Obviously the £1.9 million Liverpool paid Newcastle had a lot to do with the added scrutiny. The record deal between British clubs was part of a summer spending spree by manager Kenny Dalglish, with John Barnes and Ray Houghton also arriving. John Aldridge had joined in January 1987, as Liverpool aimed to prepare for life without Ian Rush.
Beardsley may have failed initially to find the net regularly, but it was hardly hindering the progress of the team. Dropping just two points in their opening ten league matches, there seemed to be no stopping the progress of the Red Machine. Dalglish and his new charges were out to right the wrongs of the previous season that had seen the club finish without a trophy.
There had been one blip in the 1987/88 season. A 1-0 defeat to rivals Everton in the Littlewoods Cup was hard to take, especially as the winner came from full back Gary Stevens, a player who had been booed all night at Anfield after his involvement in the tackle that saw Jim Beglin's career ruined in the same competition in January 1987.
Four days later there was a chance of revenge. With the BBC cameras present for a live league match between the Merseyside giants, 44,760 fans filled Anfield to watch the next derby instalment. Reigning champions Everton, now under the management of Colin Harvey, were in desperate need of a win to maintain any hopes of retaining their crown.
However it was becoming clear to many that the champions elect would come from the red half of the city. Everton would be competitive throughout the fiercely contested contest, as a midfield battle between Steve McMahon and Peter Reid dominated the early exchanges. It wasn't a classic, but it was gripping.
"The tackles came in high and sometimes late," David Lacey wrote in the Guardian, expressing the high pace of the match. "Once or twice the victims turned around to express their disapproval in no uncertain terms." Trevor Steven would be denied by Bruce Grobbelaar in the first half, yet it would be two moments of quality that would settle the match.
For John Barnes the win over Everton was the perfect response to the racist abuse he had endured during the midweek Littlewoods Cup defeat. Moving into a central position in the 36th minute, the winger would play a sublime ball through the centre of Everton's defence, allowing McMahon to open the scoring against his former club.
Beardsley had played a part in the goal, winning the ball off Ian Snodin to enable Barnes to work his magic. And there were flashes of why Liverpool paid so much for his services when a trademark jink of his hips saw him skin Stevens, only for Aldridge's effort to be ruled out for offside. But what he really wanted was a goal.
"I think Peter Beardsley himself will be one that has a big bearing on the result of this game having been criticised earlier on in the week for his performance," co-commentator Bobby Charlton had predicted before the kick off. "I think he will want to do particularly well." Come the 70th minute, celebrity astrologer Russell Grant may have been worried that the former England star was after his job.
McMahon and Barnes would again be involved, the former winning possession on Liverpool's left and continuing his run. Barnes, with his back to the Kop, played a clever backheel to McMahon, who then found Aldridge with his cross. In truth, the Liverpool striker made a hash of his effort on goal, the ball striking his standing foot and looping in the air. Cue Beardsley.
With the ball slightly behind him, Beardsley hooked his left foot around it, catching the sweetest of half volleys. His strike kissed the underside of the crossbar as it flew past a helpless Neville Southall, the Kop exploding as the under pressure forward ran off in delight. Joined by some fans on the pitch in his moment of celebration, Beardsley was rewarded with a kiss by one jubilant supporter.
"Beardsley, oh that's a lovely goal," the incomparable Barry Davies announced. "That's a lovely goal. That will do his confidence an enormous amount of good." Charlton, who must have been chuffed with his pre-match analysis, added: "But only a player like Beardsley could score a goal like that. Just hit on the drop, took a chance, it was only a split-second opportunity and it worked for him."
"There's only one Peter Beardsley," immediately echoed around the stadium. "It must be music to his ears," Davies commented. After the midweek loss, the Guardian's Hugh McIlvanney had described Beardsley as "a dismally sluggish, scarcely competitive ally" when comparing him to Barnes. Playing such a key role in Liverpool's revenge mission, and restoring them back to the top of the table, was cathartic.
"It was nice to score that one and it went in well, didn't it?" a relieved Beardsley informed the media after Liverpool's 2-0 win. For a forward who was not necessarily judged on the number of goals he scored, Beardsley would end the league season with a decent tally of 15. But who needs to be as prolific as a John Aldridge when you can score goals like that strike against Everton?
Under the headline 'Peter Bites Back', the Mirror's Harry Harris indicated just how important Beardsley's goal was for both the player and club: "Peter Beardsley responded to taunts of 'what a waste of money' with a blistering strike to destroy Everton at Anfield yesterday." Dalglish knew the importance of the win.
"A lot of people who have aspirations to win the league title will be a bit disappointed seeing what we did today," Liverpool's manager said. Too right. It would take 30 matches for Liverpool to suffer defeat in the league in their fantastic 1987/88 season. You could not help but admire their brilliance, although it was disconcerting just how good that team was.
Memorably all ten BBC Goal of the Season entrants for 1987/88 came from Liverpool players. Beardsley's strike against Everton made the shortlist, as did two more of his goals during Liverpool's awesome campaign. When Beardsley scored it was normally a thing of beauty. His golden goal against Everton was a prime example of this.
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