1995–96 Liverpool F.C. season

During the 1995–96 English football season, Liverpool F.C. competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons).

Competition Result Top scorer
Premier League 3rd Robbie Fowler, 28
UEFA Cup Second round Steve McManaman, 1
Jamie Redknapp, 1
FA Cup Runners-up Robbie Fowler, 6
League Cup Fourth round Robbie Fowler, 2
Overall Robbie Fowler, 36

Liverpool
1995–96 season
Chairman David Moores
Manager Roy Evans
Premier League3rd
FA CupRunners-up
League CupFourth round
UEFA CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Robbie Fowler (28)
All:
Robbie Fowler (36)
Average home league attendance39,010

Season summary

Having paid a national record £8.5million for Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore in the close season, Liverpool were many people's favourites for the league title in 1995–96 – especially as defending champions Blackburn Rovers had failed to significantly add to their squad and runners-up Manchester United had sold three key players but begun the season without a single major signing. 1994–95 had arguably been Liverpool's best season of the post-Dalglish era, as they had finished fourth and won the Football League Cup. They already possessed some of the country's finest young talent in the shape of prolific striker Robbie Fowler and talented midfielders Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp. Fowler would end the season as the second highest goalscorer in the country, behind Alan Shearer, while McManaman was the leading goal assists maker in the country, with 25 assists in the Premier League alone.

Collymore too was rich on form from the beginning: he found the net on his debut at Liverpool won 1–0 at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the Premier League season. A 1–0 defeat at Leeds United came two days later, followed by wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers.[1]

September started on a low note for the Reds as they lost 1–0 at Wimbledon, but pulled together to win their following games 3–0 over Blackburn Rovers and 5–2 over newly promoted Bolton Wanderers (with Robbie Fowler scoring four times) to end September in third place, with a young Manchester United side and a bolstered Newcastle United leading the way.[2] The month also the arrival of midfielder Jason McAteer from newly promoted Bolton Wanderers for £4.5million. McAteer was soon utilized as a right-back, with Rob Jones switching to left-back.

There was also success on the European scene, as the Reds overcame Spartak Vladikavkaz in the first round of the UEFA Cup, although their adventure ended in the second round with a shock exit at the hands of Danish side Brøndby. They did manage to edge past Sunderland in the League Cup second round and then crush Manchester City 4–0 in the third round. Three days after knocking them out of the League Cup, they faced City again at Anfield in the league. They beat Alan Ball's side 6–0, with Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler both scoring twice. The result left their opponents rooted to the bottom of the table and still looking for a league win after 11 games, but it was a big boost for the Reds, who were now four points behind leaders Newcastle United and three points adrift of second placed Manchester United. They were, however, closely under pressure from a resurgent Arsenal, newly promoted Middlesbrough and also a Nottingham Forest side who seemed to be coping well without Stan Collymore.[3]

November was a disaster for the Reds, who failed to win any of their five games that month, losing 2–1 to Newcastle United, Everton and Middlesbrough in the league, in which they also drew 0–0 at West Ham United, and lost 1–0 to Newcastle United in the League Cup fourth round. They ended the month in seventh place, 14 points behind leaders Newcastle United. The title dream was now looking dead and buried with less than half of the season gone.[4]

December was a much better month for the Reds, who were held 1–1 at Anfield by Southampton at the start of the month before winning 1–0 at struggling Bolton Wanderers. On 17 December, Robbie Fowler took his tally of goals against Manchester United for the season to four as he scored both goals in a 2–0 win at Anfield just over two months after netting twice in the 2–2 draw at Old Trafford. The Anfield win helped keep Newcastle United's lead of the Premier League a comfortable one. For the second season running, Robbie Fowler scored a league hat-trick at home to Arsenal, though this time in the space of nearly 40 minutes rather than the record breaking time of less than five minutes as had happened the previous season, as the Reds won 3–1. They were now just one point behind second placed Manchester United, though they were still 11 points adrift of leaders Newcastle United.[5]

January was another successful month at Anfield as the Reds ended it in second place, ahead of Manchester United on goal difference, although Newcastle United still had a nine-point lead at the top. It seemed possible that Liverpool might be able to live up to their pre-season tag as title favourites after all.[6]

Liverpool's best chance of silverware appeared to be in the FA Cup, where they began with a 7–0 third round win over Rochdale in which Ian Rush set a new record for career goals scored in the competition. They had a similarly easy opposition in the fourth round, winning 4–0 at home to Shrewsbury Town, and booked their place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1992 by beating Charlton Athletic 2–1 in the fifth round at the end of February. They were still going well in the league, keeping up the pressure on the leading pack of Newcastle United and Manchester United, though by 24 February they were still nine points behind Kevin Keegan's leaders and Alex Ferguson's second place title chasers.[7] The quarter-final brought a 3–0 win in the replay against Leeds United after a goalless draw in the first match, and the month ended with a 3–0 semi-final win over Aston Villa which booked them an FA Cup final clash with Manchester United.

April began with a 4–3 home win over Newcastle United – a match widely regarded as one of the most exciting league games of the 1990s. The result did a favour for Liverpool's fierce rivals Manchester United, as it kept their three-point lead over the Tynesiders intact, also keeping Liverpool's title hopes – and their hopes of a unique second double – alive, as they were now just five points off the top.[8] However, a 1–0 defeat at struggling Coventry City three days later left Liverpool's title hopes looking practically dead.[9] By the time of their 1–0 home win over Middlesbrough on 27 April, the title was beyond Liverpool's reach.[10] They finished the season third in the Premier League – their highest league finish since finishing runners-up of the old Football League First Division in 1991 – and their last game was at Maine Road on 5 May, when they held Manchester City to a 2–2 draw, a result which saw their hosts relegated on goal difference. The game was also memorable for being the game where Ian Rush scored his final goal for the Reds; after more than 300 goals in two spells at the club over the last 16 years, he would be leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The FA Cup final was played at Wembley Stadium on 11 May 1996. It was a relatively dull game despite all the hype that surrounded a clash under the twin towers for the nation's two most successful clubs, and with just five minutes remaining it was still deadlock and extra time was looking likely. However, in the 85th minute, David James punched clear a David Beckham corner, only for Eric Cantona to boot the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area. Liverpool failed to even make a serious attempt to equalise and the trophy was won by their opponents for a record ninth time.[11]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ENG David James
2 DF  ENG Rob Jones
4 DF  IRL Jason McAteer[notes 1]
5 DF  ENG Mark Wright
6 DF  IRL Phil Babb[notes 2]
7 FW  ENG Nigel Clough
8 FW  ENG Stan Collymore
9 FW  WAL Ian Rush
10 MF  ENG John Barnes[notes 3]
11 MF  ENG Mark Walters
12 DF  ENG John Scales
13 GK  DEN Michael Stensgaard
14 MF  DEN Jan Mølby
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF  ENG Jamie Redknapp
16 MF  ENG Michael Thomas
17 MF  ENG Steve McManaman
18 MF  ENG Phil Charnock
19 MF  IRL Mark Kennedy
20 DF  NOR Stig Inge Bjørnebye
21 DF  ENG Dominic Matteo[notes 4]
22 DF  ENG Steve Harkness
23 FW  ENG Robbie Fowler
24 FW  WAL Lee Jones
25 DF  ENG Neil Ruddock
26 GK  ENG Tony Warner[notes 5]
27 GK  ENG Stephen Pears

Transfers

In
# Pos Player From Fee Date
8FW Stan Collymore Nottingham Forest£8,500,0001 July 1995
27GK Stephen Pears MiddlesbroughFree14 August 1995
4MF Jason McAteer Bolton Wanderers£4,500,0007 September 1995

Out
# Pos Player To Fee Date
11MF Mark Walters SouthamptonFree17 January 1996
7FW Nigel Clough Manchester City£1,500,00024 January 1996
14MF Jan Mølby Swansea CityFree21 February 1996
8FW Paul Stewart SunderlandFree5 March 1996
9FW Ian Rush Leeds UnitedFree20 May 1996

Matches

Premier League
Main article: 1995–96 FA Premier League
19 August 1995 1Liverpool1–0Sheffield WednesdayLiverpool
15:00 Collymore  61' Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,535
Referee: Paul Durkin (Isle of Portland)
21 August 1995 (MNF) 2Leeds United1–0LiverpoolLeeds
20:00 Yeboah  51' Report Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 35,852
Referee: David Elleray (Harrow)
26 August 1995 3Tottenham Hotspur1–3LiverpoolTottenham
15:00 Barnes  88' (o.g.) Report Barnes  7', 42'
Fowler  54'		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 31,254
Referee: Keith Cooper (Pontypridd)
30 August 1995 4Liverpool1–0Queens Park RangersLiverpool
19:45 Ruddock  29' Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 37,548
Referee: Steve Dunn
9 September 1995 5Wimbledon1–0LiverpoolSouth Norwood
15:00 V. Jones  23'
Babb  30' (o.g.)		 Report Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 19,530
Referee: Keith Burge (Tonypandy)
16 September 1995 6Liverpool3–0Blackburn RoversLiverpool
15:00 Redknapp  12'
Fowler  22'
Collymore  29'		 Report Berg  ?'  51' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,502
Referee: Gary Willard
23 September 1995 7Liverpool5–2Bolton WanderersLiverpool
15:00 Fowler  11', 30', 46', 67'
Harkness  83'		 Report Todd  77'
Patterson  81' (pen.)		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,104
Referee: Martin Bodenham
1 October 1995 (Super Sunday) 8Manchester United2–2LiverpoolTrafford
16:00 Butt  2'
Cantona  71' (pen.)		 Report Fowler  32', 54' Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 34,934
Referee: David Elleray
14 October 1995 9Liverpool0–0Coventry CityLiverpool
15:00 Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,079
Referee: Paul Danson
22 October 1995 (Super Sunday) 10Southampton1–3LiverpoolSouthampton
16:00 G. Watson  2'
Le Tissier  ?'  68'		 Report McManaman  21', 54'
Redknapp  73'		 Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 15,245
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
28 October 1995 11Liverpool6–0Manchester CityLiverpool
15:00 Rush  3', 64'
Redknapp  5'
Fowler  47', 60'
Ruddock  53'		 Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,267
Referee: Alan Wilkie
4 November 1995 12Newcastle United2–1LiverpoolNewcastle upon Tyne
15:00 Ferdinand  3'
S. Watson  90'		 Report Rush  11' Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 36,547
Referee: Mike Reed
18 November 1995 13Liverpool1–2EvertonLiverpool
15:00 Fowler  89' Report Kanchelskis  53', 65' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,818
Referee: Gerald Ashby
22 November 1995 14West Ham United0–0LiverpoolUpton Park
19:45 Report Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Attendance: 24,324
Referee: Jeff Winter (Middlesbrough)
25 November 1995 15Middlesbrough2–1LiverpoolMiddlesbrough
15:00 Cox  2'
Barmby  66'		 Report Ruddock  54' Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 29,390
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
2 December 1995 16Liverpool1–1SouthamptonLiverpool
15:00 Collymore  67' Report Shipperley  60' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 38,007
Referee: Robbie Hart (Darlington)
9 December 1995 17Bolton Wanderers0–1LiverpoolBurnden
15:00 Report Collymore  61' Stadium: Burnden Park
Attendance: 21,042
Referee: Martin Bodenham
17 December 1995 (Super Sunday) 18Liverpool2–0Manchester UnitedLiverpool
16:00 Fowler  45', 87' Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,546
Referee: Graham Poll
23 December 1995 19Liverpool3–1ArsenalLiverpool
15:00 Fowler  40', 56', 78' Report Wright  8' (pen.) Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,806
Referee: Keith Cooper
30 December 1995 20Chelsea2–2LiverpoolFulham
15:00 Spencer  9', 45' Report McManaman  33', 76' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 31,137
Referee: Keith Burge
1 January 1996 21Liverpool4–2Nottingham ForestNottingham
Fowler  3', 41'
Collymore  62'
Cooper  86' (o.g.)		 Stone  13'
Woan  18'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,206
13 January 1996 22Sheffield Wednesday1–1LiverpoolSheffield
Kovačević  7' Rush  87' Stadium: Hillsborough
Attendance: 32,747
20 January 1996 23Liverpool5–0Leeds UnitedLiverpool
Ruddock  27', 90'
Fowler  62' (pen.), 68'
Collymore  89'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,254
31 January 1996 24Aston Villa0–2LiverpoolAston
Collymore  61'
Fowler  65'		 Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 39,332
3 February 1996 25Liverpool0–0Tottenham HotspurLiverpool
Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,628
11 February 1996 26Queens Park Rangers1–2LiverpoolShepherd's Bush
Dichio  66' M. Wright  13'
Fowler  30'		 Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 18,405
24 February 1996 27Blackburn Rovers2–3LiverpoolBlackburn
Wilcox  25'
Sherwood  83'		 Collymore  10', 21'
Thomas  70'		 Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 30,895
3 March 1996 28Liverpool3–0Aston VillaLiverpool
McManaman  2'
Fowler  5', 8'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 39,508
13 March 1996 29Liverpool2–2WimbledonLiverpool
McManaman  35'
Collymore  68'		 Ekoku  54'
Holdsworth  60'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 34,063
16 March 1996 30Liverpool2–0ChelseaLiverpool
M. Wright  53'
Fowler  62'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,820
23 March 1996 31Nottingham Forest1–0LiverpoolNottingham
Stone  42' Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 29,058
3 April 1996 32Liverpool4–3Newcastle UnitedLiverpool
Fowler  2', 55'
Collymore  68', 90'		 Ferdinand  10'
Ginola  14'
Asprilla  57'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,702
6 April 1996 33Coventry City1–0LiverpoolHillfields
Whelan  18' Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 23,137
8 April 1996 34Liverpool2–0West Ham UnitedLiverpool
Collymore  22'
Barnes  38'		 Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,326
16 April 1996 35Everton1–1LiverpoolWalton
Kanchelskis  18' Fowler  87' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 40,120
27 April 1996 36Liverpool1–0MiddlesbroughLiverpool
Collymore  70' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,782
1 May 1996 37Arsenal0–0LiverpoolLondon
Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,323
5 May 1996 38Manchester City2–2LiverpoolMoss Side
Rösler  71' (pen.)
Symons  78'		 Lomas  6' (o.g.)
Rush  41'		 Stadium: Maine Road
Attendance: 31,436
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 25 7 6 73 35 +38 82 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Newcastle United 38 24 6 8 66 37 +29 78 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
3 Liverpool 38 20 11 7 70 34 +36 71 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[lower-alpha 1]
4 Aston Villa 38 18 9 11 52 35 +17 63 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 Arsenal 38 17 12 9 49 32 +17 63
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. Liverpool qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup runners-up, as winners Manchester United already qualified for the Champions League. They defaulted their UEFA Cup spot from league position to Arsenal.

Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ResultWLWWLWWDDWWLLDLDWWWWDWDWDWDWWDWLWLWDWD
Position79437434553577888533322233433333333333
Source: Competitive Matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

FA Cup
6 January 1996 3rd RoundLiverpool7–0RochdaleLiverpool
Fowler  21'
Collymore  43', 44', 70'
Valentine  48' (o.g.)
Rush  61'
McAteer  85'		 (Report) Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 28,126
18 February 1996 4th RoundShrewsbury Town0–4LiverpoolShrewsbury
(Report) Collymore  8'
Walton  69' (o.g.)
Fowler  75'
McAteer  84'		 Stadium: Gay Meadow
Attendance: 7,752
28 February 1996 5th RoundLiverpool2–1Charlton AthleticLiverpool
Fowler  12'
Collymore  59'		 (Report) Grant  87' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 36,818
10 March 1996 6th RoundLeeds United0–0LiverpoolLeeds
(Report) Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 24,632
20 March 1996 6th Round ReplayLiverpool3–0Leeds UnitedLiverpool
McManaman  57', 73'
Fowler  83'		 (Report) Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 30,812
31 March 1996 Semi-FinalLiverpool3–0Aston VillaManchester
Fowler  16', 86'
McAteer  90'		 (Report) Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 39,072
11 May 1996 FinalLiverpool0–1Manchester UnitedLondon
(Report) Cantona  85' Stadium: Wembley Stadium
Attendance: 79,007

Football League Cup
20 September 1995 2nd Round 1st LegLiverpool2–0SunderlandLiverpool
19:45 McManaman  8'
Thomas  72'		 Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 25,579
Referee: Peter Jones (Loughborough)
6 October 1995 2nd Round 2nd LegSunderland0–1LiverpoolSunderland
19:45 Report Fowler  39' Stadium: Roker Park
Attendance: 20,560
Referee: Roger Dilkes (Mossley)
25 October 1995 3rd RoundLiverpool4–0Manchester CityLiverpool
19:45 Scales  9'
Fowler  74'
Rush  79'
Harkness  82'		 Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 29,394
Referee: Stephen Lodge (Barnsley)
29 November 1995 4th RoundLiverpool0–1Newcastle UnitedLiverpool
19:45 Report Watson  77' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 40,077
Referee: Paul Durkin (Isle of Portland)

UEFA Cup
12 September 1995 First Round, First LegSpartak Vladikavkaz 1–2 LiverpoolVladikavkaz
Qosimov  20' Report McManaman  32'
Redknapp  52'		 Stadium: Republican Spartak Stadium
Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Rémi Harrel (France)
26 September 1995 First Round, Second LegLiverpool 0–0 Spartak VladikavkazLiverpool
Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 35,042
Referee: Jiří Ulrich (Czech Republic)
13 October 1995 Second Round, First LegBrøndby IF 0–0 LiverpoolBrøndby Municipality
Report Stadium: Brøndby Stadium
Attendance: 37,648
Referee: Jaap Uilenberg (Netherlands)
31 October 1995 Second Round, Second LegLiverpool 0–1 Brøndby IFLiverpool
Report Eggen  78' Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 35,878
Referee: Karol Ihring (Slovakia)

Statistics

Appearances and goals
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier LeagueFA CupLeague CupUEFA Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK David James 530380704040
Defenders
2 DF Rob Jones 470330703040
5 DF Mark Wright 422282703040
6 DF Phil Babb 400280404040
12 DF John Scales 381270702120
20 DF Stig Inge Bjørnebye 2020000000
21 DF Dominic Matteo 60500+100000
22 DF Steve Harkness 33223+11104140
25 DF Neil Ruddock 28518+25203+1020
Midfielders
4 MF Jason McAteer 40327+20733+1000
10 MF John Barnes 503363703040
15 MF Jamie Redknapp 33419+432+103041
16 MF Michael Thomas 37218+915+100+112+10
17 MF Steve McManaman 5310386724141
19 MF Mark Kennedy 601+30000+100+10
Forwards
8 FW Stan Collymore 441930+114752+201+10
9 FW Ian Rush 29710+1050+41212+10
23 FW Robbie Fowler 533636+22876423+10
Players transferred out during the season
7 FW Nigel Clough 201+10000000

Last updated: 30 May 1996
Source: Competitions

Notes
  1. McAteer was born in Tranmere, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in March 1994.
  2. Babb was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1994.
  3. Barnes was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but also qualified to represent any of the home nations internationally as he held a British passport and made his international debut for England in May 1983.
  4. Matteo was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but was raised in England from the age of four and represented them at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for Scotland in November 2000.
  5. Warner was born in Liverpool, England, but also qualified to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally and would make his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in February 2006.
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References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  3. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  6. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  7. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  8. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  9. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  10. "Liverpool News – LFC Online". www.lfconline.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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