1981/82: Liverpool v Man City

Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly view the forthcoming visit to Anfield as an ideal opportunity to break his duck at the home of the champions. Yet it is not only the current Manchester City manager that has an unenviable record at this ground. Manchester City have won just two league matches at Anfield in the last 40 years.

One of these victories came during an uncertain time for Liverpool. The 1980/81 campaign had seen Bob Paisley lead his team to the European Cup and Milk Cup, but a poor run in the league from January onwards killed any chance of retaining their title. As the 1981/82 season developed, it appeared as if inconsistency would again threaten Liverpool's title aspirations.

Two defeats in their opening four league matches provided a less than ideal start to the season, and home defeats to Manchester United and Southampton before Christmas highlighted the vulnerability of Paisley's team. 

Anfield had been a fortress; Leicester's win in January 1981 was Liverpool's first at home in three years and 85 matches. However, Manchester United and Sunderland both won at Anfield towards the end of the 1980/81 season, and as well as the two defeats before Christmas 1981, Liverpool had also dropped points at home to Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Swansea.

Whispers regarding Liverpool's demise began to increase in volume as the freezing winter of 1981 kicked in. Paisley, tasked with building his next great Liverpool team, was seemingly struggling to replace the likes of Ray Clemence, Jimmy Case, Ray Kennedy and Steve Heighway. Integrating the next set of players into the Anfield setup had varying levels of success.

Mark Lawrenson and Ronnie Whelan had hit the ground running, but Craig Johnston and Ian Rush were still trying to adapt to life at Anfield. And the Manchester City match on Boxing Day would demonstrate the difficulties Bruce Grobbelaar faced in replacing club legend Clemence.

City's revival under the management of John Bond continued as the teams prepared to meet at Anfield. Taking over in October 1980, Bond steered the club away from relegation, reached the semi-finals of the Milk Cup (losing to Liverpool), and led the team to the FA Cup final, City losing a classic replay to Tottenham.

Arriving at Anfield, City were in touching distance of the league summit, and ready to take advantage of a Liverpool side unusually low on confidence. The 90 minutes that followed did little to suggest that Paisley and Liverpool were capable of turning the ship around. On and off the pitch, the afternoon was a disaster.

Attacking the Kop in the first half, City started on the front foot, and were unfortunate not to take the lead after referee David Richardson disallowed an Asa Hartford header for an alleged push. But Hartford would not be denied, taking advantage of some poor defending by Phil Thompson, dispossessing Liverpool's skipper in the box before firing past Grobbelaar in the 9th minute.

 

 

Liverpool pushed for an equaliser. Kenny Dalglish struck the bar from a free-kick and missed a couple of further opportunities; Johnston dallied over a chance towards the end of the first half; and City keeper Joe Corrigan denied Graeme Souness and Sammy Lee after the break. 

City held firm, with Hartford dominating in midfield, Nicky Reid shielding the back four superbly, and centre backs Tommy Caton and Kevin Bond putting in solid displays. And 18-year-old Steve Kinsey, in only his second appearance, was a constant threat.

City doubled their lead in the 75th minute. This time it would be a mistake from Grobbelaar that led to the goal. Thompson's attempted clearance went high into the sky, Grobbelaar coming from his line to take charge. When he dropped the ball at the feet of Kinsey, Thompson was forced to save the goalbound effort as the shot headed towards the top corner of the net.

Bond slotted home the penalty, and although Whelan reduced the deficit with five minutes remaining, there was still time for more Grobbelaar embarrassment. With a minute left, Kinsey crossed to Kevin Reeves, who flicked a decent effort towards goal, albeit a far from powerful strike. Grobbelaar managed to get down to the ball, but only succeeded in turning it on to the post and back into the net via his body.

"And Grobbelaar's misery is complete," commentator Alan Parry said. "Reeves gets the goal, but really it was almost an own goal by this sad figure Bruce Grobbelaar." Liverpool's third home defeat in four matches, and City's first league win at Anfield in 28 years, was sealed.

There was still time for more shame. As City's players celebrated the final goal, a wine bottle was thrown from the Kop, striking Corrigan on the head. After treatment, Corrigan got to his feet, and was applauded by the home crowd, who then broke out into a chant of "Corrigan for England". The incident did little to improve the mood around the club.

"I deplore the incident, which was alien to Liverpool FC and the Kop," Liverpool chairman John Smith stated. Paisley too was equally as angry, but for now he had his hands full simply trying to come up with answers to the problems evidently clear to everyone after the abysmal display against City.

The Guardian's Patrick Barclay was one of many journalists questioning Liverpool's immediate future: "Paisley, having built the most successful British club since the war, is presiding over its sharp decline because he cannot adequately replace aging components. Grobbelaar and Johnston look hopelessly raw; Rush remains merely promising."

"It is patently clear that England's most successful club are at a crucial crossroads," John Keith noted in the Express. "Paisley now has a mountain of headaches with which to wrestle, none greater than the erratic form of goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar."

For Bond and City, there were no such problems. "There can't be many better places to win at than Anfield, after coming here and getting stuffed for so many years," Bond said. A 2-1 win over Wolves two days later left the team top of the table. 

At the turn of the year Liverpool sat in 12th place, ten points off top spot, although they did have three games in hand on City. Even so, the chances of Liverpool putting together a run to haul themselves back into the title race looked slim. 

Paisley acted, relieving Thompson of the club captaincy with Souness taking over the role. "My reason for the decision was that I felt Phil had been going through a rough patch playing-wise and I thought the extra responsibility of leading the team was having an effect," Paisley explained in the club programme. 

The decision proved beneficial for both player and club. Brushing aside his disappointment, Thompson performed superbly for the rest of the season, playing all five of England's matches in the World Cup. Liverpool won their next match at high-flying Swansea in the FA Cup third round, Rush scoring twice in the 4-0 win.

"The critics who have codemned Liverpool as a team in deep decline should have been among the awed audience at the Vetch Field on Saturday," Russell Thomas wrote in the Guardian. There may have been setbacks in the European Cup and FA Cup, but between January and May 1982 Liverpool cranked through the gears to bring the title back to Anfield.

Seven wins in nine indicated that the team had turned the corner, though defeats at Swansea and at home to Brighton suggested that frailties remained. But from this point on Paisley's men were unstoppable. Eleven consecutive wins - including a 1-0 win at Old Trafford and a 5-0 win at Maine Road over the Easter weekend - propelled Liverpool to the top.

Souness lifted the Division One trophy after the final home match of the season against Tottenham, and with the Milk Cup retained, the results justified Paisley's means. "There was no gamble, but it still made this the hardest championship we have won with me as manager," Paisley admitted after leading the club to a fifth title under his tenure.

And what of City? Seven draws in 13 matches at the start of 1982 crushed any title hopes, and four defeats in April saw the club finish in tenth place. By February 1983, Bond had quit, a humiliating 4-0 loss at Brighton in the FA Cup and his strained relationship with chairman Peter Swales prompting his decision.

Under John Benson, City plummeted down the table, winning just three league matches and falling through the trap door after Raddy Antic fired a late winner for Luton at Maine Road. From the promise of January 1981 to the despair of May 1983; the up and down nature of following City was about to begin in earnest.

Times have changed of course. But even in the era of Sheikh Mansour City have failed to win a league match at Anfield. Their last win at the ground was in 2003, so they are overdue three points after a visit to the red half of Liverpool. 

Just as in 1981, the ingredients seem to be in place for a rare City win at Anfield. In the 1980s, it was never wise to write off Liverpool, and so it would prove after the Boxing Day debacle in 1981. But lose to City on Sunday February 7 and surely the title has gone. With matches running out, it feels like the point of no return.