1987–88 Liverpool F.C. season

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Liverpool
1987–88 season
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[]

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 the double twice. But after Peter Beardsley put the ball past goalkeeper Dave Beasant but 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. 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 – the first penalty miss in an FA Cup final at Wembley. Liverpool continued to put pressure on the Londoners but couldn't 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.

Squad[]

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Attackers

  • Republic of Ireland John Aldridge
  • England Peter Beardsley
  • England John Durnin
  • Scotland Alan Irvine
  • England Paul Walsh

Transfers[]

In[]

Pos Player From Fee Date
MF England John Barnes England Watford £900,000 9 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[]

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[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Liverpool 40 26 12 2 87 24 +63 90 Football League Champions[a]
2 Manchester United 40 23 12 5 71 38 +33 81
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:[citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ All English teams excluded from European competition as a result of the Heysel Stadium disaster

Results[]

First Division[]

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

FA Cup[]

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 Goal 9' 39,147 Report Report
31-Jan-88 Aston Villa A 2–0 Barnes Goal 53' Beardsley Goal 86' 46,324 Report Report
21-Feb-88 Everton A 1–0 Houghton Goal 76' 48,270 Report Report
13-Mar-88 Manchester City A 4–0 Houghton Goal 32' Beardsley Goal pen 53' Johnston Goal 77' Barnes Goal 85' 44,047 Report Report
9-Apr-88 Nottingham Forest N 2–1 Aldridge Goal pen 14', 51' 51,627 Report Report

Final

Main article: 1988 FA Cup Final
Liverpool0–1Wimbledon
Report
Report		 Sanchez Goal 37'
Wembley Stadium, London
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 Substituted off 74'
CM 11 England Steve McMahon
LM 10 England John Barnes
CF 7 England Peter Beardsley
CF 8 Republic of Ireland John Aldridge Substituted off 64'
Substitutes:
MF 12 England Craig Johnston Substituted in 64'
MF 14 Denmark Jan Mølby Substituted in 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 Substituted off 56'
LW 11 England Dennis Wise
CF 7 England Terry Gibson Substituted off 63'
CF 9 England John Fashanu
Substitutes:
DF 12 England John Scales Substituted in 63'
FW 14 England Laurie Cunningham Substituted in 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[]

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 Goal 30' 13,924 Report Report
06-Oct-87 Blackburn Rovers H 1–0 Aldridge Goal 89' 28,994 Report Report
28-Oct-87 Everton H 0–1 44,071 Report Report

References[]

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ [2]
  4. ^ [3]
  5. ^ [4]
  6. ^ [5]
  7. ^ [6]
  8. ^ [7]
  9. ^ [8]
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