Liverpool FC: 10 Most Dramatic Late Shows
Liverpool are a side adrift on a sea of mediocrity. The club currently sits in seventh place, 31 points behind league leaders, Manchester United, and 13 points out of Champions League qualification.
A shell of the Reds teams of yesteryear.
The Carling Cup victory notwithstanding, the club has regressed this season despite a costly infusion of players over the summer. The team has been profligate in front of goal, failing to maintain leads, and are incapable of defeating weaker opponents.
But it hasn't always been this way.
Once upon a time, Anfield was a fortress where angels—say nothing of opposing teams—feared to tread. The defense was impenetrable and no lead was safe against the Reds. Liverpool were famed for their fighting character and never-say-die attitude, as players fought to the final whistle.
In a season of such lost hope and promise unfulfilled, let's take a look at the indomitable spirit of Liverpool Football Club. Here are the club's 10 most dramatic late shows, at least of the modern era.
10. English Premier League, January 4, 1994: Liverpool 3-3 Manchester United
1 of 11Graeme Souness' side found themselves halfway through the season looking up at a first-place Manchester United squad, 21 points and nine places back of the Red Devils.
If there were any doubt about the difference between the squads, those were erased when after 24 minutes, Steve Bruce (ninth minute), Ryan Giggs (20th minute) and Dennis Irwin (24th minute) had each already tallied to stake United to a commanding 3-0 lead.
Liverpool were not to be outdone on their home pitch, however, as Nigel Clough packed his boots with a bit of New Year cheer, scoring a brace (25th, 38th minutes). Stig Inge Bjørnebye swept in a cross which just missed the head of United's Paul Ince, and went to the head of Neil Ruddock for the 79th-minute equalizer.
Given the divergent fortunes of the clubs, never before was the Kop as ecstatic about one point as it was on that cold January night.
9. Barclays Premier League April 21, 2009: Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal
2 of 11Andrei Arshavin made his Anfield debut a memorable one by scoring four goals on the day. Javier Mascherano ceded possession in his own box to Robin van Persie, who crossed to Arshavin for his first goal in the 35th minute.
Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun then tallied for Liverpool in the 49th and 53rd minute, respectively, before Arshavin notched a pair to give Arsenal the lead in the 67th and 70th minutes and complete his hat trick.
Torres then secured his brace with a powerful low drive past hapless Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski in the 72nd minute, only to see Arshavin score a fourth in the first minute of stoppage time.
Many of the Anfield faithful were already outside the stadium when a sudden roar erupted from the Kop. Benayoun had found the back of the net after pouncing on a loose ball in box in the fourth minute of stoppage time to steal a point for Liverpool.
It gave the Kop a match for the ages.
8. Barclays Premier League, November 20, 2011: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
3 of 11Back on November 20, 2011, Liverpool were in a four-way tie for fourth place with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, level at 22 points apiece, three points out of third place and 12 off the pace of table-toppers Manchester City.
A Champions League spot was still early in the balance and the season held much promise. No one would have questioned then the importance of the game and of a victory over Chelsea to the continued renaissance of LFC under Kenny Dalglish.
Liverpool opened the scoring by pouncing on a defensive miscue by John Obi Mikel, who was done no favors by his goalkeeper. Petr Cech befuddlingly passed the ball to Mikel from goal, only to see Charlie Adam intercept and lay off to Luis Suárez, who slipped a pass to Craig Bellamy for the 33rd-minute opener.
The home side drew level when a Florent Malouda scuffed shot turned into the perfectly weighted pass for Daniel Sturridge on the back post for the 55th minute tap-in.
The deadlock would continue until the 86th minute, when Charlie Adam found Glen Johnson down the right side with a terrific long ball, expertly taken with a first touch by the England right-back.
Johnson then nutmegged Chelsea left back, Ashley Cole, juking his way into the penalty area before curling a left-footer past a sprawling Cech for the game-winner.
7. Barclays Premier League, October 5th, 2008: Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City
4 of 11Liverpool traveled to the City of Manchester Stadium with their undefeated record still intact, but it did not take long for City to put that record in jeopardy.
Stephen Ireland opened the scoring for the home side with a scintillating volley in the 19th minute, before Javier Garrido doubled the tally with a cunning free kick just before the break.
Liverpool showed the resolve they became famous for under Rafa Benitez, and Fernando Torres in particular was not to be stopped. The Spaniard got Liverpool on the board with a well-placed header from an Alvaro Arbeloa cross in the 55th minute.
The home side then found themselves a man down when Pablo Zavaleta was sent off for his challenge on Xabi Alonso, opening the door for a Liverpool comeback.
The visitors obliged when Torres notched his second in the 73rd minute to bring Liverpool level, before almost finishing the deal himself, but watching his rebounded shot fall to Dirk Kuyt for the game-winner instead in the second minute of added time.
6. Champions League Semifinal, May 1, 2007: Liverpool 1-0 (4-1 Pens) Chelsea
5 of 11Liverpool entered the second leg of the semifinal down 0-1 on aggregate, having earlier lost the first leg at Stamford Bridge. Daniel Agger drew the hosts level in the 22 minute for the only goal of the game, sending the decisive battle into extra time and then penalties.
Arjen Robben and Geremi Njitap were flummoxed by Pepe Reina, who guessed correctly both times to thwart their efforts, before Dirk Kuyt sealed the victory with Liverpool's final kick.
5. 2001 FA Cup Final: Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal
6 of 11Having already secured the League (now Carling) Cup, Liverpool were in their second final of the 2001 season. The first half was dominated by Arsenal, who should have been 1-0 were it not for a penalty wrongly denied to them.
Thierry Henry rounded Liverpool custodian Sander Westerveld and put the ball on goal, only to see his effort thwarted by the arm of Liverpool's Swiss defender, Stéphane Henchoz.
The deadlock would persist well into the second half until Freddie Ljungberg was sent clear by teammate Robert Pirès, with the Swede rounding Westerveld to put Arsenal up 1-0 in the 72nd minute.
Michael Owen would equalize for Liverpool nine minutes later with an eight-yard strike off a rebound from Gary McAllister's free kick.
Seven minutes later, the comeback was complete when Patrik Berger fed Owen a through ball down the left side. The 20-year-old dynamo left Arsenal defenders Tony Adam and Lee Dixon in his wake as he clinically slotted past a beaten David Seaman to give Liverpool the title.
4. 2012 Carling Cup Final: Liverpool 2-2 (3-2 Pens) Cardiff City
7 of 11Liverpool were expected to dominate the Championship side from Wales, but Cardiff, concerned with their own promotion battle, certainly had no intentions of being a make-weight guest at the Reds' Carling coronation.
Joe Mason opened the scoring for Cardiff in the 19th minute, and stout Cardiff defending would see them into the locker room with the lead. Liverpool drew level when Martin Skrtel put in the rebound off a Luis Suárez effort in the 61st minute, completing the regulation scoring.
In extra time, Dirk Kuyt found the back of the net in the 108th minute for what seemed like the winner, only for Ben Turner to equalize with two minutes to go in the extra period.
On to penalties then, where the weary legs of the players became a critical factor.
Both teams missed two penalties each, with Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam the inexplicable culprits for Liverpool. Tied at 2-2 after four kicks, the title came down to the final two, with Glen Johnson slotting home for Liverpool, while Anthony Gerrard bookended his older cousin's dreadful opening attempt.
3. 2004 Champions League: Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos
8 of 11Liverpool needed to beat Olympiakos by two clear goals to advance to the final 16. Brazilian legend Rivaldo opened the scoring for Olympiakos in the 26th minute before Florent Sinama-Pongolle pulled one back for the Reds in the 47th minute.
Neil Moller then put Liverpool up 2-1 in the 81st minute before laying one off for Steven Gerrard at the edge of the penalty area in the 86th minute. Gerrard's low drive put Liverpool up 3-1 to ensure that Liverpool progressed to the knockout stages, and later the UEFA Champions League title.
2. 2006 FA Cup Final: West Ham 3-3 (1-3 Pens) Liverpool
9 of 11Liverpool were expected to waltz away with the title, but someone forgot to tell that to a game West Ham squad that finished six places below Liverpool in the League.
Jamie Carragher opened the scoring in the 21st minute by putting a goal past his own keeper, before Dean Ashton added another to put the Hammers up 2-0 in the 28th minute.
Current Queen's Park Rangers new boy Djibril Cisse pulled one back for Liverpool in the 32nd minute, before Steven Gerrard drew the match level at 2-2 with a 54th-minute strike.
Paul Konchesky then put West Ham ahead in the 63rd minute, before Gerrard once more engaged in his heroics with an incredible 30-yard cracker which gave West Ham custodian Shaka Hislop no chance.
The match would go to penalties, where it was Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina's turn to be the hero, stopping three Hammer penalties to seal Liverpool's seventh FA Cup title.
1. 2005 Champions League Final: Liverpool 3-3 (3-2 Pens) AC Milan
10 of 11Liverpool met AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final of 2005, played in Istanbul, Turkey.
In what is beyond doubt the greatest game in club history, Liverpool overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit to tie the game and take it into extra time and then penalty kicks, where the club prevailed.
Postscript
11 of 11Barclays Premier League, February 7, 2009: Portsmouth 2-3 Liverpool
(Kuyt 85th minute, Torres 92nd minute)
(Torres 89th, 94th minutes)
EDIT: By popular demand
(Collymore 90+2)
What are some of your memorable late shows?
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
