1980–81 Liverpool F.C. season

The 1980–81 season was Liverpool Football Club's 89th season in existence and their 19th consecutive season in the First Division. It was a season of contrasts for Liverpool as they won the European Cup for the third time by defeating Real Madrid 1–0 in Paris, and winning the Football League Cup for the first time by defeating that season's Second Division champions West Ham United after a replay at Villa Park. They also beat West Ham in the Charity Shield.

Liverpool

1980–81 season
Manager	Bob Paisley
First Division	5th
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Winners
FA Charity Shield	Winners
European Cup	Winners
Top goalscorer	League: Terry McDermott (13) All: Terry McDermott (22)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 1979–80 1981–82 →

The Football League season, however, turned out to be a big disappointment after successive titles in previous seasons, by only finishing fifth, and then losing to Everton in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. It was to be the last season for a few players, and with Bob Paisley looking to the future bringing in players who would go on to feature regularly for the club for the rest of the decade and even the 1990s.

Squad

Goalkeepers

• Ray Clemence
• Steve Ogrizovic
• Bruce Grobbelaar

Defenders

• Avi Cohen
• Colin Irwin
• Phil Neal
• Alan Hansen
• Phil Thompson
• Alan Kennedy
• Richard Money

Midfielders

• Jimmy Case
• Steve Heighway
• Sammy Lee
• Ray Kennedy
• Terry McDermott
• Kevin Sheedy
• Graeme Souness
• Ronnie Whelan

Forwards

• Kenny Dalglish
• Howard Gayle
• David Johnson
• Ian Rush
• Colin Russell

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Division 1		FA Cup		Charity Sheild		League Cup		European Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	MF	ENG	Jimmy Case	36	2	14+10	1	1+1	1	1+0	0	3+1	0	2+3	0
	GK	ENG	Ray Clemence	62	0	41+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0	9+0	0	9+0	0
	DF	ISR	Avi Cohen	19	0	13+1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	2+1	0
	FW	SCO	Kenny Dalglish	54	18	34+0	8	2+0	2	1+0	0	8+0	7	9+0	1
	FW	ENG	David Fairclough	16	7	6+3	4	1+0	0	0+0	0	3+1	1	2+0	2
	FW	ENG	Howard Gayle	5	1	3+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
	DF	SCO	Alan Hansen	54	3	36+0	1	0+0	0	1+0	0	8+0	1	9+0	1
	MF	IRL	Steve Heighway	10	0	4+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+2	0
	DF	ENG	Colin Irwin	30	1	19+2	1	2+0	0	0+0	0	6+0	0	0+1	0
	FW	ENG	David Johnson	41	13	29+0	8	1+0	0	1+0	0	5+0	4	5+0	1
	DF	ENG	Alan Kennedy	33	4	19+0	2	1+0	0	1+0	0	6+0	1	6+0	1
	MF	ENG	Ray Kennedy	62	13	41+0	8	2+0	1	1+0	0	9+0	2	9+0	2
	MF	ENG	Sammy Lee	55	8	37+0	4	2+0	0	0+0	0	7+0	2	9+0	2
	MF	ENG	Terry McDermott	60	22	40+0	13	2+0	1	1+0	1	9+0	1	8+0	6
	DF	ENG	Richard Money	17	0	12+2	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	ENG	Phil Neal	63	3	42+0	2	2+0	0	1+0	0	9+0	0	9+0	1
	GK	ENG	Steve Ogrizovic	1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	WAL	Ian Rush	9	0	7+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	FW	ENG	Colin Russell	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	IRL	Kevin Sheedy	1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Graeme Souness	55	13	37+0	6	1+0	0	1+0	0	8+0	1	8+0	6
	DF	ENG	Phil Thompson	40	0	25+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0	6+0	0	7+0	0
	MF	IRL	Ronnie Whelan	1	1	1+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
3	Arsenal	42	19	15	8	61	45	+16	53	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4	West Bromwich Albion	42	20	12	10	60	42	+18	52
5	Liverpool	42	17	17	8	62	42	+20	51	Qualification for the European Cup first round[a]
6	Southampton	42	20	10	12	76	56	+20	50	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
7	Nottingham Forest	42	19	12	11	62	44	+18	50

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:

1. Liverpool qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1980–81 European Cup winners.

Results

First Division

Main article: 1980–81 Football League § First Division

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Report 1	Report 2
16-Aug-80	Crystal Palace	H	3–0	Dalglish 25', R. Kennedy 32', A. Kennedy 83'	42,777	Report	Report
19-Aug-80	Coventry City	A	0–0		22,807	Report	Report
23-Aug-80	Leicester City	A	0–2		28,455	Report	Report
30-Aug-80	Norwich City	H	4–1	Hansen 44', McDermott 65', A. Kennedy 72', Johnson 87'	35,315	Report	Report
06-Sep-80	Birmingham City	A	1–1	Dalglish 49'	27,042	Report	Report
13-Sep-80	West Bromwich Albion	H	4–0	McDermott 27' (pen.), Souness 44', Fairclough (2) 67', 71'	36,792	Report	Report
20-Sep-80	Southampton	A	2–2	Souness 8', Fairclough 56'	24,085	Report	Report
27-Sep-80	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	4–1	Souness (2) 37', 57', McDermott 56' (pen.), Fairclough 83'	35,836	Report	Report
04-Oct-80	Manchester City	A	3–0	Dalglish 38', Souness 52', Lee 83'	41,022	Report	Report
07-Oct-80	Middlesbrough	H	4–2	McDermott (2) 1', 79' (pen.), R. Kennedy 61', Dalglish 86'	28,204	Report	Report
11-Oct-80	Ipswich Town	H	1–1	McDermott 39' (pen.)	48,084	Report	Report
18-Oct-80	Everton	A	2–2	Lee 23', Dalglish 56'	52,565	Report	Report
25-Oct-80	Arsenal	H	1–1	Souness 48'	40,310	Report	Report
01-Nov-80	Stoke City	A	2–2	Johnson 24', Dalglish 79'	22,864	Report	Report
08-Nov-80	Nottingham Forest	H	0–0		43,143	Report	Report
11-Nov-80	Coventry City	H	2–1	Johnson (2) 28', 80'	26,744	Report	Report
15-Nov-80	Crystal Palace	A	2–2	R. Kennedy 45', McDermott 77'	31,154	Report	Report
22-Nov-80	Aston Villa	H	2–1	Dalglish 66', 88'	48,114	Report	Report
25-Nov-80	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	1–4	Neal 44'	25,497	Report	Report
29-Nov-80	Sunderland	A	4–2	Johnson 14', McDermott 35', Lee (2) 82', 84'	32,340	Report	Report
06-Dec-80	Tottenham Hotspur	H	2–1	Johnson 19', R. Kennedy 59'	39,545	Report	Report
13-Dec-80	Ipswich Town	A	1–1	Case 61'	32,274	Report	Report
20-Dec-80	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	1–0	R. Kennedy 33'	33,563	Report	Report
26-Dec-80	Manchester United	A	0–0		57,073	Report	Report
27-Dec-80	Leeds United	H	0–0		44,086	Report	Report
10-Jan-81	Aston Villa	A	0–2		47,960	Report	Report
17-Jan-81	Norwich City	A	1–0	McDermott 23'	23,829	Report	Report
31-Jan-81	Leicester City	H	1–2	Young o.g. 15'	35,154	Report	Report
07-Feb-81	West Bromwich Albion	A	0–2		27,905	Report	Report
14-Feb-81	Birmingham City	H	2–2	Johnson 25', Neal 33'	32,199	Report	Report
21-Feb-81	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–2	Johnson 27', McDermott 65'	23,275	Report	Report
28-Feb-81	Southampton	H	2–0	R. Kennedy 13', McDermott 60'	41,575	Report	Report
21-Mar-81	Everton	H	1–0	Bailey o.g. 77'	49,743	Report	Report
28-Mar-81	Arsenal	A	0–1		47,058	Report	Report
03-Apr-81	Stoke City	H	3–0	Whelan 27', McDermott (2) 52', 81'	33,308	Report	Report
11-Apr-81	Nottingham Forest	A	0–0		27,363	Report	Report
14-Apr-81	Manchester United	H	0–1		31,276	Report	Report
18-Apr-81	Leeds United	A	0–0		39,206	Report	Report
25-Apr-81	Tottenham Hotspur	A	1–1	Gayle 25'	35,334	Report	Report
02-May-81	Sunderland	H	0–1		40,337	Report	Report
05-May-81	Middlesbrough	A	2–1	R. Kennedy 7', Irwin 28'	19,102	Report	Report
19-May-81	Manchester City	H	1–0	R. Kennedy 16'	24,462	Report	Report

FA Charity Shield

Main article: 1980 FA Charity Shield

Liverpool	1–0	West Ham United
McDermott 17'

9 August 1980

15:00 UTC+1

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 90,000

Liverpool

West Ham United

Liverpool: GK 1 Ray Clemence DF 2 Phil Neal DF 3 Alan Kennedy DF 4 Phil Thompson (c) MF 5 Ray Kennedy DF 6 Alan Hansen FW 7 Kenny Dalglish MF 8 Jimmy Case FW 9 David Johnson MF 10 Terry McDermott MF 11 Graeme Souness Manager: Bob Paisley

West Ham United GK 1 Phil Parkes DF 2 Ray Stewart DF 3 Paul Brush DF 4 Billy Bonds DF 5 Alvin Martin MF 6 Alan Devonshire MF 7 Paul Allen FW 8 Pat Holland FW 9 David Cross FW 10 Trevor Brooking MF 11 Geoff Pike Substitutes: FW 12 Nicky Morgan Manager: John Lyall

Match rules 90 minutes, no extra time Five named substitutes Maximum of three substitutions

FA Cup

Main article: 1980–81 FA Cup

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Report 1	Report 2
03-Jan-81	Altrincham	H	4–1	McDermott 27', Dalglish (2) 39', 54', R. Kennedy 88'	37,170	Report	Report
24-Jan-81	Everton	A	1–2	Case 76'	53,804	Report	Report

League Cup

Main article: 1980–81 Football League Cup

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Report 1	Report 2
27-Aug-80	Bradford City	A	0–1		16,232.	Report	Report
02-Sep-80	Bradford City	H	4–0	Dalglish (2) 9', 36', R. Kennedy 34', Johnson 59'	22,807	Report	Report
23-Sep-80	Swindon Town	H	5–0	Lee (2) 7', 85', Dalglish 17', Cockerill o.g. 75', Fairclough 80'	28,455	Report	Report
28-Oct-80	Portsmouth	H	4–1	Dalglish 22', Johnson (2) 39', 80', Souness 85'	35,836	Report	Report
02-Dec-80	Birmingham City	H	3–1	Dalglish 23', McDermott 66', Johnson 85'	35,315	Report	Report
14-Jan-81	Manchester City	A	1–0	R. Kennedy 81'	27,042	Report	Report
10-Feb-81	Manchester City	H	1–1	Dalglish 23'	36,792	Report	Report

League Cup final

Main article: 1981 Football League Cup final § Details

Liverpool	1–1 (a.e.t.)	West Ham United
A. Kennedy 118'		Stewart 120'

14 March 1981

15:00 GMT

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 100,000

Referee: Clive Thomas

Liverpool

West Ham United

1 Ray Clemence 2 Phil Neal (c) 3 Alan Kennedy 4 Colin Irwin 5 Ray Kennedy 6 Alan Hansen 7 Kenny Dalglish 8 Sammy Lee 9 Steve Heighway 10 Terry McDermott 11 Graeme Souness Substitute: 12 Jimmy Case Manager: Bob Paisley

1 Phil Parkes 2 Ray Stewart 3 Frank Lampard Sr. 4 Billy Bonds (c) 5 Alvin Martin 6 Alan Devonshire 7 Jimmy Neighbour 8 Paul Goddard 9 David Cross 10 Trevor Brooking 11 Geoff Pike Substitute: 12 Stuart Pearson Manager: John Lyall

League Cup final replay

Main article: 1981 Football League Cup final § Replay

Liverpool	2–1	West Ham United
Dalglish 25' Hansen 28'		Goddard 5'

1 April 1981

19:30 GMT

Villa Park, Birmingham

Attendance: 36,693

Referee: Clive Thomas

Liverpool

West Ham United

1 Ray Clemence 2 Phil Neal 3 Alan Kennedy 4 Phil Thompson (c) 5 Ray Kennedy 6 Alan Hansen 7 Kenny Dalglish 8 Sammy Lee 9 Ian Rush 10 Terry McDermott 11 Jimmy Case Substitute: 12 Colin Irwin Manager: Bob Paisley

1 Phil Parkes 2 Ray Stewart 3 Frank Lampard Sr. 4 Billy Bonds (c) 5 Alvin Martin 6 Alan Devonshire 7 Jimmy Neighbour 8 Paul Goddard 9 David Cross 10 Trevor Brooking 11 Geoff Pike Substitute: 12 Stuart Pearson Manager: John Lyall

European Cup

Main article: 1980–81 European Cup

Date	Opponents	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance	Report 1	Report 2
17-Sep-80	Oulu Palloseura	A	1–1	McDermott 15'	14,000	Report	Report
01-Oct-80	Oulu Palloseura	H	10–1	Souness (3) 5', 24', 52' (pen.), McDermott (3) 15', 41', 83', Lee 53', R. Kennedy 66', Fairclough (2) 68', 81'	21,013	Report	Report
22-Oct-80	Aberdeen	A	1–0	McDermott 5'	24,000	Report	Report
05-Nov-80	Aberdeen	H	4–0	Miller o.g. 37', Neal 43', Dalglish 58', Hansen 71'	36,182	Report	Report
04-Mar-81	CSKA Sofia	H	5–1	Souness (3) 16', 51', 80', Lee 45', McDermott 62'	37,255	Report	Report
18-Mar-81	CSKA Sofia	A	1–0	Johnson 10'	65,000	Report	Report
08-Apr-81	Bayern Munich	H	0–0		44,543	Report	Report
22-Apr-81	Bayern Munich	A	1–1	R. Kennedy 83'	77,600	Report	Report

European Cup final

Main article: 1981 European Cup final

Liverpool	1–0	Real Madrid
A. Kennedy 82'	Overview Report MatchCentre [1][2]

27 May 1981

20:15 CEST

Parc des Princes, Paris

Attendance: 48,360

Referee: Károly Palotai (Hungary)

Liverpool

Real Madrid

GK 1 Ray Clemence RB 2 Phil Neal LB 3 Alan Kennedy CB 4 Phil Thompson (c) LM 5 Ray Kennedy  29' CB 6 Alan Hansen CF 7 Kenny Dalglish  85' RM 8 Sammy Lee CF 9 David Johnson CM 10 Terry McDermott CM 11 Graeme Souness Substitutes: MF 12 Jimmy Case  85' GK 13 Steve Ogrizovic DF 14 Colin Irwin DF 15 Richard Money FW 16 Howard Gayle Manager: Bob Paisley

GK 1 Agustín Rodríguez DF 2 Rafael García Cortés  87' DF 3 José Antonio Camacho MF 4 Uli Stielike  59' DF 5 Andrés Sabido MF 6 Vicente del Bosque FW 7 Juanito MF 8 Ángel de los Santos FW 9 Santillana (c) DF 10 Antonio García Navajas FW 11 Laurie Cunningham Substitutes: GK Miguel Ángel González DF Isidoro San José MF Ángel MF García Hernández MF 16 Francisco Pineda  87' Manager: Vujadin Boškov

References

1. Zea, Antonio; Haisma, Marcel (9 January 2008). "European Champions' Cup". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 17 September 2011.
2. "Liverpool 1–0 Real Madrid". LFC History. Retrieved 19 September 2010.

• LFC History.net – Games for the 1980–81 season
• Liverweb - Games for the 1980–81 season