1977–78 Liverpool F.C. season
It was to be a season of contrasts for Liverpool F.C. as they retained the European Cup, following a 1–0 victory against Club Brugge in the final at Wembley in London and winning the European Super Cup by beating Hamburg, who included Kevin Keegan in their side Seven-One on aggregate with a Six-Nil Second Leg win at Anfield.
| 1977–78 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | John Smith | ||
| Manager | Bob Paisley | ||
| First Division | 2nd | ||
| European Cup | Winners | ||
| FA Cup | Third round | ||
| League Cup | Runners-up | ||
| European Super Cup | Winners | ||
| FA Charity Shield | Title shared | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Kenny Dalglish (20) All: Kenny Dalglish (31) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 48,621 | ||
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However, in both the Football League and the Football League Cup they would end as runners-up to newly promoted Nottingham Forest managed by Brian Clough. The replay of the Football League Cup Final would prove very controversial with a penalty which decided the match, followed by a disallowed goal when it was adjudged that Terry McDermott handled the ball.
Liverpool manager Bob Paisley bought Kenny Dalglish from Celtic for £440,000, a record transfer fee between British clubs. Dalglish went on to score 20 goals in the league and 31 in all competitions, including the winner in the European Cup Final. Realising that Ian Callaghan was nearing the end of his career at Liverpool, the club also spent £352,000 on Graeme Souness from Middlesbrough.
However, Callaghan's final season started with a call up to the England squad, and would play in the match against Switzerland on 7 September 1977[1] under new manager Ron Greenwood. It was to be his first cap since playing in the 1966 FIFA World Cup finals against France.[2]
Terry McDermott's emergence would also see him make his debut in the same match with Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Emlyn Hughes and Ray Kennedy also playing as well. Kevin Keegan also played in the match, making it seven current and former Liverpool players in that game.
Squad
Goalkeepers
Defenders
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Midfielders
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottingham Forest (C) | 42 | 25 | 14 | 3 | 69 | 24 | +45 | 64 | League Champions, qualified for European Cup 1978–79 First round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 2 | Liverpool | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 65 | 34 | +31 | 57 | European Cup 1978–79 First round[lower-alpha 2] |
| 3 | Everton | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 76 | 45 | +31 | 55 | UEFA Cup 1978–79 First round |
| 4 | Manchester City | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 52 | |
| 5 | Arsenal | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 60 | 37 | +23 | 52 |
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- Nottingham Forest also won the League cup this year.
- Liverpool won the European Cup, now for the second year running, and thus qualified for the following season's competition.
Results
First Division
FA Charity Shield
| Liverpool | 0–0 | Manchester United |
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| Report Report |
        Liverpool
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     Manchester United
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Match rules
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FA Cup
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Jan-78 | Chelsea | A | 2–4 | Johnson  | 45,449 | Report | Report |
Football League Cup
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Aug-77 | Chelsea | H | 2–0 | Dalglish | 33,170 | Report | Report |
| 26-Oct-77 | Derby County | H | 2–0 | Fairclough | 30,400 | Report | Report |
| 29-Nov-77 | Coventry City | H | 2–2 | Fairclough | 33,817 | Report | Report |
| 20-Dec-77 | Coventry City | A | 2–0 | Case | 36,105 | Report | Report |
| 17-Jan-78 | Wrexham | A | 3–1 | Dalglish | 25,641 | Report | Report |
| 07-Feb-78 | Arsenal | H | 2–1 | Dalglish | 44,764 | Report | Report |
| 14-Feb-78 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | 49,561 | Report | Report |
Final
  Nottingham Forest
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Liverpool
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| Nottingham Forest Red shirts/White shorts/Red socks |
0–0 (final score after extra time) |
Liverpool White shirts/Black shorts/White socks |
Manager:  Team:
Scorers: None |
Half-time: Competition: Date: Venue: Attendance: Referee: Match rules: |
Manager: Team:
Scorers: None |
Final Replay
Nottingham Forest
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Liverpool
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| Nottingham Forest Yellow/Yellow shorts/Yellow socks |
1–0 (final score after 90 minutes) |
Liverpool Red shirts/Red shorts/Red socks |
| Manager: Team:
Scorers:
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Half-time: Competition: Date: Venue: Attendance: Referee: Match rules: |
Manager: Team:
Scorers: None |
European Super Cup
First leg
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Second Leg
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European Cup
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19-Oct-77 |  | H | 5–1 | Hansen | 39,835 | Report | Report |
| 02-Nov-77 | | A | 1–2 | Heighway | 33,000 | Report | Report |
| 01-Mar-78 |  | A | 2–1 | Case | 70,000 | Report | Report |
| 15-Mar-78 | | H | 4–1 | Callaghan | 48,364 | Report | Report |
| 29-Mar-78 |  | A | 1–2 | Johnson | 67,000 | Report | Report |
| 12-Apr-78 | | H | 3–0 | Kennedy | 51,500 | Report | Report |
Final
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Liverpool
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   Club Brugge
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