Liverpool FC – Five Favourite Wins Against Fulham At Anfield
Five Favourite Wins - A series where Pete Spencer looks back at his five favourite wins by Liverpool against their upcoming opponents.
23rd September 1986, League Cup Second Round, 1st leg
LIVERPOOL (4) 10 (Rush 8, 76, Wark 10, 63, Whelan 28, McMahon 44, 66, 71, 79, Nicol83)
FULHAM (0) 0
LIVERPOOL: Grobbelaar; Gillespie, Lawrenson, Hansen, Beglin; Nicol, Wark, McMahon, Whelan; Rush Dalglish
FULHAM: Vaughan; Marshall, Scott, Hoddy, Cottington; Achampong, Lewington, Barnett, Parker; Coney, Kerrins
This series has solely concentrated on First Division/Premier League meetings since 1975. However, there haven’t been as many games between these two at Anfield during that time, as other fixtures. So, I’ve included a couple of League Cup meetings. The first is a classic encounter from the 1986-87 season.
The League Cup, sponsored by Littlewoods, had reached the Second Round which was over two legs. However, after the first 45 minutes the tie was effectively over. Liverpool, who were double winners the season before had just been beaten at Southampton in the League. Fulham were in the Third Division (now League One) having suffered relegation the season before, had just won games against Bolton and Notts County and in buoyant mood. But it was all to come crashing down around them.
Only 13,498 turned up at Anfield but those who did were in for a real treat. Fulham could’ve taken the lead but Dean Coney miscued his shot and the chance had gone begging. Then 8 minutes in and Ian Rush put the home side in front. Two minutes later and John Wark had doubled the lead. Ronnie Whelan grabbed the third goal before Steve McMahon made it 4-0 just before half-time. McMahon was to end up with the man-of-the-match award to cap a memorable night for Dalglish’s first signing as manager. In the second half was when the home side ran riot but they didn’t add to their tally until after the hour when John Wark scored his 2nd of the night.
Three minutes later and McMahon got his 2nd as well as Liverpool moved into a 6-0 lead. Liverpool were then awarded a penalty, which McMahon took to try and complete his hat-trick – he missed. But it didn’t take him long to make amends as McMahon got his third on 71 minutes. Ian Rush, who started it all, then scored his 2nd of the night to make it 8-0, before McMahon netted his 4th of the night to make it 9-0.
With still 7 minutes on the clock, Steve Nicol became the 5th scorer of the night and Liverpool had reached double figures. 10-0 is still a record in the League Cup and was just one of those nights when everything went right for the home side and wrong for the visitors.
Ian Rush later described their finishing as ‘razor-sharp’ and said the keeper ‘didn’t stand a chance’. He also reckoned he could’ve had 4 goals himself but had to settle for just 2. Liverpool went onto win the 2nd leg 3-2 for an easy aggregate win, 13-2. They reached the Final of the competition but lost to Arsenal, 1-2 in the first game they had lost when Ian Rush scored. They would also finish 2nd in the League to Everton. Fulham finished 18th in the Third Division, just 3 places off another relegation.
5th October 1993, League Cup Second Round, 2nd Leg
LIVERPOOL (2) 5 (Fowler 13, 21, 47, 55, 70)
FULHAM (0) 0
LIVERPOOL: Grobbelaar; Jones, Wright, Ruddock, Dicks; Stewart, Clough, Redknapp, Hutchisonn; Fowler, Rush
FULHAM: Stannard; Morgan, Angus, Ferney, Pike; Eckhardt, Thomas, Onwere, Kelly (Jupp); Farrell, Brazil
Seven years after suffering their worst defeat back in 1986, Fulham were drawn against Liverpool again in the League Cup Second Round. Fulham were still in the third tier of English football and had beaten Colchester to get here. Another sparse crowd for a League Cup match turned up and witnessed a goalscoring sensation come of age. The game was all about one man, Robbie Fowler.
Liverpool had won the 1st leg, 3-1 with Fowler scoring the third goal. It was his debut for the club, which made his exploits in the 2nd leg all the more reason to take notice. Within the opening 15 minutes of the 2nd leg, he’d extended Liverpool’s aggregate lead. Rob Jones hit a powerful shot from about 30 yards which Fulham keeper, Jim Stannard could only parry, and the 18 year old Fowler pounced to open the scoring.
Soon after, Liverpool had a free-kick in the penalty area, and instead of blasting the ball at the wall, Ruddock played it square where Fowler fired it into the net for his 2nd of the night. 2-0 it was at half-time but the second half belonged to Fowler. Within two minutes of the re-start, Fowler completed his hat-trick as Rob Jones joined the attack on the right and squared the ball for Fowler to score from close range. Before then, Grobbelaar had been called upon to make a double save to deny the visitors but that was really the last they were able to muster by way of a challenge.
Ten minutes into the second half and Fowler had his 4th goal as he headed in a Julian Dicks cross. Liverpool were now rampant as the visitors suffered for the their first-half efforts and with still 20 minutes of the game remaining, Jamie Redknapp played a great through ball for Fowler to run onto and slotted the ball past Stannard for his 5th goal of the night.
He became the 5th Liverpool player to score 5 goals or more in the same game, and had announced himself on the stage with a bang. 5 goals, one with his head, one with his right and the other three with his left.
This was a disappointing season for both clubs. Liverpool finished 8th in the League. They went out in Round Four of the League Cup losing to Wimbledon in a penalty shootout and then suffered the embarrassment of being dumped out in the FA Cup at home to Bristol City. For Fulham, this season represented a nadir as they were relegated to English football’s basement.
15th March 2006
LIVERPOOL (2) 5 (Fowler 16, Brown og 34, Morientes 70, Crouch 89, Warnock 90)
FULHAM (1) 1 (John 25)
LIVERPOOL: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Traore; Garcia, Gerrard, Hamann, Kewell (Warnock); Morientes (Crouch), Fowler (Cisse)
FULHAM: Warner; Knight, Rosenior, Pearce, Bridge; Pembridge, Brown, Malbranque, Radzinski; Boa Morte, John
Twelve and a half years after Robbie Fowler tormented Fulham in the League Cup, he was back at Anfield in his second spell with the club. He’d had a goal disallowed on his first game back against Birmingham but had yet to find the net after his dream move back to the place where he made his name. It was almost as if he was waiting for Fulham, as 16 minutes into the game he gave the home side the lead.
Harry Kewell took a corner on the left which was flicked on by Luis Garcia and Fowler was at the far post to head the ball in. The crowd went wild and Fowler had now drawn level with Kenny Dalglish in the all-time goalscoring list for the club with 172 goals. Ten minutes later and Collins John had equalised for the visitors as he ran onto a good ball from Boa Morte. Fulham were sitting in 16th place in the Premier League, which illustrated how far the club had come since the ‘Fowler-game’ in 1993. After 34 minutes Liverpool restored their lead when Fowler and Garcia combined to put Kewell away on the right and his cross was turned into his own net by Michael Brown.
In the second half Luis Garcia was unlucky to hit the angle of the post and bar and then in the 70th minute Cisse’s header was palmed out by former Liverpool reserve keeper, Tony Warner, and Fernando Morientes was on hand to turn the ball in for his first goal for three months.
As full time approached, Benitez sent on Peter Crouch to replace Morientes and he scored Liverpool’s 4th. Cisse’s cross into the area was volleyed back across by Gerrard and Crouch converted the opportunity. Soon after, in injury time, Steve Finnan’s close range shot was blocked by Warner only for Stephen Warnock to score his first goal for Liverpool and complete the scoring. 5-1 probably flattered the home side as Fulham had done well to repel them for most of the game but the night belonged to Fowler.
Liverpool ended the season 3rd in the table and won the FA Cup beating West Ham on penalties. Fulham finished the season in 12th comfortably clear of relegation.