Reds rule in Europe

By Patrick Hart

Liverpool 3-1 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach
Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany had all dominated the European Cup. But now was the turn of English football, starting with Liverpool in 1976/77. In a repeat of the 1973 UEFA Cup final, the Anfield club defeated Mönchengladbach 3-1 with goals from Terry McDermott, Tommy Smith and Phil Neal. How Mönchengladbach, who had revived briefly with Allan Simonsen's equaliser, must have hated the sight of Bob Paisley's men. For everything had been in place for them to succeed holders FC Bayern München as the Bundesliga's chief flag-bearer: Udo Lattek's team had restored German pride by knocking out Bayern's quarter-final conquerors, FC Dynamo Kyiv, in the semis. That was their last stop on the road to Rome. Liverpool, meanwhile, had been going places all season, chasing an English first division/FA Cup double (though they would eventually have to settle for the former). Their claim to the main prize materialised in the round of eight, when after routine wins against Crusaders FC and Trabzonspor they ousted the previous year's runner-up, AS Saint-Etienne. Liverpool's 3-1 home success made up for a 1-0 loss on French soil, and set up a 6-1 semi-final thumping of FC Zürich. The final itself belonged to the inspirational Kevin Keegan, the English international outshining European Footballer of the Year Simonsen on his farewell appearance for the Reds.

Liverpool 1-0 Club Brugge KV
Liverpool were back on top of the European game in 1977/78 thanks to Kenny Dalglish, whom they had brought from Celtic FC to replace Keegan. The Scottish international's 64th-minute strike was the difference between the Merseysiders and the competition's surprise package, Brugge, in a disappointing Wembley final. In mitigation, Brugge coach Ernst Happel could point to a long injury list, yet the feeling was that Liverpool would have won regardless. After all, they had scored 12 times in three home games against 1. FC Dynamo Dresden, SL Benfica and Mönchengladbach. The Germans did not survive the trip to Anfield despite the cushion of a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win. Ray Kennedy, Jimmy Case and Dalglish provided the goals in a one-sided contest. A similar fate awaited a Brugge team defeated by Liverpool in the 1976 UEFA Cup final. The Blauw-Zwart had embellished their fine domestic reputation by overturning a 1-0 reverse in Turin to upset Juventus FC 2-1 on aggregate in the last four. This had Belgians everywhere dreaming of a first European Cup - until that man, Dalglish, popped up with a smartly-taken goal.

Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid CF
The Champions' Cup stayed in England for a fifth consecutive year in 1980/81, swapping the trophy room at Nottingham Forest FC for the Anfield one. Forest had fallen victim to PFC CSKA Sofia in the first round, leaving centre stage to four clubs that had won the competition 13 times between them: Madrid, FC Internazionale Milano, Bayern and Liverpool. The Merseysiders started as they meant to go on. After scoring eleven goals against FC Oulu, they enjoyed convincing wins against Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen FC and CSKA. Semi-final opponents Bayern would be less inclined to roll over. Buoyant after a 6-3 quarter-final triumph over AFC Ajax, Rummenigge and company were further boosted by a 0-0 stalemate in the first leg at Anfield. A fortnight later, though, Ray Kennedy's goal in a 1-1 draw was enough to send Liverpool through on away goals. Elsewhere, a meeting of super powers determined the identity of the other finalist: Madrid claiming a 2-1 aggregate success over Inter. However, the Spanish team did not possess the wherewithal to finish the job, while Paisley's did. Full-back Alan Kennedy took a break from his defensive duties to score an 81st-minute winner - and make his manager the first coach to achieve a hat-trick of European crowns with the one club.

Liverpool 1-1 AS Roma (Liverpool win 4-2 on penalties)
Liverpool returned to the scene of their first European Cup triumph to lift the trophy for a fourth time in 1983/84. Key to their success was Welsh international Ian Rush. Although he failed to register against Odense BK in the first round, his predatory instincts settled three difficult away ties in the Reds' favour. Rush got the only goal of the double-header with Athletic Club Bilbao in the second leg at San Mamés, then consolidated 1-0 Anfield wins with one and two-goal salvoes at Benfica and FC Dinamo Bucuresti. The Romanians had upset holders Hamburger SV in the second round, yet Rush's two goals eased any Liverpool nerves and secured their fourth final appearance in eight years. Remarkably, this was very nearly an all-British affair, with Dundee United FC beating Roma 2-0 in their semi-final first leg - only to lose 3-0 in Rome. However, playing the final on home turf at the Olimpico proved a double-edged sword. While Roberto Pruzzo was able to equalise Phil Neal's early strike, the longer the match went, the more the Italians struggled under the weight of expectancy. So, come penalties, it was Roma - and not Reds goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar - who were really wobbling. Bruno Conti and Francesco Graziani missed, leaving Alan Kennedy to convert the winning spot-kick for Joe Fagan's side. For the first time, the competition had been decided by the 'dreaded lottery'.