Liverpool v Manchester City 1971/72

LIVERPOOL 3 CITY 0

League Division 1

26th February 1972

attendance 50,074

scorers Lloyd(38), Keegan(53), Graham(65)

Ref H Williams

City Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Summerbee, Hill, Davies, Lee, Towers – sub Jeffries(unused)

Liverpool Clemence, Lawlor, Lindsay, Smith, Lloyd, Hughes, Keegan, Graham, Heighway, Toshack, Callaghan – sub Hall(used)

LARRY LLOYD SCORES FOR LIVERPOOL PUTTING THEM 1-0 UP

FROM THE PRESS BOX

Chris James writing in The Liverpool Echo 28th February 1972
Don Revie manager of double chasers Leeds United, looked at the top of the First Division table on Saturday night and admitted Liverpool are the team everyone has to watch.
He spoke after Liverpool had turned the title race upside down by routing League leaders Manchester City 3-0, at Anfield. The result has increased Leeds’ chances of taking the title and put Liverpool in with a chance that seemed impossible three weeks ago.
City are still at the top and two points clear. But Leeds, their nearest challengers, have a game in hand, and Liverpool are only four points behind City.
With many of the top teams still to play each other, a lot can happen in the remaining weeks of the season as dog eats dog. And Liverpool can be the vultures preying on these scraps.
Liverpool were certainly flying high on Saturday. They produced their best display of the season and both the victory and its magnitude were fully deserved.
They reduced the normally elegant City to a disorganised shambles and there id no knowing just how big Liverpool’s win might have been had they kept the heat on.
Instead they switched off after scoring their third goal after 65 minutes and finished the game at a canter.
It is open to debate how much City missed their injured star, Colin Bell. Yet I suspect that even if City had had half a dozen Bells they would not have stopped Liverpool on this sort of form.
There was scarcely a weak link in the Liverpool side. They fired on all cylinders and, like a well oiled machine, quickly took command, beat back early City thrusts and proceeded to pen the Manchester men in their own half.
For that, they had to thank Ian Callaghan, still enjoying the tremendous form he has been in this season, and Emlyn Hughes, who had one of his best games for some months and looked more like the player he can be.
Then there was Kevin Keegan, as irrepressible as ever and reducing the City defence to panic with every stride, it is hard to think of a more dynamic player in the country at the moment.
Steve Heighway brought back memories of last season with some of those fast, jinking runs that have been in cold storage for so long. He paved the way for the second half goals of Keegan and Graham and gave the veteran Book a most uncomfortable afternoon.
City’s attack is their strength, but it was given no chance. Chris Lawler and Alec Lindsay snuffed out any threat from the wings with Lawler finding plenty of time to ignore the destructive role of a full back and help in the construction of attack.
And at the heart of the defence, Larry Lloyd returned to the dominant form that won him international honours before his cartilage operation.
It was Lloyd who set Liverpool on the victory path after 38 minutes with his first goal for the club in almost 100 senior appearances. After the City defence had cleared a right wing corner, Callaghan gained possession, switched the ball to the left for Hughes to try a shot through Lee’s legs.
He didn’t strike the ball with his normal power and Lloyd up for the corner, nipped in to screw the ball wide of Corrigan. City claimed offside but from the Press Box, nearer the Kop than the Anfield Road end, it was impossible to judge the legality of the goal.
Fifteen minutes later Keegan scored a truly memorable goal, a left footed centre from the right by Heighway arched around and over the City defence and, as they stood mesmerised, Keegan launched himself horizontal to send a diving header out of Corrigan’s reach.
Then Heighway with a diagonal run from the left, laid on the third for Graham, who running in from the right, shot first time over Corrigan into the far corner.
It rounded off an impressive performance and a resounding victory and emphasised Bill Shankly’s words as Liverpool drove back from their Cup defeat at Leeds “If we can win our next three matches we’ll be right up there with the teams fighting for the title”.
Prophetic words and Allison. Revie, Clough, Mee and Coompany are wearing frowns of apprehension as they look over their shoulders today.

DESPITE A GREAT DISPLAY BY JOE CORRIGAN LIVERPOOL WIN 3-0