The Retrospective Series Vol.12: 29th November 1980
This volume in our time travelling and retrospective match reports series takes us back 42 years to a Roker Park that couldn’t find its “Roar” on a bizarre afternoon in front of 32,340 in the English North East. 6 goals, some incredible ones too, and on a partly snow covered pitch that necessitated the use of the always visually pleasing orange ball! Sunderland had a youthful Chris Turner in goal, Liverpool the soon to be departing legend Ray Clemence. The hosts had a certain Sam Allardyce in defence and the evergreen Pop Robson in attack, the visiting Reds (in their alternative all yellow strip) gave a rare start in defence to Colin Irwin and the much missed genius that was Ray Kennedy skippered the side.
After a respectful thank you to the www.youtube.com channel that provided the valuable resource for this particular game, I’ll try and paint a picture of a cliched ridden “Six Goal Thriller”:
gr8footy
CLASSIC FOOTBALL MATCHES from the 50's,60's,70's,80's & the 90's To continue our collection & work on classic football…www.youtube.com
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Liverpool 1 (David Johnson 14 minutes)
With no highlights available of the first 13 minutes we jump immediately to the first goal of the game, and what a goal it is too. Just three touches of the football were required to transport the ball from Phil Neal’s right boot, via the knocked down header of Ray Kennedy and the crisp first time finish from David Johnson into the far corner of Sunderland’s net. From the halfway line to two further touches and a brilliant goal in the blink of an eye, the Reds in all yellow are 1–0 up.
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Liverpool 2 (Terry McDermott 35 minutes)
Liverpool’s second goal of the game is another gem.
On the most heavily snow covered part of the pitch on the near touchline, Ray Kennedy and David Johnson work the ball through two Sunderland defenders and Johnson is away and running on goal. Four quick touches later and all whilst running at speed, he releases a perfect pass to strike partner Kenny Dalglish who controls the ball before seeing the onward run of Terry McDermott. A perfectly weighted pass allows McDermott to smash the ball first time past Chris Turner in the Sunderland goal, and the all Reds in their all Yellow are two goals to the good.
With scant highlights, Sunderland’s first recorded chance of the game falls to Pop Robson after the half-time break, and after a dreadful back pass from Terry McDermott. Ray Clemence raced from his goal to fingertip the ball clear as Robson tried to round him and score but soon Liverpool revert to type and threaten to score a third goal. Ray Kennedy’s beautiful pass from the halfway reaches Kenny Dalglish who releases Graeme Souness who’s eventual square ball is drilled by Terry McDermott, forcing Chris Turner to tip the ball over his crossbar to safety and a corner to Liverpool. Ray Clemence is then forced to rush from his goal to play “sweeper” once more before his visiting team surely wrap up all three points with a third goal.
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Liverpool 3 (Sammy Lee 82 minutes)
With just 8 minutes remaining it would seem that Sammy Lee’s brilliant goal would both end the scoring as well as securing those valuable league points and whilst the points were safe, the goals would still continue in the final minutes of the game. First Phil Neal’s rather hopeful punt forward is cleared but catastrophically mis controlled by substitute Gordon Chisholm. Graeme Souness pounces on the loose ball, plays a stumbling pass to Kenny Dalglish who instantly returns it before Souness simply and gently sets up Sammy Lee to rifle home a ferocious shot from well over 25 yards out that flew past Chris Turner and inside his near post.
Almost immediately Liverpool could’ve have added a fourth. Yet again it was Scotland teammates Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish swapping passes before a deft flick from Terry McDermott releases a marauding Sammy Lee, but this time his vicious near post shot on goal is saved well by Chris Turner and out for a corner. But he wouldn’t be denied for long.
GOAL! Sunderland 0 Liverpool 4 (Sammy Lee 84 minutes)
A fourth stunning goal of the afternoon was started by the goal scorer himself as he strode purposefully forward before releasing Kenny Dalglish on the left wing. As Sammy Lee continued his run forward, Dalglish releases a perfect pass in stride for Lee who checks back inside a defender, before deftly lobbing a stranded Chris Turner too far from his goal line.
It was a goal of real beauty.
GOAL! Sunderland 1 Liverpool 4 (Alan Brown 87 minutes)
From the sublime of four brilliantly created and taken goals, we revert to the occasional ridiculousness of Alan Kennedy as he sloppily loses a simple ball inside the Liverpool penalty area and where Ray Clemence has previously swept up for his defence, here he was helpless as the loose ball falls to Alan Brown and he simply couldn’t miss.
But still the scoring continued.
GOAL! Sunderland 2 Liverpool 4 (Stan Cummins 88 minutes)
Mere seconds later, and from a simple through ball that split the Liverpool defence, Stan Cummins rounds an advancing Ray Clemence before squeezing the game’s final goal through the legs of Alan Hansen on the goal line.
“What an extraordinary finish!” exclaims BBC commentator of the day, and for future decades to come, Barry Davies. The Reds would end the day at the halfway stage of the 1st Division season in 2nd place behind eventual League Champions, Aston Villa. This result left Sunderland in 16th place, and they would subsequently fall just 1 place further in the final league table of the season come May 1981.
Thanks for reading. Many more in this series coming soon. Can I direct you to the three previously published articles in this series?
Liverpool 4 Ipswich Town 0
The Retrospective Series Vol.11: 6th February 1982medium.com
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