Liverpool FC Forum

European Cup Final,1977

Liverpool 3  Borussia Moenchengladbach 1

In 1976-77 Liverpool were embarking on their 13th successive season in European football.The UEFA Cup had been won twice,the final of the Cup Winners Cup had been lost,but the record in the major competition,the European Cup,was disappointing.After the semi-final appearance in 1964-65,we had got no further than the second round in two subsequent efforts.By 1977 the Kop wanted a win to set the seal on Liverpool's greatness.
    Liverpool sought an amazing treble that season.The League Championship was safely gathered in.But 4 days before the European Cup Final,the FA Cup Final was lost,Manchester United cashing in on a little good fortune to win 2-1.The side had to pick itself up for Rome,and the clash with German Champions Borussia Moenchengladbach.
    They did their work well.Always looking dangerous,Liverpool struck in the 27th minute.Ian Callaghan fed Steve Heighway and moved outside him as Heighway cut in on one of his penetrating runs.As Kevin Keegan moved left,taking Berti Vogts with him,Terry McDermott sped towards the area in the inside-right position.Heighway's pass was perfectly weighted into his path,and Terry Mac stroked it first time into the far corner for a superb goal and a well deserved half-time lead.
      Six minutes after the interval,Phil Neal and Jimmy Case muddled and Case passed staight to Allan Simonsen,the brilliant Danish winger,who moved forward and scored with a tremendous cross-shot.Five minutes later Stielike was thwarted by a brilliant save from Clemence as he dashed of his line.We all thought this was like the FA Cup Final all over again,with Liverpool failing to convert steady pressure into goals and know falling for the sucker punch.
      But the 65th minute arrived.Heighway took a corner on the left,a red-shirted player leapt forward,like a salmon,and smacked the ball home with an unstoppable header.We all went crazy.To everybody's surprise it turned out to be Tommy Smith,playing because of injury to Phil Thompson,in what he announced as his last match (he later changed his mind).
       Liverpool were now on top,and when Keegan,who played brilliantly throughout,went dashing through the middle with7 minutes left to be tripped by Berti Vogts,Phil Neal made no mistake with the penalty.Emlyn Hughes held the trophy aloft and the team paraded in front of the 57,000 crowd,nearly half of whom had come from Liverpool.It was the best final for years,and the last,until 1984,to produce more than one goal.What a game,what a night!

I WAS ONLY SIX THEN HOW DO U EXPECT ME TO REMEMBER THAT?
BUT I DO REMEMBER LFC BEING 2-0 DOWN TO AUXERRE FROM THE 1ST LEG AND COMING BACK TO WIN THE 2ND LEG 3-0 AT ANFIELD THAT WAS AN EXELLENT GAME.    

Two games i will never forget. Firstly NOTTS FOREST at Anfield in the 1987-88 season,i have still yet to see a better game of football. 5-0 HOUGHTON,ALDRIDGE 2, BEARDSLEY GILLESPIE.

BUT my all time fav has to be 1978-79 7-0 thrashing of spurs
to witness that TERRY Mc goal was something i can take to my grave with me.
DALGLISH2,R,KENNEDY, JOHNSON, 2, NEAL, McDERMOTT

The past is full of classic games and I too have to put that 7-0 thrashing of Spurs down as the most complete performance by any English side in a league game  let alone a Liverpool side.I came home a day early from my holidays so I could attend the match.
      Newly promoted Tottenham,with their Argentinian imports,Villa and Ardilles,were comprehensively thrashed by a Liverpool side launching themselves towards a record-breaking Championship season.
      Dalglish scored the first after 8 minutes.12 minutes later Kenny was on target again,deflecting a Case shot into the net.Inside the half-hour it was 3-0 when McDermott's cross found Ray Kennedy and his header went in the net off a Spurs defender.It was all one-way traffic.Jimmy Case unleashed a fierce 25-yard shot which was superbly saved by Daines,and shortly afterwards he saved again this time from Alan Kennedy.Perryman headed a blistering shot from Ray Kennedy off the line.
       David Johnson had replaced Hughes and after 3 minutes of the second half he rifled home the 4th goal.Liverpool's fifth goal was also scored by Johnson in the 58th minute after a magnificent move between Ray Kennedy and Dalglish.
       It was 6-0 when Heighway,a constant thorn in Spurs' flesh,was tripped and Phil Neal hammered home the penalty at the second time of asking.
       Well we all stood in aure of this display could anything top what we were witnessing.
       Yes,I'll say.The magnificent seventh was the goal of the afternoon.It came in the 76th minute when McDermott,with a far post header put the finishing touch to a move which involved Ray Kennedy,Johnson and Heighway sweeping the ball almost the length of the pitch.Bob Paisley described it as"one of the best goals in the history of the club".I,in my humble opinion,have to agree.
                  What a game!  What a goal!

Super thanks mate  it was just like being in the middle of the kop again  happy days.

That season,1978/1979,was a record year.As well as classic games home and away we had record points haul of 68pts;we dropped only 2 points at home conceding only 4 goals.I remember going to the match with the hope that the opposition would score first so we'd have a game on our hands.There were a few championship campaigns like that.God we had it good.I count myself lucky that I experienced the most successful years in Liverpool's history.I could talk for hours,days even years about our great achievements.No matter what happens in the future past glories will never fade.Those two manc idiots never bothered me with their feeble attempts to gloat,not only because I've been their and done it but you could tell the way they spoke they had never experienced a live football match,besides Sky t.v.'s daily broadcasts.Still......why talk about them.
        I will continue to do my own style of gloating and reminisce about the glory years and hopefully Gerrard Houllier might spot this site one day and see how much we ache for that final push for the championship.

    Bring on the new season.Hail the champions for 2003/2004 Liverpool.

Hey super please, please never stop gloating about our glorious past its the only thing that keeps me sane.
cheers mate

well given that i was 2 young to witness most of it, im with tock, i love to read about it....keep it up super...
u know super, in honour of ur efforts, im going to start a knew topic, a topic that honours u and im sure u'll have plenty say on it...keep an eye out for this one!!!!!!

wit me bein on young probably missed some class moments but the game wit basle where we bounced back from 3-0 to 3-3 goin onto nearly winnin the match!! My dad was laughin at 3-0 that we wudnt bounce bk but i told him and we flamin well did an all!! I suppose this years worthington cup as we won manure and some more matches but got brain block cant remb them!!! But here's too many manu more good matches lfc!!!

Beating Everton 3-2 in the 89 cup final was one of the most perfect games ever, i know football didn't matter too much after hillsborough but i was so proud of the team how they fought on in extra time giving something back to the fans who suffered so much.

".....misty watered coloured memories....of the way we were..."