# 1970–71 Liverpool F.C. season

The 1970–71 season was Liverpool Football Club's 79th season in existence and their ninth consecutive season in the First Division. The rebuilding of Liverpool F.C. continued into 1970-71 as many of the side who came in the previous season began to make their presence felt with the club. Although they had finished fifth in the football league, Ray Clemence, Larry Lloyd, and Alec Lindsay all begin to emerge in their second season of first-team action. Two players would figure well into the seventies; Steve Heighway who joined from Skelmersdale United in May 1970 and became a regular in his full season with the club.
John Toshack was bought from Cardiff City in November 1970 for £110,000, and became an instant hero by scoring in the Merseyside derby versus Everton F.C. a few weeks later. The rebuilding of the side from the 1960s was beginning to take shape and although they finished fifth in the First Division, it seemed that Bill Shankly would be emerging with a team that would be challenging for major trophies in the next few years. One signing which took place a few days before they finished runners-up in the FA Cup final was the signing of Kevin Keegan from Scunthorpe United for £35,000.
However, the team showed that the future would look promising by losing in the FA Cup final to League and Cup double winners Arsenal and losing on aggregate 1-0 in the semi-finals to Leeds United who end up being the eventual and last winners of the Fairs Cup.

## Squad
### Goalkeepers

* Ray Clemence
* Tommy Lawrence

### Defenders

* Chris Fagan
* Ron Yeats
* Roy Evans
* Chris Lawler
* Alec Lindsay
* Larry Lloyd
* Ian Ross
* John McLaughlin
* Tommy Smith

### Midfielders

* Steve Arnold
* Ian Callaghan
* Brian Hall
* Steve Heighway
* Emlyn Hughes
* Doug Livermore
* Ian St. John
* Peter Thompson

### Attackers

* Phil Boersma
* Alun Evans
* Bobby Graham
* John Toshack
* Jack Whitham

## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Division 1 | Division 1 | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Fairs Cup | Fairs Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Arnold | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Phil Boersma | 21 | 3 | 13+2 | 1 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 2 |
| | MF | ENG | Ian Callaghan | 34 | 0 | 21+2 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Ray Clemence | 61 | 0 | 41+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 10+0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Alun Evans | 34 | 15 | 21+0 | 10 | 3+1 | 1 | 3+0 | 1 | 6+0 | 3 |
| | DF | ENG | Roy Evans | 6 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Kit Fagan | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Bobby Graham | 19 | 6 | 13+1 | 5 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| | MF | SCO | Brian Hall | 51 | 2 | 32+1 | 1 | 7+0 | 1 | 3+0 | 0 | 8+0 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Steve Heighway | 47 | 7 | 29+2 | 4 | 7+0 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Emlyn Hughes | 59 | 5 | 39+0 | 2 | 7+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 1 | 10+0 | 2 |
| | DF | ENG | Chris Lawler | 61 | 6 | 41+0 | 3 | 7+0 | 2 | 3+0 | 0 | 10+0 | 1 |
| | GK | SCO | Tommy Lawrence | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Alec Lindsay | 35 | 1 | 21+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 8+0 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Doug Livermore | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Larry Lloyd | 60 | 0 | 40+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 10+0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | John McLaughlin | 45 | 3 | 33+0 | 2 | 4+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Ian Ross | 14 | 1 | 8+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Tommy Smith | 61 | 3 | 41+0 | 2 | 7+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 1 | 10+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Ian St John | 3 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Peter Thompson | 38 | 2 | 24+3 | 2 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 |
| | FW | WAL | John Toshack | 33 | 7 | 21+0 | 5 | 7+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Jack Whitham | 7 | 1 | 6+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Ron Yeats | 16 | 1 | 11+1 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 33 | 1.636 | 52 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 64 | 54 | 1.185 | 52 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Liverpool | 42 | 17 | 17 | 8 | 42 | 24 | 1.750 | 51 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 6 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 52 | 42 | 1.238 | 51 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 7 | Southampton | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 56 | 44 | 1.273 | 46 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
* ↑ Liverpool qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as FA Cup runners-up, as winners, Arsenal, qualified for the European Cup.
* ↑ Chelsea qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1970-71 European Cup Winners' Cup winners.

## Results
### First Division

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 15-Aug-70 | Burnley | A | 2–1 | Evans 19' Hughes 77' | 26,702 | Report | Report |
| 17-Aug-70 | Blackpool | A | 0–0 | | 28,818 | Report | Report |
| 22-Aug-70 | Huddersfield Town | H | 4–0 | McLaughlin 9', 39' Evans 74', 88' | 52,628 | Report | Report |
| 25-Aug-70 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–1 | Graham 28' | 47,612 | Report | Report |
| 29-Aug-70 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–1 | Evans 25' | 31,624 | Report | Report |
| 05-Sep-70 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | Evans 22' | 52,541 | Report | Report |
| 12-Sep-70 | Newcastle United | A | 0–0 | | 35,501 | Report | Report |
| 19-Sep-70 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3–0 | Graham 15' Thompson 27' Evans 69' | 40,676 | Report | Report |
| 26-Sep-70 | Southampton | A | 0–1 | | 26,155 | Report | Report |
| 03-Oct-70 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | Evans 22' | 46,196 | Report | Report |
| 10-Oct-70 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | | 44,457 | Report | Report |
| 17-Oct-70 | Burnley | H | 2–0 | Yeats 44' Heighway 51' | 40,804 | Report | Report |
| 24-Oct-70 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–1 | | 22,577 | Report | Report |
| 31-Oct-70 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | Smith 48 pen' Evans 72' | 45,391 | Report | Report |
| 07-Nov-70 | Derby County | A | 0–0 | | 33,004 | Report | Report |
| 14-Nov-70 | Coventry City | H | 0–0 | | 40,303 | Report | Report |
| 21-Nov-70 | Everton | H | 3–2 | Heighway 69' Toshack 76' Lawler 84' | 53,777 | Report | Report |
| 28-Nov-70 | Arsenal | A | 0–2 | | 45,097 | Report | Report |
| 05-Dec-70 | Leeds United | H | 1–1 | Toshack 52' | 51,357 | Report | Report |
| 12-Dec-70 | West Ham United | A | 2–1 | Whitham 27' Boersma 43' | 27,459 | Report | Report |
| 19-Dec-70 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–0 | | 25,033 | Report | Report |
| 26-Dec-70 | Stoke City | H | 0–0 | | 47,103 | Report | Report |
| 09-Jan-71 | Blackpool | H | 2–2 | Heighway 38' Own Goal 82' | 42,939 | Report | Report |
| 12-Jan-71 | Manchester City | H | 0–0 | | 45,985 | Report | Report |
| 16-Jan-71 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–1 | | 28,253 | Report | Report |
| 30-Jan-71 | Arsenal | H | 2–0 | Toshack 4' Smith 50' | 43,847 | Report | Report |
| 06-Feb-71 | Leeds United | A | 1–0 | Toshack 2' | 48,425 | Report | Report |
| 16-Feb-71 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | Toshack 58' | 38,032 | Report | Report |
| 20-Feb-71 | Everton | A | 0–0 | | 56,846 | Report | Report |
| 27-Feb-71 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | | 32,290 | Report | Report |
| 13-Mar-71 | Coventry City | A | 0–1 | | 27,687 | Report | Report |
| 20-Mar-71 | Derby County | H | 2–0 | Own Goal 42' Lawler 88' | 40,990 | Report | Report |
| 29-Mar-71 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–1 | Evans 17' Graham 60' | 42,017 | Report | Report |
| 02-Apr-71 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–1 | Evans 83' | 43,580 | Report | Report |
| 06-Apr-71 | Newcastle United | H | 1–1 | Lawler 44' | 44,289 | Report | Report |
| 10-Apr-71 | Stoke City | A | 1–0 | Thompson 32' | 28,810 | Report | Report |
| 12-Apr-71 | Chelsea | A | 0–1 | | 38,705 | Report | Report |
| 17-Apr-71 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | | 49,363 | Report | Report |
| 19-Apr-71 | Manchester United | A | 2–0 | Heighway 19' Own Goal 58' | 44,004 | Report | Report |
| 24-Apr-71 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–0 | Hall 68' | 20,678 | Report | Report |
| 26-Apr-71 | Manchester City | A | 2–2 | Graham 30', 34' | 17,975 | Report | Report |
| 01-May-71 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | Hughes 30' | 38,427 | Report | Report |

### Football League Cup

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 08-Sep-70 | Mansfield Town | A | 0–0 | | 31,612 | Report | Report |
| 22-Sep-70 | Mansfield Town | H | 3–2 | Hughes 16' Smith 85 Pen' Evans 117' | 29,964 | Report | Report |
| 06-Oct-70 | Swindon Town | A | 0–2 | | 40,878 | Report | Report |

### FA Cup

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 02-Jan-71 | Aldershot | H | 1–0 | McLaughlin 28' | 45,500 | Report | Report |
| 23-Jan-71 | Swansea City | H | 3–0 | Toshack 53' St. John 85' Lawler 87' | 47,229 | Report | Report |
| 13-Feb-71 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | Lawler 29' | 50,226 | Report | Report |
| 06-Mar-71 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | | 54,731 | Report | Report |
| 16-Mar-71 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–0 | Heighway 25' | 56,283 | Report | Report |
| 27-Mar-71 | Everton | N | 2–1 | A. Evans 59' Hall 73' | 62,144 | Report | Report |
Final
| Liverpool | Arsenal |
Ray Clemence :
| RB | 2 | Chris Lawler |
| LB | 3 | Alec Lindsay |
| CB | 4 | Tommy Smith (c) |
| CB | 5 | Larry Lloyd |
| CM | 6 | Emlyn Hughes |
| RM | 7 | Ian Callaghan |
| ST | 8 | Alun Evans | 68' |
| LM | 9 | Steve Heighway |
| ST | 10 | John Toshack |
| CM | 11 | Brian Hall |
| Substitutes: |||
| MF | 12 | Peter Thompson | 68' |
| Manager: ||||
| Bill Shankly ||||
Bob Wilson :
| RB | 2 | Pat Rice |
| LB | 3 | Bob McNab |
| RM | 4 | Peter Storey | 64' |
| CB | 5 | Frank McLintock (c) |
| CB | 6 | Peter Simpson |
| LM | 7 | George Armstrong |
| CM | 8 | George Graham |
| ST | 9 | John Radford |
| ST | 10 | Ray Kennedy |
| CM | 11 | Charlie George |
| Substitutes: |||
| MF | 12 | Eddie Kelly | 64' |
| Manager: ||||
| Bertie Mee ||||

### Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance | Report 1 | Report 2 |
| 15-Sep-70 | Ferencvárosi TC | H | 1–0 | Graham 17' | 37,531 | Report | Report |
| 29-Sep-70 | Ferencvárosi TC | A | 1–1 | Hughes 65' | 25,000 | Report | Report |
| 21-Oct-70 | Dinamo București | H | 3–0 | Lindsay 60' Lawler 76' Hughes 82' | 36,525 | Report | Report |
| 04-Nov-70 | Dinamo București | A | 1–1 | Boersma 47' | 50,000 | Report | Report |
| 09-Dec-70 | Hibernian | A | 1–0 | Toshack 75' | 30,296 | Report | Report |
| 22-Dec-70 | Hibernian | H | 2–0 | Heighway 23' Boersma 50' | 37,815 | Report | Report |
| 10-Mar-71 | Bayern Munich | H | 3–0 | A. Evans 30', 49', 73' | 45,616 | Report | Report |
| 24-Mar-71 | Bayern Munich | A | 1–1 | Ross 75' | 22,000 | Report | Report |
| 14-Apr-71 | Leeds United | H | 0–1 | | 52,577 | Report | Report |
| 28-Apr-71 | Leeds United | A | 0–0 | | 40,462 | Report | Report |