This game at home to Manchester City proved to be a turning point in Liverpool's form in the League Championship, as from then onwards, they went on a red hot run of form, winning the League Championship with a game to spare
One of only a handful of fixtures played on boxing day 1981. The winter of 81/82 was one of the worse on record leading to many abandonments. But Anfield had just become one of the first grounds to have undersoil heating installed so keeping any potential fixture pile up to a minimum. Significant? Only time would tell.
@@dlamiss Yes - relegated the following season (even though I seem to remember them being 2nd in November) and arguably it took them years, even decades, to recover. Certainly they were never again a top team until the 2008 takeover.
Not saying Bruce didn’t look shaky in this game but the commentary by Alan Parry seems to have it in for him throughout. No criticism of Thompson slicing the ball up in the air in the lead up to the 2nd goal & perhaps more praise should be due to Reeves for an excellent back flick for the 3rd rather than laying blame totally at Bruce’s door & calling him a “sad figure”.
This wasn’t the best city team ever. Their relegation the following season would attest to that. Liverpool had a right dodgy keeper in this game. Wonder what ever happened to him??
@@DaveWallerLFC thought it was Parry. Thompson started coaching when he finished playing at Liverpool didn’t he?? Or some sort of coaching role in the background??
@@mrkipling2201 I think he transferred to Sheffield United. I remember him being in contention for the European Cup first round 1st leg against Lech Poznan in 84-85, due to an injury crisis.
The coaching staff and Souness seemed to think he was trying too hard to impress. Brucie divides opinion. I am in the pro-camp. The players and staff always seem to support him still and the coaching staff could be ruthless. In many away games with no cameras, he would be a vital player - making some great saves but would also eleviate the pressure on the defence by coming for a high ball and catching it and smothering out the danger in an instant (Birmingham away in May 1984 on YT is a good example in a very important game). He played a high line and this allowed the team to push up and smother the opposition. Hs save v Sharp at Wembley 1986 was a vital moment as any and the players said they felt invincible after that moment and only he could have made that save.
@@CNCTEMATIC He was accused in 1994 by The S*n. Grobbelaar insisted that he had been pretending to go along with the match-fixing consortium as part of a 'sting' operation. He was never found guilty by any investigation, but when he tried to sue the newspaper for libel, the judge awarded him damages of just a pound, saying his general conduct throughout the 'operation' had been deceitful and facetious, and that while the paper had never presented adequate proof of actual match-fixing, Grobbelaar's behaviour was still bad enough to deserve to go unrewarded. Grobbelaar was also ordered to pay tens of thousands in court fees, money he didn't have, and he was declared bankrupt. Was he actually guilty? On balance probably not. One of the accusations against him was that he tried to throw a match against Manchester United that finished 3-3, and that while Liverpool were 3-2 down, he "accidentally" made a fantastic save from Eric Cantona to keep the team in it. It does sound quite preposterous. And if he had been guilty of match-fixing, why did he not have the money to pay the court fees?
@Martin Odoni I remember reading, before the match fixing allegations were made, that he received a small fine for something like speeding, and had to pay by installments because all his money was in trust funds for his children. It seemed odd to me at the time. It would explain why he didn't have money to pay the court costs from the libel case. That's not say he was guilty - the source of the allegations and lack of evidence make me think, like you, that he probably wasn't.
The calendar year 1981 was a poor one for Liverpool in the league, despite winning the European and League Cups. Starting the year vying with Villa and Ipswich, Liverpool faded badly, and made a mediocre start to the following campaign. This was the absolute low-point of the season. I haven’t watched extended highlights of this game since it was first shown, and to be fair Liverpool were better here than I remembered. At least it turned out to be a turning point for the season - how many teams have won the title after being 12th at Christmas?
they played really well at Rangers in a 2-0 win that week (mentioned here) with Rushy and Johnston's movement and pace up front and Kenny further back supplying them. Interesting that they did not persist with that. Yet there were signs that the team were gelling well. Rush 10 goals in 11 games. Lawrenson was wasted at LB so Alan Kennedy returning in this game also helped a lot.
The poor calendar year of 1981 was very poor league wise. Strangely Kenny Dalglish didn't score a league goal all year until Brighton away in October. The effect the Kings form had on the team
@@randyborstol2491 I remember reading about the Rangers game in Shoot! magazine, although I had thought that it was played after this match. Strangely perhaps, a club that Liverpool have never played in a competitive game!
The Rangers game was a friendly to mark the redevelopment of Ibrox. For some reason, Liverpool didn't have a game on Saturday 19 December, so there would have been a 13 day gap between games without the friendly.
@@robinevans1293 I could be wrong but they were beaten at home by Brighton and Swansea away, I think. But, they went on a titanic run of wins, playing brilliantly. Thompson lost the captaincy after this City game too.
@@Homebous76 won 9 drew 1 of the next ten games and from late March won 10 in a row. Chelsea away in the cup was a bad day all round. Very interesting to watch. You could tell Whelan was class and Rush too. They actually played quite well in this. Joe Fagan read the riot act after this but aimed it directly at the senior pros. Felt sorry for Brucie here - either Sounes or Lawrenson said he was trying too hard. Bob told him if he kept playing like that he would be back at Crewe. The phone ins after this game must have been something else.
Liverpool managed to win away to each team that had beaten them in the league at Anfield earlier that season - the exception was Brighton, who won at Anfield after drawing 3-3 at the Goldstone Ground.
This game at home to Manchester City proved to be a turning point in Liverpool's form in the League Championship, as from then onwards, they went on a red hot run of form, winning the League Championship with a game to spare
It's incredible to think Liverpool went on to win the league from here...
Trevor Francis playing for City. Anonymous in these highlights.
One of only a handful of fixtures played on boxing day 1981. The winter of 81/82 was one of the worse on record leading to many abandonments. But Anfield had just become one of the first grounds to have undersoil heating installed so keeping any potential fixture pile up to a minimum. Significant? Only time would tell.
Rarely seen Graeme Souness having such an anonymous match in a Liverpool shirt.
Remember the after match interview with John Bond very well, He basically said Liverpool were finished.
Just over a year later, he himself was finished!
@@jonathancole833 Yep. Another Swales sacking. City were top around Easter 82 but finished 7th and seemed to go downhill very quickly
@@dlamiss Yes - relegated the following season (even though I seem to remember them being 2nd in November) and arguably it took them years, even decades, to recover.
Certainly they were never again a top team until the 2008 takeover.
Not saying Bruce didn’t look shaky in this game but the commentary by Alan Parry seems to have it in for him throughout. No criticism of Thompson slicing the ball up in the air in the lead up to the 2nd goal & perhaps more praise should be due to Reeves for an excellent back flick for the 3rd rather than laying blame totally at Bruce’s door & calling him a “sad figure”.
Bruce had a shocker.
This wasn’t the best city team ever. Their relegation the following season would attest to that. Liverpool had a right dodgy keeper in this game. Wonder what ever happened to him??
Freddie Laker airplane advertising board - he went bankrupt in February and at the Ipswich game the Kop sang 'Brucie's better in the air'
Is that Distantvoices??
Spanish timeshare advertising board behind the Anfield road goal as well !!
Nothing wrong with that first man city goal that I could see.
I think Tommy Hutchison (the guy jumping behind Hartford) was pushing Phil Thompson into Asa Hartford, 'sandwiching' him. A soft decision though.
Is Alan Parry the commentator?? Phil Thompson only played a season or 2 more for Liverpool didn’t he??
Yes, it's Alan Parry. Thompson's last game was the 1983 Charity Shield, although he stayed at the club for a while after he lost his place.
@@DaveWallerLFC thought it was Parry. Thompson started coaching when he finished playing at Liverpool didn’t he?? Or some sort of coaching role in the background??
@@mrkipling2201 I think he transferred to Sheffield United. I remember him being in contention for the European Cup first round 1st leg against Lech Poznan in 84-85, due to an injury crisis.
@@jonathancole833 really?? I didn’t know that. About Sheffield United. 👍👍
@@mrkipling2201 From memory I think that Peter Withe also went to Bramall Lane around that time.
Can't remember Trevor francis playing for man city.
Wonder why Grobelar seemed erratic?
The coaching staff and Souness seemed to think he was trying too hard to impress. Brucie divides opinion. I am in the pro-camp. The players and staff always seem to support him still and the coaching staff could be ruthless. In many away games with no cameras, he would be a vital player - making some great saves but would also eleviate the pressure on the defence by coming for a high ball and catching it and smothering out the danger in an instant (Birmingham away in May 1984 on YT is a good example in a very important game). He played a high line and this allowed the team to push up and smother the opposition. Hs save v Sharp at Wembley 1986 was a vital moment as any and the players said they felt invincible after that moment and only he could have made that save.
@@randyborstol2491 thanks. is it true he got caught being involved in match fixing? what's the story there?
@@CNCTEMATIC He was accused in 1994 by The S*n. Grobbelaar insisted that he had been pretending to go along with the match-fixing consortium as part of a 'sting' operation. He was never found guilty by any investigation, but when he tried to sue the newspaper for libel, the judge awarded him damages of just a pound, saying his general conduct throughout the 'operation' had been deceitful and facetious, and that while the paper had never presented adequate proof of actual match-fixing, Grobbelaar's behaviour was still bad enough to deserve to go unrewarded. Grobbelaar was also ordered to pay tens of thousands in court fees, money he didn't have, and he was declared bankrupt.
Was he actually guilty? On balance probably not. One of the accusations against him was that he tried to throw a match against Manchester United that finished 3-3, and that while Liverpool were 3-2 down, he "accidentally" made a fantastic save from Eric Cantona to keep the team in it. It does sound quite preposterous.
And if he had been guilty of match-fixing, why did he not have the money to pay the court fees?
@Martin Odoni I remember reading, before the match fixing allegations were made, that he received a small fine for something like speeding, and had to pay by installments because all his money was in trust funds for his children. It seemed odd to me at the time. It would explain why he didn't have money to pay the court costs from the libel case. That's not say he was guilty - the source of the allegations and lack of evidence make me think, like you, that he probably wasn't.
Why did Phil Thompson lose the captaincy after this match?
Bob Paisley thought it was affecting his performances.
Paisley might have looked like the softest of grandads but there's never been a more ruthless manager
*Liverpool better get rid of that useless goalkeeper otherwise they've no chance of winning anything this season.*
The calendar year 1981 was a poor one for Liverpool in the league, despite winning the European and League Cups.
Starting the year vying with Villa and Ipswich, Liverpool faded badly, and made a mediocre start to the following campaign. This was the absolute low-point of the season.
I haven’t watched extended highlights of this game since it was first shown, and to be fair Liverpool were better here than I remembered. At least it turned out to be a turning point for the season - how many teams have won the title after being 12th at Christmas?
they played really well at Rangers in a 2-0 win that week (mentioned here) with Rushy and Johnston's movement and pace up front and Kenny further back supplying them. Interesting that they did not persist with that. Yet there were signs that the team were gelling well. Rush 10 goals in 11 games. Lawrenson was wasted at LB so Alan Kennedy returning in this game also helped a lot.
The poor calendar year of 1981 was very poor league wise. Strangely Kenny Dalglish didn't score a league goal all year until Brighton away in October. The effect the Kings form had on the team
@@randyborstol2491 I remember reading about the Rangers game in Shoot! magazine, although I had thought that it was played after this match.
Strangely perhaps, a club that Liverpool have never played in a competitive game!
Why did they play Rangers?? Mid season friendly??
The Rangers game was a friendly to mark the redevelopment of Ibrox. For some reason, Liverpool didn't have a game on Saturday 19 December, so there would have been a 13 day gap between games without the friendly.
The low point of this season. After this game we flew...
Liverpool were on fire after this game ..Only lost a couple of times after this..Sidnt they have ten wins on the bounce or something like that
@@robinevans1293 I could be wrong but they were beaten at home by Brighton and Swansea away, I think. But, they went on a titanic run of wins, playing brilliantly. Thompson lost the captaincy after this City game too.
@@Homebous76 won 9 drew 1 of the next ten games and from late March won 10 in a row. Chelsea away in the cup was a bad day all round.
Very interesting to watch. You could tell Whelan was class and Rush too. They actually played quite well in this. Joe Fagan read the riot act after this but aimed it directly at the senior pros. Felt sorry for Brucie here - either Sounes or Lawrenson said he was trying too hard. Bob told him if he kept playing like that he would be back at Crewe. The phone ins after this game must have been something else.
@@randyborstol2491 forgot about Chelsea in the cup! Awful day
@@Homebous76 train back into Gatsbys..lads looked like they came back from the Somme. Wembley a month later v Spurs was carnage as well
Liverpool won 5.0 in the away fixture
That was an absolute whalloping
Free kick from Sammy Lee..Wow
@@robinevans1293 he absolutely smashed it in
Liverpool managed to win away to each team that had beaten them in the league at Anfield earlier that season - the exception was Brighton, who won at Anfield after drawing 3-3 at the Goldstone Ground.
@@jonathancole833 great knowledge