Continuing the series
where I look back at my five favourite wins against Liverpool’s next
opponents. This weekend Liverpool travel
to Carrow Road to meet Norwich City and here are my five favourite wins from
past encounters.
7th October 1978
NORWICH CITY (0) 1 (Ryan
pen 75)
LIVERPOOL (3) 4 (Heighway
6, 10, Johnson 36, Case 49)
NORWICH CITY: Keelan; Bond, Powell, Hoadley, Sullivan; Neighbour,
Ryan, Robson, Peters; Reeves, Robb (Davies)
LIVERPOOL: Clemence; Neal, Thompson, Hansen, A.Kennedy; Case,
Souness, R.Kennedy; Johnson, Dalglish, Heighway
Liverpool had won
back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977, yet were stunned when Brian Clough’s
Nottingham Forest stormed to the title in 1978, a year after promotion. They began the 1978/79 season in determined
mood. They’d were unbeaten from the
start of the season having won 7 of their 8 matches to date scoring 24
goals. Norwich were 8th, although
they’d only won 2 matches but also only been beaten twice. Their home record had so far seen them
unbeaten, conceding only 2 goals.
Liverpool were off and
running earlier as a patient build-up involved Johnson, Case and Dalglish
before Dalglish’s back-header found Heighway wide on the left. He twisted and turned to beat Kevin Bond and
then fired a shot across the goal and into the far corner. Keelan appeared to think it was going wide,
but it crept in and Liverpool were in front.
Four minutes later, Ray
Clemence kicked downfield and Dalglish turned Hoadley with ease before his shot
hit the left-hand post and bounced back out.
As the home defence stood and watched Heighway was the first to react
and slid the ball in past Keelan and Liverpool were 2-0 up. Ten before the break and Case was again
involved in midfield, combining with Dalglish who along with his strike
partner, David Johnson, was pulling the Norwich defenders all over the place. Alan Kennedy then joined the attack and as
Dalglish’s run took the defence to the left, Johnson was all alone on the
right-hand side of the area. Kennedy
slid the ball to him and he fired past Keelan for a 3-0 half-time lead.
Early in the second half
Liverpool attacked again and Dalglish was brought down on the edge of the area
by Hoadley. Case and Souness were
standing over the ball when Case ran up and fired the ball through the wall and
into the net for their 4th goal of the afternoon. The defence may have been expecting Souness
to take the kick but Case took it, it hit one of the turning Norwich defenders
on the back and goes in. Fifteen minutes
to go and Martin Peters was played in on the left wing. As he drifts into the area he cuts inside
where Phil Neal trips him and the referee points to the spot. John Ryan stepped up to take it and sent
Clemence the wrong way. It was no more
than a consolation as Norwich were well beaten.
Liverpool pulled further ahead at the top of the table as Everton were
held at home.
Liverpool won the League
that year breaking a number of records on the way as they were one of the
finest teams the English First Division had ever witnessed. Norwich ended down in 16th although
were rarely in danger of relegation.
9th February
1980
NORWICH CITY (2) 3 (Peters 1, Reeves 37, Fashanu 81)
LIVERPOOL (2) 5 (Fairclough
4, 18, 75, Dalglish 88, Case 89)
NORWICH CITY: Keelan; Bond, Jones, Brown, Downs; Mendham (McGuire),
Ryan, Paddon, Peters; Reeves, Fashanu
LIVERPOOL: Clemence; Neal, Thompson, Hansen, A.Kennedy; Lee, Case,
McDermott, R.Kennedy; Fairclough, Dalglish
A classic encounter
talked about for years to come, although this had more to do with the plight of
one particular player than the fact the game was an exciting battle.
Liverpool came into the
game top of the league, ahead of Manchester United on goal difference. It had been two weeks since their last league
game when they surprisingly lost at Coventry, ending a 16-game unbeaten run. Norwich were sitting in 9th and on
an 8-game unbeaten run, although they’d only managed to win 2 of those 8 games.
Norwich were first out of
the blocks and had soon forced a couple of corners. The second was flicked on at the near post
and Martin Peters headed in unchallenged from about 2 yards out. However, instead of galvanising the home side
into taking control it simply provoked the visitors into a reaction. Three minutes later, David Fairclough drifted
to the right wing to receive a pass from Terry McDermott. Fairclough knocked the ball first time inside
to Sammy Lee who then gave it back to Fairclough, now free in the area, and his
shot was too hot for Keelan to keep out. 1-1. Sammy
Lee was making his first appearance of the season and Fairclough only his 3rd,
and his first for 5 months.
Eighteen minutes in and
Alan Hansen embarked on a, now familiar, surge forward and as the defence
concerned themselves with McDermott and Fairclough to his right, Hansen was
able to make it all the way to the edge of the area. Once at the area he then played Fairclough in
and his first time shot beat Keelan, for his and Liverpool’s 2nd
goal. Norwich were continuing to cause
problems at set-pieces but then with just 8 minutes before the break, Norwich
equalised. Fashanu and Mendham combined
on the right and Mendham’s ball into the area was nodded on by Graham Paddon
and Kevin Reeves went in at the near post to beat Clemence and Neal to put
things back on a level footing at 2-2 for half-time.
Both teams had chances in
the second half to add to the score but with 15 minutes to go, Ray Kennedy put
Dalglish in on the left and his ball across the goal was turned in at the far
post by Fairclough to complete his hat-trick.
It was his first ever hat-trick for Liverpool, having made his debut
back in November 1975.
Norwich came back at the
league leaders and forced Clemence into some vital saves and then with 9 minutes
to go came the iconic moment of the game.
In the inside right position, John Ryan knocked the ball to Justin
Fashanu who was on the edge of the area with his back to goal. Ryan was expecting it back as he carried on
into the space on the right wing. But
Fashanu flicked the ball up with his right foot, swivelled and met it sweetly
on the volley with his left. Clemence
stood no chance and Fashanu calmly walked away with his finger in the air. He seemed destined for great things but this
was probably as good as it got for Fashanu, but that’s another story.
Norwich had kept battling
and were rightly confident of getting something from the game, but they were
victims of Liverpool’s unrelenting will to win.
Fairclough missed a golden opportunity to grab his fourth as he was put
clear by a ball from defence, but in a move synonymous with his famous goal
against St.Etienne, Fairclough fluffed his lines somewhat and Keelan managed to
stop the ball between his knees. With
two minutes to go, Case put McDermott in on the right of the area and his shot
across the goal was headed in on the line by Dalglish. It was an incisive move and Liverpool were
clinical in their pressure. Within
minutes of the kick-off Case and Dalglish played a one-two on the edge of the
box and Case held off David Jones to fire into the roof of the net and put the
result beyond doubt.
Liverpool won 5-3 and
Norwich were so close to mixing it with the Champions but ultimately fell foul
of a side who went onto retain their title.
Norwich finished 12th in the table.
29th April 1995
NORWICH CITY (1) 1 (Ullathorne
17)
LIVERPOOL (1) 2 (Harkness
7, Rush 84)
NORWICH CITY: Marshall; Bowen, Newsome, Ward, Crook; Polston,
Milligan, Sutch, Ullathorne (Adams); Bradshaw (Cureton), Akinbiyi
LIVERPOOL: James; Wright, Babb, Scales, Harkness; McManaman,
Thomas, Redknapp, Barnes (Clough); Fowler (Walters), Rush
As the 1994/95 season
drew to a close Liverpool had already qualified for Europe by virtue of winning
the League Cup yet were also closing in on a top three place as they were 3pts
behind Forest with 2 games in hand.
Norwich, on the other hand, were in trouble in the bottom three although
they were one of five clubs separated by just 1pt. Norwich had won just 1 game all year (17
matches) and had lost 5 in a row.
Liverpool took an early
lead in the 7th minute as Ian Rush caused problems in the area and
the ball fell kindly for Steve Harkness to fire them into the lead. It was Harkness’s first goal for Liverpool in
his 4th season at the club.
Ten minutes later the home side equalised. John Polston crossed from the right and
Robert Ullathorne came in on the far post to fire the ball into the roof of the
net.
With the home crowd
desperate for any point they could grab, Liverpool finally broke their hearts
as Steve McManaman’s shot was fumbled by Andy Marshall and Ian Rush was on hand
to turn the ball into the empty net. It
was 34 year old Rush’s 19th of the season in what would prove his
final full season at Liverpool.
Liverpool ended in 4th
place, unable to close the gap on Forest.
Norwich were relegated ending 5pts from safety.
28th April 2012
NORWICH CITY (0) 0
LIVERPOOL (2) 3 (Suarez 24, 28, 82)
NORWICH CITY: Ruddy; Naughton, Ward, Drury (Martin), R.Bennett;
Howson, E.Bennett, Pilkington, Fox (Vaughan); B.Johnson, Morison (Holt)
LIVERPOOL: Reina; G.Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique; Henderson,
Gerrard (Coates), Shelvey, Downing; Bellamy, Suarez (Kuyt)
Two weeks before this
fixture Liverpool had come from behind to beat Everton in the FA Cup Semi-Final
at Wembley. They followed that with a
frustrating 0-1 defeat at home to West Brom and were lying 8th in
the table. Norwich were down in 13th
but a comfortable 10pts above the drop-zone.
This game will be
remembered for the performance of one man, Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan was on fire and looked
unstoppable. Midway through the first
half Norwich knocked the ball around at the back when Steven Gerrard pounced on
a short pass to Fox and sent Suarez clear.
Suarez fired a fierce left-foot shot giving Ruddy no chance. Barely four minutes later and Suarez was at
it again, nicking the ball on the right and as he powered his way into the area
support appeared to his left, but Suarez fired a low shot right into the far
corner and he had a double in quick time.
Liverpool lead 2-0 at the
break and were good value for their lead.
Liverpool’s lead was rarely threatened during the second half but for
all Suarez brilliance in the first two strikes, everything paled into insignificance
with the third goal. The ball was down
near the bye-line in the Liverpool area when Johnson played the ball up field
where Suarez was marked by Elliott Bennett.
Suarez got there first, with Bennett putting in a weak challenge. Suarez crossed the halfway and then barely 10
yards into the Norwich half he floated the ball outrageously over Ruddy and
into the net for a stunning goal to complete his hat-trick. It was his first hat-trick for the club and a
performance many of us have come to expect from him since.
Liverpool ended the
season in 8th although they lifted the Carling Cup and were
runners-up in the FA Cup. Norwich
finished in 12th.
29th September
2012
NORWICH CITY (0) 2 (Morison
61, Holt 87)
LIVERPOOL (2) 5 (Suarez 2, 38, 57, Sahin 47, Barnett og 68)
NORWICH CITY: Ruddy; Martin, Garrido, Barnett, Turner; Snodgrass,
Howson, Surman (Hoolahan), B.Johnson; Jackson (Holt), Morison (Tettey)
LIVERPOOL: Reina; Wisdom, Skrtel, Agger, G.Johnson (Carragher);
Sahin (Henderson), Gerrard, Allen, Suso (Assaidi); Sterling, Suarez
In Brendan Rodgers first
season as Liverpool manager they were still waiting for their first league win
by the time they arrived at Carrow Road at the end of September. After five matches they sat third from bottom
with just 2pts. This Norwich game would
prove the catalyst to get their season started.
Norwich, themselves were without a win, scoring just twice so far.
Early in the game Glen
Johnson came forward down the left and as he cut inside he tried to play in
Nuri Sahin. The pass was blocked and
fell to Luis Suarez just outside the area.
He played it onto his right and hit a low shot beating Ruddy at his near
post. There was a controversial moment
during the first half when a long-kick from Reina bounced over Suarez as he got
ahead of Leon Barnett and the Norwich defender appeared to clumsily bundle him
over. The referee waved away a penalty
with the home side claiming Suarez dived. TV Replays appeared to prove otherwise.
As half-time approached
Daniel Agger surged forward from the back and played Suarez in on goal but he
slid his shot wide of the post. As he
faced derision from the home fans, Ruddy took the goal-kick short to Garrido at
left-back and he played it square to Michael Turner. Turner, unaware Suarez was behind him, then
turned to face his keeper and found Suarez who nicked the ball off him, turned
and netmegged the Norwich defender before beating Ruddy with a shot using the
outside of his right foot. It was a
masterful piece of impudence from Suarez who took delight in giving the Norwich
fans back some of their own medicine.
Minutes after the break
Robert Snodgrass inexplicably put the ball over from about 2 yards and Liverpool
immediately punished him. Sterling, with
an exuberant burst forward, played Suarez in on the left. He got to the bye-line but his first pass was
blocked so he had another go with his right foot and there was Sahin to turn it
in for this first League goal for the club he was on loan to. Ten minutes later Suarez completed his
hat-trick. Given too much room on the
left-side just outside the area, he was able to curl the ball round Martin and
in past Ruddy for his 6th goal in successive matches at Carrow Road.
Norwich did fight back
almost immediately as Russell Martin came forward to join the attack and his
shot was too hot for Reina to hold and the rebound fell to Morison who turned
it in. 1-4 Norwich now trailed but Liverpool soon restored their 4-goal
advantage. Gerrard found Sterling on the
right and as he reached the area he played it back to Gerrard and the Liverpool
captain’s shot hit Barnett and went in.
Just before the end Grant Holt pounced on a mistake by Martin Skrtel and
curled the ball past Reina but Liverpool were comfortable winners, enjoying their
first of the season.
Liverpool recovered from
their disappointing start to the season, ending 7th with Norwich
finishing in 11th.
HEAD TO HEAD at Carrow Road
Matches: 26
Liverpool win: 11
Norwich win: 7
Draws: 8
Liverpool goals: 39
Norwich goals: 30
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