LIVERPOOL 6 Aston Villa 1 – October 10, 1953
DON Welsh’s Liverpool side, which featured Bob Paisley and Billy Liddell among other notable names, swept aside Aston Villa in a second half foray at Anfield.
Liddell scored prior to half time and was matched by Villa’s Dave Walsh to send the sides in at half-time level. However the Reds rose to the challenge after the restart, Paisley was on the scoresheet alongside two from Sammy Smyth, one from Jimmy Payne and an own goal to round off a miserable afternoon for the away side.
But it was Liverpool who would have all the misery at the end of the season, relegated from the First Division after finishing bottom of the league.
LIVERPOOL 7 Newton Heath 1 – October 12, 1895
THE start of something beautiful. A rivalry that still burns to this day. And it all started just under 100 years before I was born — let that sink in.
Frank Becton, Thomas Bradshaw and Fred Greary all notched twice for the Reds, completely cancelling out Joseph Cassidy’s first half strike, before Jimmy Ross got the seventh to round off the scoring.
Despite Newton Heath — soon to be Manchester United, obviously — getting revenge in the reverse fixture, John McKenna’s side won the Second Division. Though they finished on the same amount of points as Manchester City, Liverpool had the better goal average and were crowned champions and promoted to the First Division.
LIVERPOOL 6 Walsall 1 – October 14, 1961
BILL Shankly’s Reds thrashed Walsall, some 55 years ago this week, winning 6-1 in front of 42,229 in attendance at Anfield.
Liverpool initially went behind in the game, due to a Ron Yeats own goal, but equalised four minutes before the break through Kevin Lewis. After the restart, Jimmy Melia grabbed a goal before Roger Hunt got the third and fourth prior to the hour mark. Ian St John got the home side’s fifth and Hunt rounded off his hat-trick for the sixth.
The Reds would go on to finish top of the Second Division and it would take them only two seasons in the top tier for Shanks to win the First Division title.
LIVERPOOL 5 Derby County 0 – October 14, 1978
ANOTHER convincing victory in another title-winning season for Liverpool, this time it was Bob Paisley’s men collecting their winners’ medals.
The Reds didn’t lose a single game at home all season, and it was a typically convincing win when Derby County came to visit. David Johnson scored the only goal of the first half before doubles from Ray Kennedy and Kenny Dalglish secured the points.
That triumph kept Liverpool cemented at the top of the league, a position they held from the second game of the season until the last.
Fulham 2 LIVERPOOL 4 – October 16, 2004
Though this game was particularly memorable in terms of another thrilling Liverpool comeback, it was also the game in which Xabi Alonso scored his debut goal.
Two goals from Luis Boa Morte saw the Reds trailing at half time, before a Milan Baros strike deflected off Zat Knight and over Edwin Van Der Sar to give the away side a chance. Baros got the equaliser before Alonso stepped up to take a free-kick and, in what became trademark fashion during his time on Merseyside, dispatched it with excellence. Igor Biscan’s first league goal secured the victory.
Alonso would go on to make 210 appearances and score 19 goals for the club and became an undisputed favourite among Kopites. Also worth noting, in case you hadn’t noticed, this was the season Liverpool won their fifth European Cup in Istanbul. A year of great comebacks.
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