Blue-printed litmus turned red in this acid test

Attendance 72,000. Receipts £10,715

The seeds of victory were sown, days ago, in the minds of twenty followers of the Liverpool club. You know the sort. So wrapped by Liverpool interests as to write almost weekly, to Manager Don Welsh advising him on every aspect of football from team selection to tactics. Mr. Welsh reads their letters and probably acts on a half of one per cent of them. When Alderman Will Harrop, the Liverpool chairman and F.A Councillor paired Everton and Liverpool for this tie, most of the letters opened at Anfield were in the same strain. “Mr. Welsh,” they said, “We have noticed that when a free kick I awarded against Everton the Everton defence moves up, as one man, immediately before it is taken, leaving the opposing forwards so completely offside they can only look at each other blankly and wonder at the ease with which they have been trapped. Watch for this and do something about it at Goodison Park.” The number of such letters and their singular theme so impressed Mr. Welsh he was moved to make confirming inquires. He found that what correspondents said was true. It was but a short, if cunning, step to the counter which provided the second of Liverpool’s goals and formed the crux of a cup-tie so well won it staggered Liverpool fans as it did those of Everton. Liverpool evolved and practiced day by day last week, the counter-ruse by which they retarded Everton on their own hoist.

Opportunity did not arise until the 29th minute. Then Jones and Liddell having met in collision with Liddell sent sprawling the ball was placed for a free kick on the left and Twentyman shaped to take it. Ranged cross-field, in the vicinity of the penalty spot were four Liverpool forwards and their Everton markers. Evans the man Liverpool had chosen to be. “The Lurker” stood back from the grouping and stood still. As Twentyman strode to the free-kick the Everton defence moved upfield en masse, like well-drilled soldiers. To everyone’s surprise they were accompanied also like well-drilled soldiers by four Liverpool forwards who moved back in unison as though fugitives from the atom bomb. The ball soared over them and dropped, it seemed harmlessly into an open space. Only as it landed did Evans move to it, bring it down and move in all alone, towards goal. Manager Welsh had warned Evans; When you move to it don’t for Heavens sake, head it. Bring it down, then take it in Evans was an apt pupil. O’Neill came out, Evans dribbled round him and tried to score with a left foot shot. He missed contact with his instep and only edged the ball with his toe towards Anderson who was by then on his left. Anderson back towards goal, could only tap the ball still further to the left to A’Court who had to dummy his way to a left foot shot from the spot at which Liddell has earlier completed a glorious goal to give Liverpool the lead, Everton seemed flabbergasted by this second goal and by the ruse which brought it, it was disaster from which they never recovered.

Liverpool directors shook the hand of their manager publicly there and then Liverpool players sensed their grip on the game and only one circumstance was to weaken it and shake their belief –the injury, early in the second half of Laurie Hughes. He slid to a tackle on Hickson and suffered a groin injury. He went first to centre forward and then to outside left, leaving Liddell at left half back and Twentyman to manage Hickson. The real measure of Liverpool’s triumph was that they put on a couple of second half goals, despite their handicap. It was victory, without reservation. No ifs and buts no contentious penalty or offside decisions; no “dirt” on the contrary and no doubt that Liverpool on the day were by far the better side. Yet Everton had early chances. One recalls Liverpool’s tentative opening; Everton’s almost checky assurance in that period and some sound goalkeeping by Rudham against the day’s most persistent shooter, Fielding. This first quarter-hour was, for Liverpool the acid test. But the blue-printed litmus paper came out unmistably red, and once they went ahead they improved in performance and confidence. Liverpool won because (a) they took nearly all their chances (b) played with a team spirit which led all hands to defence when the need arose (c) had the genius of Liddell to get the important first goal and (d) seemed to find extra half-yard of speed to cut into Everton’s customary patterning.

By common consent Everton played badly. They played badly because Liverpool made them play badly, Everton were continually chivvied out of possession. If Saunders or Twentyman were not at their heels Jackson or A’Court or Anderson were. Their youth enabled them to be true stayers on a pitch which churned up a good deal and made some Everton years a prohibitively heavy burden on those who carried them. Rankin was never happy against Jackson, Anderson and Evans indulged themselves in some delightful individual effort; Liddell was wonderful at centre forward and at left half-back Rudham played with the poise and competence of a veteran (and the ball once or twice ran kindly for him). Twentyman did even better than Hughes had “in the air” against a Hickson seemed to realize that this was not to be one of his days. Perhaps the oddest thing in this amazing upset was that O’Neill task in the Everton goal was the simplest –to retrieve the ball from the back of the net four times. Undoubtedly that points to Liverpool’s disinclination to let opportunity pass. It points also to the fact that Everton by giving Rudham a deal of difficult work played better than their disappointed followers seem to appreciate.

For me lasting memories of the game –sight and sound – are legion. The piercing almost solid whistling of 35,000 Liverpodians as they willed on Mr. Ellis final blast, the scene of the end when the police could not prevent hundreds of wildly elated Liverpool fans –legs gangling, red and while scarves and overcoats flying –from mobbing some of their teams as they made for the subway. Anderson and Saunders arms clasped round each other like orphans of the storm emerged last from the thickest of the back-slapping hair – tousling mob, and looked relieved to do so. Then in the dark passageways of the Goodison Park dressing rooms steam and joy and laughter filtered from the door marked “Visitors” and overhead in the room next door two dozen Everton blue stockings hung limply, lifelessly as if in mourning for Everton hopes that were. .. Good to see perpetuation of the players entering the arena side by side. Better to see one of the results of this undoubted aid to good feeling –a hard sporting game, not a classic, but enthralling for its surprising trends and its intense excitement. We started with a claim not upheld, by Hickson for a penalty against Hughes and with a splendid tackle by Jones on A’Court when that winger was well nigh clean through. Fielding thus early a shooter hit one low and Rudham got off on the right foot by Fielding it well. Fielding, too, from a standstill start was just wide with another shot and Wainwright, killing the ball quickly snapped in a shot which was deflected for a corner. Everton’s only real worry until then was that O’Neill dared to allow Jackson’s bow-at-a-venture shot to pass out of play near the post….a gamble that raised a gale of gasps. Sixteen minutes had gone when Rankin misplaced a clearance and Jackson under-cut the ball in a looping forward pass to Liddell in the centre.

Liddell brought it under control wheeled outside Moore and delivered a fine cross-shot for a glorious goal which sent Liverpudlians crazy with delight. Rudham’s magnificent catch of Fielding’s third shot was made with such polish and ease more than a few Everton eyebrows were raised in surprise if not salute. Liddell with the sharpest of headers rounded Jones but closing in at a fine angle tried for too much power and A’Court was retrieving the ball near the far touch-line rather than O’Neill retrieving it from the net. The A’Court goal and all its captions followed at 29 minutes. Twentyman, Evans, Anderson the scorer and those twenty Liverpool fans who wrote to Manager West all had a hand in it. About this time one sensed Everton going back, further and further and there was a time near the interval when it was all Liverpool and Everton were glad to head or kick the ball anywhere from the shooting range. Eglington turned a venture in from the line when travelling so fast he finished up by crashing the concrete terrace barriers –happily without ill effect. Rudham made a catch from the centre which seemed to have been out of play in part of its flight and then Hughes got the groin injury which forced him to a touch-line nuisafice job. Immediately following this Referee Ellis stopped the game for a moment while he “handed in” the empty bottle which he had retrieved from the pitch. Rudham still full of good deeds slipped a high ball from Fielding, from the face of the bar, for a corner and though Liverpool were redeployed with Twentyman at centre half and Liddell alongside him on the left there was no sign of Everton revival. Indeed the second half was beginning to look like a mere formality. A wonderfully good pass by Liddell enabled Jackson to show speed and a big shot. Then at fifty-seven minutes Hughes the passenger paid his fare with a pass which might just as well have found Rankin as Jackson.

Rankin hesitated, Jackson went in boldly. It became his ball. When O’Neill reached his centre he could only palm it out and there was Evans the ever ready, to slap it back into goal without hesitation 57 minutes. Anderson did some supreme piece dribbling, almost literally under our noses and Everton’s to add to Liverpool’s joy and the crowd chanted “We want four.” When Wainwright shot against Rudham’s legs and Liddell at full back made an eleventh hour tackle the prospect was that the score would be 3-1 not 4-0 Hickson kicking across Saunders offered apology and a pat of the face and then (75 minutes) it was Jackson and Evans again in combined effort to produce the fourth goal. This time Evans learned forward, determinedly and headed a good goal despite the attentions of Moore. O’Neill going to the post in his effort to save, crashed against it and was damaged temporarily. A’Court might well have answered the chant “we want five” but he shot wildly after being put through by a cute pass by Hughes. By this time it was all over and everyone knew it. The final whistle and the scene which followed were notable because the handshakes all round meant something and marked the end of a splendidly fought game, fit for any to see. Of the beaten I thought Moore was best Fielding too, worked hard and well. But Everton were not punishing when opening were made. Once Liverpool went to 2-0 Everton seemed more and more over-anxious. One result was that everyone became highly individualistic and this of course has no place in Everton’s planning. For a short spell near the end the beaten side reverted to type and moved smoothly with sharp accurate passes but one could not help sensing that they knew their position was hopeless. And so to a place in the last sixteen and the draw today. Whether this Liverpool side go further or not their victory on Saturday did them more good than it did harm to Everton. There’s consolation in that though life for many Evertonians may seen dreadfully hard this morning. Meanwhile if Liddell, Twentyman, Evans, A’Court, Anderson, Moran, and company can maintain such form with team spirit such as hey and the others showed Liverpool may yet go far towards their 1955 Cup goal. They might well be the surprise packet of the competition.

Copyright - Liverpool Post and Mercury - Transcribed by http://www.bluecorrespondent.co.nr