Liverpool 4 Ipswich Town 0
The Retrospective Series Vol.11: 6th February 1982
The Retrospective Series Vol.11: 6th February 1982
The eleventh in this continuing series of retrospective glances back at a football of a bygone era takes us back four decades, and into the middle of three games in the space of a week as the Reds of Liverpool battled it out with the Blues of Ipswich Town for supremacy in English football. It would be a fight for domination that would simmer into the next season, but on this February Liverpudlian afternoon, and on a dreadful looking winter battered mudheap of a pitch, the Reds would score four without reply, leapfrogging their visitors in league positions ending the day in 3rd position and just four points behind surprise league leaders Southampton. This game was the meat in a sandwich of a two legged League Cup Semi-Final and by the time the week was out, the Reds had defeated their Suffolk visitors both 4–2 on aggregate in the Cup and 4–0 in the League Championship.
Here’s how the 4–0 unfolded, and after a respectful thank you to the www.youtube.com account that provided this rich resource all these years later:
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GOAL! Liverpool 1 Ipswich Town 0 (Terry McDermott 14mins)
A glorious goal so rich in the tradition of Reds football whatever the era.
Ronnie Whelan’s incisive forward pass reaches Kenny Dalglish who with one instant in field pass releases Graeme Souness as well as opening up the middle of the field brilliantly. Souness takes a touch before releasing a fantastic through ball directly into the forward run from Terry McDermott who simply and expertly guides the ball instantly from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner of Paul Cooper’s net. Five touches, a handful of seconds, and the game has exploded into life.
GOAL! Liverpool 2 Ipswich Town 0 (Ian Rush 17mins)
Three minutes later and the Reds double their lead with another sweeping move upfield. This time Graeme Souness instigated it with a sharp pass to Ronnie Whelan who took the ball in a quickening stride, running at the heart of the Ipswich defence. A one-two pass with Kenny Dalglish doesn’t come off, however the loose ball rolls invitingly to Ian Rush who drills the ball through the legs of Blues defender Kevin Steggles and flying past a helpless Paul Cooper in the visitors goal.
The visitors from Ipswich finally gain a foothold in the game after the shock of the opening onslaught from their hosts and so nearly pull an immediate goal back from their Dutch International and occasional footballing genius, Arnold Muhren. A neat move involving George Burley, Tommy Parkin and Steve McCall gradually opens space on the Liverpool left side of defence. Triangles and one touch quick passes release Steve McCall with space and time for a cross into the Reds penalty area. A miskicked clearance falls to Muhren who with a beautiful instant control sets up an equally beautiful first time left footed volley that beats Bruce Grobbelaar in the Liverpool goal but not the far post of his goal frame, and the ball cannons away to safety. The skill from Muhren alone deserved a goal, but it wasn’t to be.
GOAL! Liverpool 3 Ipswich Town 0 (Kenny Dalglish 44mins)
On the cusp of half-time the Reds strike again and again with a sublime move stretching the entire length of the field and with only four touches of the football to boot. First Grobbelaar releases Alan Kennedy with a low arcing throw out which Kennedy allows to roll across his body before an instant penetrative pass forward and toward the eventual goal scorer Dalglish. The Scottish International’s first touch is a header as he tries to squeeze through the two retreating Ipswich defenders but with the ball ricocheting in his favour and onto his right foot, he smashes a brilliant drive from the edge of the penalty area and again, past a helpless Paul Cooper and again, right in the far corner of his goal.
Three brilliant goals, the Reds depart for half-time with a carefree 3–0 lead.
Before the Reds increase their lead to the eventual headline grabbing 4–0, their visitors create two good chances, both for striker Paul Mariner, and one involving a really incisive move resulting in a Tommy Parkin cross the England striker should really have tested Bruce Grobbelaar more thoroughly with. Seconds later the Reds almost get that fourth goal of the afternoon, with Ronnie Whelan yet again at the heart of the action. First he intercepts a poor clearance from Steve McCall and passes inside to Ian Rush who instantly releases Sammy Lee who beats Paul Cooper at his near post but not the post itself, and the ball screws away across the penalty area to safety. But Ronnie Whelan would soon be central to the action once more.
GOAL! Liverpool 4 Ipswich Town 0 (Ronnie Whelan 57mins)
A poor clearance from future Liverpool Red John Wark is intercepted and chested down on the half-way line by Graeme Souness who impudently flicks the ball to Sammy Lee with the outside of his foot. Lee releases Dalglish in the penalty area who’s fouled in the process, but Lee plays on with a tremendous curling cross into the penalty area that Ronnie Whelan meets with a powerful downward header past a helpless Paul Cooper once more. With the ball curling away from the goalkeeper and toward the onrushing Whelan, he had “the jump” on both Ipswich defenders he beat to meet the header, and a fourth glorious goal of the afternoon was firmly in the record books.
With the game well and truly over as a contest, Ipswich still attack and their long haired talisman striker Eric Gates is thwarted on both occasions, firstly by a brilliant sweeping, last ditch tackle from Mark Lawrenson and secondly by Bruce Grobbelaar who flung himself full length to fingertip a cross shot destined for the far corner of his net.
After a painstaking and defeat laden end to 1981, the Reds have now climbed to 3rd position in the English 1st Division, won nine and drawn one of their ten games since the turn of the year, reached their second Wembley League Cup Final in a row and would continue on a ridiculous winning run to season’s end, winning two of the season’s four major trophies.
Thanks for reading. Previously published articles in this time travelling series are linked below for your perusal:
Sunderland 0 Liverpool 2
The Retrospective Series Vol.10: 31st October 1981medium.com
Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2
The Retrospective Series Vol.9: 24th October 1981medium.com
Brighton 3 Liverpool 3
The Retrospective Series Vol.8: 17th October 1981medium.com