1990–91 Liverpool F.C. season

Liverpool F.C.
1990–91 season
Manager Kenny Dalglish
Ronnie Moran
Graeme Souness
First Division 2nd
FA Cup 5th Round
League Cup 3rd Round
Top goalscorer League: Ian Rush (16)
John Barnes (16)
All: Ian Rush (26)
Home colours
Away colours
← 1989–90 1991–92 →

Liverpool F.C. did not manage to defend its league title, and more than 25 years on has still yet to added to its 18th top division title won in 1990.

Manager Kenny Dalglish resigned on 22 February 1991 following a dramatic 4–4 draw with local rivals Everton, citing personal reasons for his decision. With caretaker Ronnie Moran in charge, Liverpool failed to regain the lead of the First Division from Arsenal, who finished as champions having lost just one game all season. Still, they at least managed to secure a top-two finish for a record 10th season in succession. Graeme Souness was appointed manager on 16 April for the five last matches of the season, resulting in three wins and two defeats.

Captain Alan Hansen, out of action for a nearly a year, announced his retirement as a player not long after Dalglish's resignation.

The season had started very well for the Reds, who as defending league champions won their first eight league games, including a 4-0 victory over Manchester United at Anfield, and enjoyed an 15-match unbeaten start in the league.

It was also the final season at Anfield for striker Peter Beardsley, who enjoyed a fine start to his fourth season at the club but was then dropped in favour of new signing David Speedie halfway through the season. Both players left the club in the close season; Speedie to Blackburn Rovers and Beardsley to local rivals Everton. Also on their way out of Anfield that summer were defenders Gary Gillespie and Steve Staunton to Celtic and Aston Villa respectively. The close season saw Liverpool pay a national record £2.9million for Derby County striker Dean Saunders, who had been one of the First Division's top scorers in 1990-91 despite his team being relegated in bottom place. A further £2.5million went to the East Midlanders for England defender Mark Wright. An outlay of £1.25million also went on midfielder Mark Walters, who followed Souness to Anfield from Rangers.

Just weeks before his resignation, Dalglish invested for the future with a move for 17-year-old AFC Bournemouth midfielder Jamie Redknapp, while fellow teenage midfielder Steve McManaman made his first two senior appearances during the season. He also gave a senior debut to 18-year-old winger Steve McManaman just before Christmas.

Competition Result Top Scorer
First Division Runners-Up England John Barnes, 16
Wales Ian Rush, 16
FA Cup Fifth Round Wales Ian Rush, 5
League Cup Third Round Wales Ian Rush, 5
Charity Shied Winners England John Barnes, 1
Overall Wales Ian Rush, 26

Events of the season

August

Liverpool's defence of their record 18th top division league title began on 25 August 1990 at Bramall Lane, where they defeated newly promoted Sheffield United 3–1. A visit to Wembley a week earlier for the FA Charity Shield had seen Liverpool share the honour with FA Cup holders Manchester United in a 1–1 draw.

September

September ended with Liverpool top of the First Division, having won all of their seven opening league games, including a 3–2 win at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby in which Peter Beardsley scored twice, and even more impressively a 4–0 demolition of Manchester United at Anfield in which Beardsley hit a hat-trick. Beardsley ended the month as the First Division's top goalscorer with seven goals in as many games.

October

Liverpool's winning start to the season reached an eighth successive game as they triumphed 2–0 at home to struggling Derby County, and in the next game they dropped points for the first time when Norwich City held them to a 1–1 draw at Carrow Road. The month ended in disappointment when Manchester United dumped them out of the Football League Cup with a 3–1 defeat at Old Trafford.

November

Peter Beardsley's excellent form continued as he reached the 10-goal mark in the First Division on 10 November, finding the net in a 4–0 home win over Luton Town. It was also a fine month for Ian Rush, who was on the scoresheet twice against both Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool remained comfortably in the lead at the top of the First Division as November ended.

December

Liverpool's unbeaten start to the season ended after 14 games when they crashed 3–0 to their nearest challengers Arsenal at Highbury on 2 December, but their lead of the First Division remained intact. The month ended with a second defeat at Crystal Palace, slowly emerging as outsiders in the title race, but also included wins over Sheffield United and Southampton.

January

The new year brought two significant signings for Liverpool, in the shape of experienced striker David Speedie from Coventry City and promising 17-year-old midfielder Jamie Redknapp from AFC Bournemouth. There were just three league games for the Reds this month, starting with a 3–0 win over Leeds United at Anfield on New Year's Day, followed by draws against Aston Villa at Wimbledon.

The FA Cup quest got off to a rocky start, with the Reds needing replays to see off Second Division competition in the shape of Blackburn Rovers in the third round and Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth. However, Arsenal had overtaken the Reds as league leaders by the end of the month.

February

Kenny Dalglish stunned the football world on 22 February 1991 by suddenly announcing his resignation as Liverpool manager after nearly six years in charge, during which time he had guided them to three league titles, two FA Cups, and they had never finished lower than runners-up in the league. They were also in contention for the double when he handed in his resignation, having just forced a second replay against Everton in the fifth round following a goalless draw at Anfield and a 4–4 thriller at Goodison Park less than 48 hours before the bombshell was dropped. They had also beaten Everton in the league earlier in the month.

Long-serving coach Ronnie Moran was put in temporary charge of the first team until a permanent successor could be found. However, the month ended with Everton finally getting the better of the Reds in the second replay of the FA Cup fifth round.

March

Arsenal extended their lead over the Reds with a 1–0 win at Anfield on 3 March, but wins in the next three games (including a 7–1 demolition of bottom club Derby County at Anfield) kept the Reds in contention for a 19th league title.

April

13 goals and three straight wins meant that Liverpool ended the month still capable of catching Arsenal in the race for the league title, giving new manager Graeme Souness every chance of a dream return to the club he served so well as a player.

May

Successive defeats to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest ended Liverpool's hopes of another league title as the championship trophy headed back to Arsenal, who had seized it from Liverpool's grasp with the last kick of the season two years earlier. The last league action of the season was a 2–0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur, and the Reds at least had the consolation of a record 10th successive top two finish.[1]

Much speculation surrounded Anfield at the end of the season regarding who would be joining Liverpool and who might be leaving. The future of Peter Beardsley at Anfield was looking particularly bleak; after an excellent start to the season which saw him hit the back of the net 11 times in the league before the end of November, he had struggled to hold down his place in the first team due to competition from Ronny Rosenthal and then David Speedie for the position as Ian Rush's strike partner. There was also talk that David Speedie could soon be on his way out of Anfield just months after arriving as Souness looked to sign a new striker, with Mo Johnston of Rangers and Dean Saunders of Derby County being two names most strongly linked with a move to Anfield. Following the retirement of Alan Hansen in the centre of defence, Derby County's Mark Wright also became a transfer target. Midfielder Craig Johnston, who had announced his retirement from playing three years earlier in order to care for his sister following a serious accident, was offered the chance of reviving his career by Souness.[2]

Squad

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Attackers

First Division

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA W D L GF GA GF GA GD Pts Notes
1Arsenal38154051109912387418+ 5683European Cup 1991–92
First round
2Liverpool381432421394635277740+ 3776UEFA Cup 1991–92
First round
3Crystal Palace381162261793724245041+ 969[3]
4Leeds United381225462375719246547+ 1864[3]
5Manchester City381234352558629286453+ 1162
6Manchester United381144341758624285845+ 1359UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991–92
First round[4]
7Wimbledon38865282268525245346+ 756
8Nottingham Forest381144422138823296550+ 1554
9Everton38955261547824315046+ 451
10Tottenham Hotspur38892352237916285150+ 149UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991–92
Qualifying round[5]
11Chelsea3810633325341225445869– 1149
12Queens Park Rangers388562722451017314453– 946
13Sheffield United389372323441113323655– 1946
14Southampton389643322331325475869– 1145
15Norwich City389372732431214324364– 2145
16Coventry City3810633016151312334249– 744
17Aston Villa387932925251217334658– 1241
18Luton Town387572218321420434261– 1937
19Sunderland386671516241323443860– 2234
20Derby County383882536211612393775– 3824

Note: Arsenal deducted two points for on-field brawl and Manchester United deducted one point also for on-field brawl.

Matches

Top scorers

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. 1 2 English teams were still affected by the 1985 UEFA ban, imposed upon the Heysel Disaster, in that they had to earn back
    additional places to the UEFA Cup. The teams that missed out on this competition due to UEFA regulations are marked here with grey.
  4. ↑ Manchester United qualified as defending champions of the Cup Winners' Cup.
  5. ↑ Tottenham Hotspur were this season's FA Cup winners.
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