1972–73 Liverpool F.C. season
After seven years of not winning any trophies Liverpool F.C. won both the Football League and the UEFA Cup in an extremely successful season, the highlight of Bill Shankly's managerial career. The rebuilding of the team from the one that served so well in the 1960s that had been fully realised.
1972–73 season | |||
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Chairman | |||
Manager | |||
First Division | Champions | ||
UEFA Cup | Winners | ||
FA Cup | Fourth round | ||
League Cup | Fifth round | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Kevin Keegan (13) John Toshack (13) All: Kevin Keegan (22) | ||
Average home league attendance | 48,103 | ||
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The league which they came so close to winning the year before, had finally been conquered by winning the title by three points from Arsenal. The signing of Peter Cormack from Nottingham Forest during the summer of 1972 would also be another great signing. On 30 December 1972 Liverpool beat Crystal Palace at Anfield to make it 21 consecutive home wins in the league.[1] This was the longest run in English top-flight history until it was surpassed by Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool who made it 22 consecutive home wins in March 2020.[2]
The UEFA Cup would also be the beginning of their dominance of regularly winning European trophies as well. Overcoming the previous season's winners Tottenham Hotspur in the Semi-Finals and over a two legged final overcoming Borussia Mönchengladbach three-two on aggregate.
The emergence of Kevin Keegan and Ray Clemence in the team would also see them start their international careers, with them both making their England debuts in the World Cup qualifier against Wales on 15 November 1972 alongside Emlyn Hughes already established in the England team.
Squad
Goalkeepers
Ray Clemence Frankie Lane Grahame Lloyd
Defenders
Steve Arnold Gerry Byrne Roy Evans Chris Lawler Alec Lindsay Larry Lloyd John McLaughlin Ian Ross Tommy Smith Trevor Storton John Webb
Midfielders
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
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1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 72 | 42 | 1.714 | 60 | Qualified for the European Cup |
2 | Arsenal[lower-alpha 1] | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 57 | 43 | 1.326 | 57 | |
3 | Leeds United | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 71 | 45 | 1.578 | 53 | Qualified for the UEFA Cup |
4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 55 | 45 | 1.222 | 48 | |
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 66 | 54 | 1.222 | 47 |
(C) League champions.
Notes:
- Arsenal were not eligible for the UEFA Cup, because Tottenham had qualified by winning the League Cup. The Football League continued to enforce the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup rule that only one team per city could compete,[3] although UEFA had not carried the rule over.
Results
First Division
Football League Cup
Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
05-Sep-72 | Carlisle United | A | 1–1 | Keegan | 16,257 | Report | Report |
19-Sep-72 | Carlisle United | H | 5–1 | Keegan | 22,128 | Report | Report |
03-Oct-72 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–1 | Heighway | 17,756 | Report | Report |
10-Oct-72 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–1 | Hughes | 26,461 | Report | Report |
31-Oct-72 | Leeds United | H | 2–2 | Keegan | 44,609 | Report | Report |
22-Nov-72 | Leeds United | A | 1–0 | Keegan | 34,856 | Report | Report |
04-Dec-72 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–1 | Hughes | 48,677 | Report | Report |
06-Dec-72 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–3 | Callaghan | 34,565 | Report | Report |
FA Cup
Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13-Jan-73 | Burnley | A | 0–0 | 35,730 | Report | Report | |
16-Jan-73 | Burnley | H | 3–0 | Toshack | 56,124 | Report | Report |
03-Feb-73 | Manchester City | H | 0–0 | 56,296 | Report | Report | |
07-Feb-73 | Manchester City | A | 0–2 | 49,572 | Report | Report |
UEFA Cup
Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12-Sep-72 | Eintracht Frankfurt | H | 2–0 | Keegan | 33,380 | Report | Report |
26-Sep-72 | Eintracht Frankfurt | A | 0–0 | 17,500 | Report | Report | |
24-Oct-72 | AEK Athens | H | 3–0 | Boersma | 31,906 | Report | Report |
07-Nov-72 | AEK Athens | A | 3–1 | Hughes | 19,412 | Report | Report |
29-Nov-72 | Dynamo Berlin | A | 0–0 | 15,835 | Report | Report | |
13-Dec-72 | Dynamo Berlin | H | 3–1 | Boersma | 34,140 | Report | Report |
07-Mar-73 | Dynamo Dresden | H | 2–0 | Hall | 33,270 | Report | Report |
21-Mar-73 | Dynamo Dresden | A | 1–0 | Keegan | 33,634 | Report | Report |
10-Apr-73 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–0 | Lindsay | 42,174 | Report | Report |
25-Apr-73 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | Heighway | 46,919 | Report | Report |
Final
First Leg
Liverpool
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Borussia Mönchengladbach
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Second Leg
Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2–0 | |
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Heynckes |
Report Report |
Borussia Mönchengladbach
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Liverpool
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References
- "In numbers: How Klopp and Shankly won 21 home games in a row". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- "Salah and Milner reaction: 'We showed our mentality to win'". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- Wilson, Jonathan (10 November 2011). Brian Clough: Nobody Ever Says Thank You: The Biography. Orion. p. 3. ISBN 9781409123187. Retrieved 27 June 2013.