Liverpool returned to the scene of their first European Cup in Rome 1977 and beat AS Roma on their own ground to lift the European Cup of 1984.
The Final - May 30th 1984
Liverpool 1 AS Roma 1
Liverpool won 4-2 on penalties
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Whelan, Hansen, Dalglish (Robinson), Lee, Rush, Johnston (Nicol), Souness
Goals : Neal (14)
Penalties : Neal, Souness, Rush, Kennedy
Att : 69,693
Unused Subs : Bolder, Hodgson, Gillespie
The Olympic stadium, Rome - scene of the Reds first European cup triumph and home to AS Roma. Surely playing a side in their own back yard would prove too difficult for the Reds. Liverpool though had huge confidence and before the game were all relaxed and singing Chris Rea tunes. The Reds arrived as English champions for the third year in a row. They'd also won the League Cup for the fourth time in a row so had confidence about them. The Reds went straight out to silence the crowd and played keep ball. On fourteen minutes a Craig Johnston cross was fumbled by the Roma keeper and Phil Neal who had gone forward in the attack prodded the loose ball home. That goal resulted in an onslaught from Roma and they finally scored just before half time as Pruzzo headed past Grobbelaar. No more goals though in the game and as extra time came and went it was down t penalties.
Steve Nicol took the first one and blazed over to make the Roma fans confident. Bruno Conti at 1-1 though then hit his spot kick over the bar. Both kicks then went in for two each and Ian Rush made it 3-2. Bruce Grobbelaar then went to work on Graziani. The Reds keeper psyched him out with his spaghetti legs on the line and Graziani fired over the bar. The miss meant Alan Kennedy could win the cup for the Reds for the second time and Kennedy duly scored to send the Reds home victorious. The treble was the Reds'.
The Route to the Final
Semi Final 1st Leg - April 11th 1984
Liverpool 1 Dinamo Bucharest 0
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Whelan, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Johnston, Souness
Goals : Lee 25
Att : 36,941
Bucharest had done well to reach this part of the competition but at Anfield they were very physical. Rush and Dalglish took a battering. Souness nearly did but the Reds player ensured his opponent got a broken jaw for trying it on him. Bucharest were intent on getting through this one by muscle alone. Sammy Lee headed home the only goal of the game after twenty five minutes. The Reds themselves were confident the one goal was enough.
Semi Final 2nd Leg - April 25th 1984
Dinamo Bucharest 1 Liverpool 2
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Whelan, Hansen, Dalglish (Nicol), Lee, Rush, Johnston, Souness
Goals : Rush 2 (12,84)
Att 60,000
The Romanian side looked to pick up where they left off in the first leg of this one. Graeme Souness was one man the crowd were gunning for after the broken jaw incident of the first leg. The players knew better than to hit him though and instead aimed for Ian Rush. Rush was battered but after just eleven minutes hit them were it hurt by scoring. An away goal is always crucial and this proved just as much. Although Bucharest scored before half time they would have to score two more goals to go through. The Reds though were on top and always more likely to score a second than Bucharest and it was Rush again six minutes before time who scored it. That was his fortieth of the season.
Quarter Final 1st Leg - March 7th 1984
Liverpool 1 Benfica 0
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Whelan, Hansen, Robinson (Dalglish), Lee, Rush, Johnston, Souness
Goal : Rush (66)
Att : 39,096
The Reds were handed the tough task of the Portugese side Benfica in the quarter finals of the draw. A typical away performance ensued from Benfica where they defended deep and resolutely. It meant the game was pretty much one way traffic but with so many men behind the ball it was hard to break down. Ian Rush did manage to score midway through the second half though At he end of the match the away side claimed a moral victory thinking they had done well. If only they knew what was to come.
Quarter Final 2nd Leg - March 21st 1984
Benfica 1 Liverpool 4
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Whelan, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Johnston, Souness
Goals : Whelan (9,87) Johnston (33), Rush (79)
Att : 70,000
This was simply a superb example of Liverpool FC at its best. They simply tore into Benfica on their own ground and thrashed them 4-1 to send shock waves through the rest of the draw. It did start like Benfica would control the game. A shot glanced the bar and Craig Johnston cleared off the line early doors. From the next attack though Ronnie Whelan headed home a weak header which the keeper made a hash of. The away goal turned the tie and the Reds marched on. Johnston scored just after the half hour and the Reds were through. Half time came and was greeted by Portugese booing but this was exactly what the Reds wanted to hear. Benfica did score one in the second half but the Reds simply hit back with two of their own to run out four one victors on the night.
Round 2 1st Leg - October 20th 1983
Liverpool 0 Atletico Bilbao 0
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Johnston, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Robinson, Souness
Goals : -
Att : 33,063
The two sides had met once before in Europe and Bilbao won through that time but only on the flip of a disc as the sides couldn't be separated. This time around it was just as tight. An entertaining game, the Reds just couldn't break past the Bilbao defence. Try as they like they failed to beat the Bilbao defence stood firm and they went home the more confident of the sides.
Round 2 2nd Leg - November 2nd 1983
Atletico Bilbao 0 Liverpool 1
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Nicol, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Robinson (Hodgson), Souness
Goals : Rush (66)
Att : 47,500
Just before this tie the Reds beat Luton 6-0. Ian Rush bagged five of them. With the first leg goalless it mean this match became very much cat and mouse. Bilbao had to attack t go through as the Reds played on the counter attack. Bilbao certainly played well in this one and went close on a number of occasions. Half time arrived though with the Reds having weathered the big storm and they started dominating possession. The Reds grabbed the only goal of the game on sixty six minutes thanks to Ian Rush. Rush glanced an Alan Kennedy cross superbly past the keeper. With the Reds now in control of the game the onslaught never really came although much of that was down to the great Reds midfield on the night.
Round 1 1st Leg - September 14th 1983
Odense 0 Liverpool 1
Team : Grobbelaar, Neal, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Johnston, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Robinson, Souness
Goals : Dalglish (14)
Att : 30,000
Joe Fagan was now in charge of the Reds but European football was nothing new to him as he'd been at the club through the triumphs already. Odense were the first round opponents for the Reds and it was always likely to be a stroll for the Reds. The Reds eased their nerves on fifteen minutes as Dalglish scored and then dominated the game without scoring. A bigger scoreline would have been just but the Reds did have an away goal at least.
Round 1 2nd Leg - September 28th 1983
Liverpool 5 Odense 0
Team : Grobbelaar, Nicol, Kennedy, Lawrenson, Johnston, Hansen, Dalglish, Lee, Rush, Robinson, Souness (Hodgson)
Goals : Robinson (14,72), Dalglish (32, 40), OG (65)
Att : 14,985
Reds fans knew the tie was practically over and just under 15,000 turned up to see them win 5-0. Dalglish scored two in this tie which too him past Denis Law's 14 goal British record for European Cup goals. One very notable absentee form the game was Phil Neal who finally missed a game. He had played in the previous 417 but Steve Nicol came in for this one. Such was the one way traffic of this the Reds won 5-0. Odense looked for a consolation goal but on the night it didn't come even though Reds fans had jokingly started booing their own men.
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