2 Manchester United 40 23 12 5 71 38 +33 81 Disqualified from UEFA Cup[13]
3 Nottingham Forest 40 20 13 7 67 39 +28 73
4 Everton 40 19 13 8 53 27 +26 70
5 Queens Park Rangers 40 19 10 11 48 38 +10 67
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions

Results

[edit]

First Division

[edit]
Main article: 1987–88 Football League § First Division
Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
15-Aug-87 Arsenal A 2–1 Aldridge 9' Nicol 88' 54,703 Report Report
29-Aug-87 Coventry City A 4–1 Nicol 20', 49' Aldridge pen 52' Beardsley 83' 27,637 Report Report
05-Sep-87 West Ham United A 1–1 Aldridge pen 50' 29,865 Report Report
12-Sep-87 Oxford United H 2–0 Aldridge 13' Barnes 37' 42,266 Report Report
15-Sep-87 Charlton Athletic H 3–2 Aldridge pen 9' Hansen 71' McMahon 73' 36,637 Report Report
20-Sep-87 Newcastle United A 4–1 Nicol 20', 47', 70' Aldridge 37' 24,141 Report Report
29-Sep-87 Derby County H 4–0 Aldridge pen 41', Pen 68', 73' Beardsley 47' 43,405 Report Report
03-Oct-87 Portsmouth H 4–0 Beardsley 30' McMahon 50' Aldridge pen 52' Whelan 71' 44,366 Report Report
17-Oct-87 Queens Park Rangers H 4–0 Johnston 41' Aldridge pen 65' Barnes 79', 85' 43,735 Report Report
24-Oct-87 Luton Town A 1–0 Gillespie 71' 12,452 Report Report
01-Nov-87 Everton H 2–0 McMahon 35' Beardsley 70' 44,760 Report Report
04-Nov-87 Wimbledon A 1–1 Houghton 62' 13,544 Report Report
15-Nov-87 Manchester United A 1–1 Aldridge 21' 47,106 Report Report
21-Nov-87 Norwich City H 0–0 37,446 Report Report
24-Nov-87 Watford H 4–0 McMahon 54' Houghton 64' Aldridge 68' Barnes 71' 32,396 Report Report
28-Nov-87 Tottenham Hotspur A 2–0 McMahon 63' Johnston 80' 47,362 Report Report
06-Dec-87 Chelsea H 2–1 Aldridge pen 67' McMahon 87' 31,211 Report Report
12-Dec-87 Southampton A 2–2 Barnes 11', 38' 19,507 Report Report
19-Dec-87 Sheffield Wednesday H 1–0 Gillespie 76' 35,383 Report Report
26-Dec-87 Oxford United A 3–0 Aldridge 42' Barnes 54' McMahon 61' 13,680 Report Report
28-Dec-87 Newcastle United H 4–0 McMahon 4' Aldridge pen 48', 76' Houghton 88' 44,637 Report Report
01-Jan-88 Coventry City H 4–0 Beardsley 22', 83' Aldridge 53' Houghton 75' 38,790 Report Report
16-Jan-88 Arsenal H 2–0 Aldridge 44' Beardsley 61' 44,294 Report Report
23-Jan-88 Charlton Athletic A 2–0 Beardsley 30' Barnes 60' 28,095 Report Report
06-Feb-88 West Ham United H 0–0 42,049 Report Report
13-Feb-88 Watford A 4–1 Beardsley 29', 49' Aldridge 47' Barnes 60' 23,838 Report Report
27-Feb-88 Portsmouth A 2–0 Barnes 49', 85' 28,117 Report Report
05-Mar-88 Queens Park Rangers A 1–0 Barnes 34' 23,171 Report Report
16-Mar-88 Derby County A 1–1 Johnston 54' 26,356 Report Report
20-Mar-88 Everton A 0–1 44,162 Report Report
26-Mar-88 Wimbledon H 2–1 Aldridge 34' Barnes 78' 36,464 Report Report
02-Apr-88 Nottingham Forest A 1–2 Aldridge pen 70' 29,188 Report Report
04-Apr-88 Manchester United H 3–3 Beardsley 38' Gillespie 41' McMahon 46' 43,497 Report Report
13-Apr-88 Nottingham Forest H 5–0 Houghton 18' Aldridge 37', 88' Beardsley 79' Gillespie 58' 39,535 Report Report
20-Apr-88 Norwich City A 0–0 22,509 Report Report
23-Apr-88 Tottenham Hotspur H 1–0 Beardsley 34' 44,798 Report Report
30-Apr-88 Chelsea A 1–1 Barnes 75' 35,625 Report Report
02-May-88 Southampton H 1–1 Aldridge 41' 37,610 Report Report
07-May-88 Sheffield Wednesday A 5–1 Johnston 31', 90' Barnes 36' Beardsley 87', 88' 35,893 Report Report
09-May-88 Luton Town H 1–1 Aldridge 17' 30,374 Report Report

FA Cup

[edit]
Main article: 1987-88 FA Cup
Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
09-Jan-88 Stoke City A 0–0 31,979 Report Report
12-Jan-88 Stoke City H 1–0 Beardsley 9' 39,147 Report Report
31-Jan-88 Aston Villa A 2–0 Barnes 53' Beardsley 86' 46,324 Report Report
21-Feb-88 Everton A 1–0 Houghton 76' 48,270 Report Report
13-Mar-88 Manchester City A 4–0 Houghton 32' Beardsley pen 53' Johnston 77' Barnes 85' 44,047 Report Report
9-Apr-88 Nottingham Forest N 2–1 Aldridge pen 14', 51' 51,627 Report Report

Final

Main article: 1988 FA Cup Final
Liverpool0–1Wimbledon
Report
Report		 Sanchez 37'
Attendance: 98,203
Referee: Brian Hill
Liverpool
Wimbledon
GK 1 Zimbabwe Bruce Grobbelaar
RB 4 Scotland Steve Nicol
CB 2 Scotland Gary Gillespie
CB 6 Scotland Alan Hansen (c)
LB 3 England Gary Ablett
RM 9 Republic of Ireland Ray Houghton
CM 5 England Nigel Spackman downward-facing red arrow 74'
CM 11 England Steve McMahon
LM 10 England John Barnes
SS 7 England Peter Beardsley
CF 8 Republic of Ireland John Aldridge downward-facing red arrow 64'
Substitutes:
MF 12 England Craig Johnston upward-facing green arrow 64'
MF 14 Denmark Jan Mølby upward-facing green arrow 74'
Manager:
Scotland Kenny Dalglish
GK 1 England Dave Beasant (c)
RB 2 England Clive Goodyear
CB 5 Wales Eric Young
CB 6 England Andy Thorn
LB 3 Republic of Ireland Terry Phelan
CM 10 Northern Ireland Lawrie Sanchez
CM 4 Wales Vinnie Jones
RW 8 England Alan Cork downward-facing red arrow 56'
LW 11 England Dennis Wise
CF 7 England Terry Gibson downward-facing red arrow 63'
CF 9 England John Fashanu
Substitutes:
DF 12 England John Scales upward-facing green arrow 63'
FW 14 England Laurie Cunningham upward-facing green arrow 56'
Manager:
England Bobby Gould

Match rules

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary
  • Replay if scores still level
  • Two named substitutes
  • Maximum of two substitutions

League Cup

[edit]
Main article: 1987–88 Football League Cup
Date Opponents Venue Result Scorers Attendance Report 1 Report 2
23-Sep-87 Blackburn Rovers A 1–1 Nicol 30' 13,924 Report Report
06-Oct-87 Blackburn Rovers H 1–0 Aldridge 89' 28,994 Report Report
28-Oct-87 Everton H 0–1 44,071 Report Report

References

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  1. ^ "LIVERWEB – Liverpool Results 1987-88". Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  2. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  3. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  4. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  5. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  6. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  7. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  8. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  9. ^ "Liverpool News – LFC Online".
  10. ^ Reddy, Luke (4 January 2015). "Wimbledon v Liverpool: How the Crazy Gang made FA Cup history". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  11. ^ Beasant, Dave (15 May 2010). "14 May 1988: The first FA Cup final penalty save". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  12. ^ English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from season 1985–86 until 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster.
  13. ^ English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from season 1985–86 until 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster.
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