Reds hope for spirit of '81

In January 1981 Bob Paisley's Liverpool were on the march to Wembley again.

By that time the Reds had won 12 First Division titles, two FA Cups and two European Cups, however, since the trophy's inauguration in 1960, Liverpool had not won the League Cup.

And it wasn't for the want of trying.

In 1978 they reached the final only to be beaten by a dubious Nottingham Forest penalty in a replay at Old Trafford.

Then in 1980, Forest edged the Reds again, this time at the last-four stage, winning at the City Ground before drawing 1-1 at Anfield.

A year on and Liverpool, the English Champions, were back in the semi-finals of the League Cup and all that stood between them and another trip to Wembley Way was John Bond's Manchester City.

The first-leg was at Maine Road and the second at Anfield, where City hadn't won for twenty-five years.

But Liverpool, by their own high standards, were struggling in the league.

Following a home draw with Manchester United on Boxing Day 1980, the Reds went on a 17 game run in which they managed just 13 goals and gathered only 19 points.

It was a run that effectively left their title hopes in tatters and Liverpool ended the campaign fifth - their worst league finish for 10 years - but there was the consolation of a third European Cup at the expense of Real Madrid in Paris.

Anfield legend Alan Kennedy recalled: "We weren't having a great season in the league in 80-81 but we were doing well in the cups."

Everton may have knocked Paisley's men out of the FA Cup in the fourth round but in Europe, Liverpool were their usual all-conquering selves - winning their third European Cup in five years in Paris.

And in the League Cup, a January trip to underdogs Man City beckoned.

"It was a really difficult tie against City," said Kennedy.

"Ray scored the only goal at their place and then the return game at Anfield was a tense affair."

The records said that there was only one goal at Maine Road that winter night, however, the City faithful and in particular manager John Bond strongly disagreed.

On three minutes, Kevin Reeves nodded past Ray Clemence to send the home crowd into delirium.

However, referee Alf Grey ruled that Reeves had impeded defender Alan Kennedy and the goal was disallowed.

Newspaper headlines from the following day in The Daily Mirror screamed: 'Bond storms over goal that wasn't'.

The City manager said: "I spoke to the ref afterwards about the Reeves decision. He must have been the only man in the ground who didn't think it was a goal."

As the game progressed, Liverpool 'tapped vast reserves of European experience' and 'the longer the match wore on the more composed Liverpool became', according to Bob Russell's report.

Then, seven minutes from time, City players began to complain to the referee after he ruled Paul Power had floored Sammy Lee to give away a free-kick.

'With the protests dying on their lips, Terry McDermott slanted the ball shrewdly into the goalmouth where Kennedy slid the ball in almost arrogantly,' reads the match report.

Liverpool were halfway to Wembley, they just needed a result at Anfield.

Alan Kennedy said: "I picked up a hamstring injury before the second leg and had to sit it out. Richard Money, who was a solid defender, took my place in the team.

"Man City were a very good team at the time and the second leg wasn't a formality. Thankfully, we just shaded it over the two legs and I recovered in time to play in the final."

Match reports from the day after the Anfield clash seem to pay testament to the idea that the home leg was far from a formality.

The Daily Mirror's headline read: 'Dalglish strikes as Liverpool scrape in'.

And Harry Miller's introduction declared: 'Liverpool went to Wembley last night as the question marks gathered against their position at the peak of English football'.

Dalglish was back in action after injury and he fired the Reds into the lead on 23 minutes.

Alan Hansen nodded a Sammy Lee corner into the path of Dalglish who slotted at the second attempt before Kevin Reeves equalised for City just after the interval.

The Reds secured the League Cup prize for the first time after a replay in which goals from Hansen and Dalglish sealed the victory at Villa Park.

They then went on to win the trophy in four consecutive seasons in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984.