# 1979–80 Liverpool F.C. season

The 1979–80 season was Liverpool Football Club's 88th season in existence and their 18th consecutive season in the First Division. Liverpool won its 12th league title, and its second in successive seasons. David Johnson was the top scorer while Kenny Dalglish, Phil Neal and Phil Thompson were regularly starting in the side. In the European Cup, there was an early disappointment with a loss to Dinamo Tbilisi in the first round. Liverpool went on to lose in the semi-finals of the FA Cup to the eventual runners-up, Arsenal, after a four-game marathon. They also lost in the semi-finals of the Football League Cup to the eventual runners-up, Nottingham Forest, who lost in the final to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a side captained by former Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes, who left Liverpool before the start of the league season.

## Squad
### Goalkeepers

* Ray Clemence
* Steve Ogrizovic

### Defenders

* Avi Cohen
* Brian Kettle
* Colin Irwin
* Phil Neal
* Alan Hansen
* Phil Thompson
* Alan Kennedy
* Richard Money

### Midfielders

* Jimmy Case
* Steve Heighway
* Sammy Lee
* Ray Kennedy
* Terry McDermott
* Kevin Sheedy
* Graeme Souness

### Attackers

* David Fairclough
* Kenny Dalglish
* Howard Gayle
* David Johnson
* Frank McGarvey

## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Division 1 | Division 1 | FA Cup | FA Cup | Charity Sheild | Charity Sheild | League Cup | League Cup | European Cup | European Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | MF | ENG | Jimmy Case | 52 | 5 | 37+0 | 3 | 5+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| | GK | ENG | Ray Clemence | 59 | 0 | 41+0 | 0 | 8+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | DF | ISR | Avi Cohen | 5 | 1 | 3+1 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Kenny Dalglish | 60 | 23 | 42+0 | 16 | 8+0 | 2 | 1+0 | 1 | 7+0 | 4 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | David Fairclough | 26 | 13 | 9+5 | 5 | 1+4 | 3 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+3 | 5 | 0+2 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Alan Hansen | 53 | 4 | 38+0 | 4 | 8+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Steve Heighway | 11 | 0 | 2+7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Colin Irwin | 14 | 2 | 7+1 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | David Johnson | 54 | 27 | 37+0 | 21 | 8+0 | 3 | 1+0 | 0 | 6+0 | 2 | 2+0 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Alan Kennedy | 51 | 1 | 37+0 | 1 | 5+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Ray Kennedy | 56 | 9 | 40+0 | 9 | 8+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 6+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Sammy Lee | 11 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Terry McDermott | 53 | 16 | 37+0 | 11 | 6+0 | 2 | 1+0 | 2 | 7+0 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Neal | 60 | 1 | 42+0 | 1 | 8+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Steve Ogrizovic | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Graeme Souness | 59 | 2 | 41+0 | 1 | 8+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Thompson | 60 | 1 | 42+0 | 0 | 8+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 81 | 30 | +51 | 60 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Manchester United | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 65 | 35 | +30 | 58 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 68 | 39 | +29 | 53 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Arsenal | 42 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 52 | 36 | +16 | 52 | |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 48 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
* ↑ Nottingham Forest qualified for the European Cup first round as the 1979–80 European Cup winners.

## Results
### First Division

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 21-Aug-79 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | | 45,900 | Report | Report |
| 25-Aug-79 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–1 | Johnson 11', 58' McDermott 52' | 48,021 | Report | Report |
| 01-Sep-79 | Southampton | A | 2–3 | Johnson 16' Irwin 74' | 21,402 | Report | Report |
| 08-Sep-79 | Coventry City | H | 4–0 | Johnson 27', 90' Case 58' Dalglish 62' | 39,926 | Report | Report |
| 15-Sep-79 | Leeds United | A | 1–1 | McDermott 81' | 39,779 | Report | Report |
| 22-Sep-79 | Norwich City | H | 0–0 | | 44,120 | Report | Report |
| 29-Sep-79 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–1 | | 28,262 | Report | Report |
| 06-Oct-79 | Bristol City | H | 4–0 | Johnson 3' Dalglish 30' R Kennedy 34' McDermott 80' | 38,213 | Report | Report |
| 09-Oct-79 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | Dalglish 80' | 25,571 | Report | Report |
| 13-Oct-79 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–1 | Hunter o.g. 18' Johnson 54' | 25,310 | Report | Report |
| 20-Oct-79 | Everton | H | 2–2 | Lyons o.g. 8' R Kennedy 55' | 52,201 | Report | Report |
| 27-Oct-79 | Manchester City | A | 4–0 | Johnson 12' Dalglish 31', 67' R Kennedy 86' | 48,128 | Report | Report |
| 03-Nov-79 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | Dalglish 4', 52' R Kennedy 67' | 49,541 | Report | Report |
| 10-Nov-79 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 4–1 | R Kennedy 19' Dalglish 65', 83' Johnson 67' | 29,682 | Report | Report |
| 17-Nov-79 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | McDermott 34', 69' | 51,092 | Report | Report |
| 24-Nov-79 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | | 55,561 | Report | Report |
| 01-Dec-79 | Middlesbrough | H | 4–0 | McDermott 5' Hansen 13' Johnson 73' R Kennedy 84' | 39,885 | Report | Report |
| 08-Dec-79 | Aston Villa | A | 3–1 | R Kennedy 55' Hansen 60' McDermott 74' | 41,160 | Report | Report |
| 15-Dec-79 | Crystal Palace | H | 3–0 | Case 44' Dalglish 48' McDermott 67' | 42,898 | Report | Report |
| 22-Dec-79 | Derby County | A | 3–1 | Davies o.g. 16' McDermott 53 Pen' Johnson 55' | 24,945 | Report | Report |
| 26-Dec-79 | Manchester United | H | 2–0 | Hansen 15' Johnson 85' | 51,073 | Report | Report |
| 29-Dec-79 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2–0 | Johnson 24', 44' | 34,915 | Report | Report |
| 12-Jan-80 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | McDermott 60 Pen' | 44,655 | Report | Report |
| 19-Jan-80 | Coventry City | A | 0–1 | | 31,578 | Report | Report |
| 09-Feb-80 | Norwich City | A | 5–3 | Fairclough 4', 18', 75' Dalglish 88' Case 89' | 25,624 | Report | Report |
| 19-Feb-80 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2–0 | McDermott 80' R Kennedy 84' | 45,093 | Report | Report |
| 23-Feb-80 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | Fairclough 8' | 47,566 | Report | Report |
| 26-Feb-80 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | | 36,693 | Report | Report |
| 01-Mar-80 | Everton | A | 2–1 | Johnson 19' Neal 31 Pen' | 53,013 | Report | Report |
| 11-Mar-80 | Manchester City | H | 2–0 | Caton o.g. 56' Souness 83' | 40,443 | Report | Report |
| 15-Mar-80 | Bristol City | A | 3–1 | R Kennedy 5' Dalglish 55', 89' | 27,187 | Report | Report |
| 19-Mar-80 | Leeds United | H | 3–0 | Johnson 33', 80' A Kennedy 60' | 37,008 | Report | Report |
| 22-Mar-80 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | Hansen 70' | 42,747 | Report | Report |
| 29-Mar-80 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–2 | | 32,114 | Report | Report |
| 01-Apr-80 | Stoke City | H | 1–0 | Dalglish 34' | 36,415 | Report | Report |
| 05-Apr-80 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 | Dalglish 14' | 57,342 | Report | Report |
| 08-Apr-80 | Derby County | H | 3–0 | Irwin 20' Johnson 50' Osgood o.g. 83' | 40,932 | Report | Report |
| 19-Apr-80 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 | Dalglish 12' | 46,878 | Report | Report |
| 23-Apr-80 | Stoke City | A | 2–0 | Johnson 34' Fairclough 60' | 32,000 | Report | Report |
| 26-Apr-80 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–0 | | 45,583 | Report | Report |
| 03-May-80 | Aston Villa | H | 4–1 | Johnson 3', 72' Cohen 50' Blake o.g. 78' | 51,541 | Report | Report |
| 06-May-80 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–1 | | 24,458 | Report | Report |

### FA Charity Shield

| Liverpool | Arsenal |
Liverpool: :
| GK | 1 | Ray Clemence |
| DF | 2 | Phil Neal |
| DF | 3 | Alan Kennedy |
| DF | 4 | Phil Thompson |
| MF | 5 | Ray Kennedy |
| DF | 6 | Alan Hansen |
| FW | 7 | Kenny Dalglish |
| MF | 8 | Jimmy Case |
| FW | 9 | David Johnson |
| MF | 10 | Terry McDermott |
| MF | 11 | Graeme Souness |
| Substitutes: ||||
| MF | 12 | Steve Heighway |
| MF | 13 | Sammy Lee |
| DF | 14 | Avi Cohen |
| FW | 15 | David Fairclough |
| GK | 16 | Steve Ogrizovic |
| Manager: ||||
| Bob Paisley ||||
Arsenal :
| GK | 1 | Pat Jennings |
| DF | 2 | Pat Rice |
| DF | 3 | Sammy Nelson |
| MF | 4 | Brian Talbot |
| DF | 5 | David O'Leary |
| DF | 6 | Steve Walford |
| MF | 7 | Liam Brady |
| FW | 8 | Alan Sunderland |
| FW | 9 | Frank Stapleton |
| MF | 10 | David Price |
| MF | 11 | Graham Rix |
| Substitutes: ||||
| DF | | Willie Young |
| MF | | John Hollins |
| Manager: ||||
| Terry Neill ||||
* Match rules
* 90 minutes, no extra time
* Five named substitutes
* Maximum of three substitutions

### FA Cup

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 05-Jan-80 | Grimsby Town | H | 5–0 | Souness 19' Johnson 42', 65', 74' Case 87' | 49,706 | Report | Report |
| 26-Jan-80 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2–0 | Dalglish 31' McDermott 71 Pen' | 33,277 | Report | Report |
| 16-Feb-80 | Bury | H | 2–0 | Fairclough 64', 81' | 43,769 | Report | Report |
| 08-Mar-80 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–0 | McDermott 38' | 48,033 | Report | Report |
| 12-Apr-80 | Arsenal | N | 0–0 | | 50,174 | Report | Report |
| 16-Apr-80 | Arsenal | N | 1–1 | Fairclough 51' | 40,679 | Report | Report |
| 28-Apr-80 | Arsenal | N | 1–1 | Dalglish 90' | 42,975 | Report | Report |
| 01-May-80 | Arsenal | N | 0–1 | | 35,335 | Report | Report |

### League Cup

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 29-Aug-79 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–0 | | 16,759 | Report | Report |
| 04-Sep-79 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 4–0 | Thompson 46' Dalglish 49', 75' Fairclough 83' | 24,785 | Report | Report |
| 25-Sep-79 | Chesterfield | H | 3–1 | Fairclough 10' Dalglish 34' McDermott 80' | 20,960 | Report | Report |
| 30-Oct-79 | Exeter City | H | 2–0 | Fairclough 60', 90' | 21,019 | Report | Report |
| 05-Dec-79 | Norwich City | A | 3–1 | Johnson 11', 31' Dalglish 37' | 23,000 | Report | Report |
| 22-Jan-80 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–1 | | 32,234 | Report | Report |
| 12-Feb-80 | Nottingham Forest | H | 1–1 | Fairclough 89' (semi-final, second leg) | 50,880 | Report | Report |

### European Cup

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 19-Sep-79 | Dinamo Tbilisi | H | 2–1 | Johnson 19' Case 44' | 35,720 | Report | Report |
| 03-Oct-79 | Dinamo Tbilisi | A | 0–3 | | 80,000 | Report | Report |